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Rock Band credited for making songs like 'Maps' mainstream

gamingMay 11, 20261422

Gamers and listeners credit the Rock Band video game franchise with introducing indie tracks like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" to teens, helping songs such as "Maps" and The Strokes' "Last Nite" become familiar staples for many millennials. Launched in 2007, Rock Band let players perform master-track and re-recorded songs across console setlists and downloadable packs, placing niche singles into living rooms and social gatherings. That interactive exposure created shared musical touchpoints that carried indie songs from local scenes into broader radio and streaming playlists, shaping millennial listening habits.

Cam
@camislike.com

This is a bad list. This song would never be considered cool 5 years after it was released. It can still be good but all of this is “tastemaker music critic” pablum that a normal millenial listener would never list. Even the Kanye song. Except Maps since it was in Rock Band and not a hard song

127h ago
Cam10

The average millennial doesn’t know who the fuck LCD Soundsystem or Animal Collective are

kerrence4

this shit sounds like “playlist for a loser i dated in 2007” which, god damn

I dug coal with Baby Billy2

It's probably Mr Brightside or some Taylor Swift song...Blank Space maybe?

Legatus Liam
@legatusliam.bsky.social

The only one I know is Maps and that's because of Rock Band.

26h ago
Godberry 👉🤛
@godberry.bsky.social

Exactly. None of those other bands were in Rock Band. Probably.

26h ago
Kewpie 🍼🖍️🌈✨ comms closed for May
@kewpieart.bsky.social

You should listen to maps is a p good song. I used to sing it all the time on rock band.

26h ago
Irene of Lauvenberg
@tripdazey.bsky.social

I know "Maps" from PS2's Rock Band. I recognize nothing else on this list. Saw things i recognized in the replies, though. As an Xennial, i lean more to the late 90's alt-rock stuff. I wonder about Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria, as it's a bit later.

26h ago
Jay Stevens
@jaystevens.me

I will say out of the songs you mentioned, the only ones I recognized were "Maps" (because of Rock Band) and "Last Nite". Couldn't tell you a single bar of the other songs mentioned (born in '93). Quite possible that I do know some of them I just don't know their names

16h ago
Dee Cooley 🏳️‍⚧️
@deep9x.com

I heard it because of Rock Band even though my general relationship to MCR is the same as yours, it also hit me hard

15h ago
BooDooPerson
@boodoo.co

follow-up game set in 2009 where "Electric Version" is in there but it's specifically the version re-recorded for Rock Band

5h ago
Jeff Rams
@jeffreadonly.bsky.social

There's gotta be a knock against Maps that if it wasn't in the Rock Band setlist 60% of Millennials would have never heard it.

5h ago
JAC 🐔
@jaconthebrazos.bsky.social

So for a song to be truly universal, it had to have found me and I have to have heard it because I wasn't looking for indie rock bands as a 14 year old lol. I very much didn't know emo music either lol. It's just me on a school bus replaying queen albums on my Sony discman over and over.

4h ago
Nixnutz
@nichtsnutz.bsky.social

Rock Band is why it's the only one on the list I know. (I would probably recognize some of the others but not by name.)

6h ago
Eggman
@eggmanimn.bsky.social

Maps is the only song in the list I really know (and mostly bc it's in Rock Band 1), Kids was forced on me by others and I really only know the annoying intro. I'm kind of amazed Float On isn't the immediate number one choice here, I think every lame ass guy like me can belt that out in their sleep

5h ago
Hit The Road Jack
@beanstockjack21.bsky.social

I wanna get together with 3 friends and play “We Got The Beat” by The Go-Go’s on Rock Band 2 together

4h ago
Ryusui
@theryusui.bsky.social

i don't know whether i should be annoyed that the only one of these i know is "Maps" and then i know it from Guitar Hero/Rock Band (and i could