Top 10 Best Twenty One Pilots Songs

The Top Ten
1 Car Radio

This song is so good it sends chills down my spine whenever I listen to it. Not to mention the abrupt beats and instrumentals at 2:57 and 3:56. It's the kind of song that makes you want to drop everything and just concentrate only on it until it's over.

It's impossible not to love this song. I find it the most relatable and most beautiful at the same time. I remember lying in bed and listening to it, trying to learn the words. It's the best song in the world, along with Forest. Nico and the Niners is a close second.

2 Holding on to You

The song not only sounds amazing, perfectly blending multiple genres into one fantastic sounding song, it also is outstanding lyrically. The song begins with him saying how much he’s lost and how much he doubts, but by the middle of the song the lyrics become more defiant.

Most notably, "Tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breathe fine, and tie it, to a tree, tell it you belong to me this ain’t a noose it is a leash and I have news for you you must obey me." The chorus is very catchy, and I find myself unable to not sing along with it.


I have so much praise for this song, and no complaints. Amazing!

3 Migraine

I was going through a really hard time a while back, and the Stressed Out album helped me a lot, particularly this song. This song deserves to be number one. It communicates a state of mind that I've had to endure, and it was comforting to know that someone else could feel the same. Not only is it beautiful musically, lyrically, and in terms of its message, it has saved a life.

This might be my new favorite Twenty One Pilots song. Although "Tear In My Heart" and "Ode To Sleep" are amazing, I couldn't relate to either song. When I first heard this, one line stood out to me: "I am not as fine as I seem." Although it may sound simple, I've never seen or heard anything describe me more accurately than that one line. The beat is genius too. 12/10.

4 Ode to Sleep

I'm a pretty big fan of Twenty One Pilots, and their music is so uniquely strange that you can't really pick out any song as bad. In fact, almost all of their songs are absolutely fantastic. However, I don't think any song represents the band as well as this one does.

The deep lyrics of Migraine and Car Radio, the intense rapping in Holding on to You, and the synth-pop elements in Tear in My Heart make this an interesting, tempo-changing journey of a song. But there's also something at the core of this song that just resonates with me. It's a sense of hope and an urge to fight back that you don't hear in too many of their songs. Pair this with one of the most awesome beats and bass lines in any of their songs, and you get the best TOP song yet.

5 Stressed Out

This is the perfect song to describe the plight of a millennial 20-something-year-old. Grown up with the belief that they will be something special, they face overwhelming stress in living up to that potential. They long for a childhood when things were much simpler. Yet the acknowledgment that all of us are going through it provides assurance that the grind is worth it.

There is no description in the English language that can adequately describe this song. It's just such a work of art that I don't think I can do it justice. If you haven't listened to it yet, stop reading this and go listen to it! If you have, then you too should stop reading this and go listen to it again!

6 Guns for Hands

I truly believe this is the best song ever written. I went through a pretty big Twenty One Pilots phase, and this is one of the only songs I can still listen to on repeat. The second the drums kick in, I get chills, and when the chorus starts, I always tear up. Guns for Hands is incredible.

This was the first song I heard, and I watched the video along with it. It was on a TV program, and I wasn't into alternative bands at the time. I kept making fun of Tyler's twitching or whatever in the video, and I'm sad I didn't realize that he was just lost in the music. At the time, I was brainwashed with mainstream music like Justin Bieber. Years later, I hate Justin Bieber, and I love so many bands now, and I love Tyler's passion for music.

7 Heavydirtysoul

I'm listening to this song right now. It's so catchy that it sticks in your head and makes you want to dance and sing along. The song has a relatable message, and the variety of different melodies and layers is intriguing. Tyler's voice changes pitch often but still sounds great, and Josh's drumming is intense. It's a great song and should definitely be in the top ten.

I don't think it's their best song, but the lyrics are top-notch. They talk about topics ranging from comparing dying to how a dog inspires a rabbit, to the idea that gangsters don't cry, leaving him misty-eyed. I love it!

8 Ride

The song has great transitions between vocals, especially during the "I've been thinking too much" part. If it were my first time hearing the song, I might think it was two different people singing. It comes from an album that includes two of my favorite songs: this one and "Tear in My Heart." It's an upbeat and meaningful song. I also recommend "Heathens," "Tear in My Heart," "Fall Away" (YouTube version featuring Dr. Blum of MisterWives), "The Pantaloon," "March to the Sea," and "Ode to Sleep." All of their songs are incredible.

I just love Ride. It's amazing, and I love the meaning of the song - not because it's so popular. The vocals are outstanding, and I know all the words. It's most likely my favorite song.

9 Tear in My Heart

I am 44 years old and got turned on to TOP after hearing Ride. My girlfriend's kids all love them, and I have fallen in love with them as well. The 17-year-old has seen them twice, and now we're taking the whole crew - 17, 14, 13, and 9 - to the show in October. I can't wait. After listening for six months straight, I would say Tear in My Heart is my favorite song, along with House of Gold, and I really like My Blood as well. Sometimes I can't believe they are only a duo. They're crazy talented!

My friends had been talking about Twenty One Pilots for months on end. Finally, I decided to check out their music so I wouldn't feel left out. The first song I got on iTunes was Stressed Out (basic, but it was catchy), and the second was Tear in My Heart. It felt so familiar yet so new and innovative. The techno was mixed in with the rock, and it was an absolutely perfect blend.

10 Heathens

Beautiful and sinister, with a well-developed background melody and intriguing lyrics. I've never played or seen Suicide Squad, and this is still my all-time favorite 21 Pilots song.

Suicide Squad has one of the best movie soundtracks, second only to Catching Fire. Purple Lamborghini, Sucker for Pain, and this song are all amazing. Bad Girl is mediocre.

The beat is awesome. It sounds like a modern-day song. The message is easy to follow and it would be great for Suicide Squad. Will this be on a new album?

The Contenders
11 Kitchen Sink

This song is very beautiful. While many of the other songs on this list are also beautiful, this one deserves to be higher up. I mean, number 10? Really? Of course, songs like Heathens, Stressed Out, and Ride are higher up for some reason. But enough complaining.

The song is incredibly meaningful and is all about purpose. The central message is that things can't just exist. They have to have a purpose. Questions like Why is that? and What does it mean? describe this song perfectly. While I haven't experienced full-on depression like some Twenty One Pilots listeners have, I can certainly relate to feeling useless. This song helps enormously with that feeling.

Returning to the topic of purpose, the song argues that if something is meaningful to you, and only you, then you have a reason to live. Who else could conceive of such an idea and write such a beautiful song about it? None other than Tyler Joseph, that's who!

12 House of Gold

The first time I listened to it, I thought it was catchy and fun. The second time around, I thought that the mother had died. When I watched the music video, I absolutely lost it. It's such a well-written song, and I often find myself crying by the end of it. It's by far my favorite, and I'm actually listening to it right now! This song deserves to be higher on this list!

It has a happy tone to it, and it's really easy to pick up on the lyrics and sing along, even if it's your first time hearing it. The main instrument is the ukulele, which just makes you want to move your head to the beat.

13 Trees

The first time I saw them live, I couldn't stop sobbing during this song. It wasn't just because it was the last song of the show. It was really because the energy in the room was so beautiful during it. Tyler's voice was surrounding me, there were all these amazing animations on the stage screen, and you could just feel the hope and genuine happiness of thousands of people together.

This song holds a special place in Tyler's heart, as it was one of the first songs to guide him toward his true purpose, and it holds a special place in mine as well.

14 Addict with a Pen

This song, and this album in general, shows the vulnerability of Tyler Joseph during this time period. He recognizes that he was guilty of weak communication with God and that he was neglecting the most important relationship in his life. He shows his struggle to get himself back on the right religious path and begs God for forgiveness. The subtlety and metaphors in this song make it all the more heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching. It has a bit of simplicity but also a sense of complexity, and it really makes me think. It's a piece of art and is sometimes too relatable.

15 The Judge

"I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please, take me"

Interpret the song however you like, religiously or not. It's still amazingly meaningful. Whatever problems you might be facing, 'The Judge' reassures you in its own strange, unconventional way. It's one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, TOP song.

I will argue that this is their best song until I die. It encapsulates everything good about Twenty One Pilots in one five-minute period. The genre switches, the music itself, Tyler's rapping, Tyler's vocal range, and Josh's drumming are all fantastic in this song.

16 Fairly Local

Fairly Local gripped me tightly and lifted me from perdition. I'm sorry, but that's the best way I could describe my overwhelming emotions for this song.

This is my favorite TOP song. It's AWESOME! It was one of the first songs I heard, and that's what got me to love the band so much.

I can't even explain why I love this song so much. I especially liked the part that says, "Yo, you bulletproof in black like a funeral." It speaks to me, haha.

17 Taxi Cab

This song is truly beautiful. The tune is melancholic yet uplifting, and the lyrics are a work of art. It showcases the best of Tyler Joseph. The raw emotion in his amazing voice gives me chills. The final line of the rap (We're driving towards the morning, son, where all your blood is washed away and all you did will be undone) gets me every time. Beautiful and heartfelt, this redemption story has to be one of the most honest songs I've ever heard.

Twenty One Pilots has been going downhill since their self-titled LP, with Car Radio being the exception. I think this was the standout track on their standout album. It is literally the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Tyler sings as if someone is tearing his heart out, and the rap verse, while cryptic, embodies the song perfectly and tells a beautiful story. It is the best song by a landslide.

18 Lane Boy

This is my favorite song. The lyrics are so powerful. This is the kind of song where you don't just listen to it. You have to concentrate on it and understand where they're coming from. This song should definitely be on the radio.

This is easily the best song ever. No one should ever say those words unless they actually know what they are listening to. The song is amazing and different. It's not just another bland song about love. Their songs actually have meaning.

This should definitely be #1. This is what made me a fan of this amazing band we call 21 Pilots. This song introduced me to all their other songs. I love this song. An 11/10 rating isn't even good enough to describe Lane Boy.

19 Doubt

I don't understand why people don't know this song. Many of my peers seem to think it's just a generic pop song, but in my opinion, it's a beautifully written electro song. I also dislike how some people reuse this song but don't utilize its full potential. And how could I not mention Christina Grimmie's chilling rendition of it? Absolutely stunning!

This is personally one of my favorite songs by Twenty One Pilots, and it's also my favorite song at the moment. It gives me a sense of realism and helps put everything into perspective. "Shaking hands with the dark parts of my thoughts" is a great lyric from this song.

20 Semi-Automatic

The only songs I'd heard were "Stressed Out," "Ride," and "Heathens," and honestly, I would listen to them over and over again and not be bored. But the other day, this song was identified as my zodiac song, and damn, it really does define a part of me. It's relatable and totally worth it.

Semi-Automatic was the first TOP song I ever heard, and it will forever be my favorite. This song is so well-written and is just a true masterpiece. It really needs to be higher on the list!

Definitely my favorite song. I've just listened to the whole Vessel and Blurryface albums, and while I was going through Vessel, I stopped at this one and played it on repeat.

21 Forest

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It has wonderful transitions and tempo changes that give body to the song, and it all blends together beautifully. The lyrics are great too, especially the line "I don't want to be heard, I want to be listened to." All of the lyrics are excellent, and the song overall is wonderful.

I understand why it's so low on the list, but it should be higher. It's not for everyone, but it makes me happy and I love it.

The song has an extremely catchy chorus and tune, and the rap is very powerful. My favorite lyric of all time is featured in this song: "I scream, you scream, we all scream because we're terrified of what's around the corner." The song is quite underrated, if you ask me.

22 Trapdoor

This song is beautiful, and the line, "Take me out and finish this waste of a life," is incredibly tragic and yet so horribly relatable that it makes me cry almost every time. The pain in Tyler's voice at times, and the sigh at the end, are all just chillingly sad. It's a really amazing song and their best by far, although almost all of their songs are amazing. Songs like 'Friend, Please,' 'Guns For Hands,' 'Holding On To You,' 'Ode To Sleep,' 'Migraine,' and 'March To The Sea' are notably chilling at moments.

This song will always and forever be in my heart. The power of this song and how every single word has such a distinct and deep meaning is something you can never forget. I'm pretty sure this was the first song that made me cry. You can hear every single ounce of emotion in Tyler's voice. I am in love with the beauty of this song.

23 Truce

Truce is so powerful and has a very beautiful, slow, and calming setting. It is also so beautiful because many people (including myself) can connect to the lyrics, which are emotional yet amazing. This song is also empowering. Whenever Tyler sings "Stay alive for me," it truly allows me to feel happy inside. It helps me keep a steady head and to be strong when I know that I'm at hard points in my life. All in all, the song Truce is a gift from the gods. It is helping me and many other fans to stay strong and allows us to believe that things truly do get better and that anything is possible.

24 Jumpsuit
25 Not Today

Absolutely amazing. One of my best friends, who is also a hardcore clique member like me, and I were singing this song. My other friends came up to us, trying to interrupt. One of them just gave up and started singing along with us. We sounded horrible, but it's the thought that counts.

This song is so catchy and sounds so happy. In the song, one of the lyrics is, "Listen, I know this one's a contradiction because of how happy it sounds, when the lyrics are so down." They know how to get someone to tap their foot, and this song does just that and more.

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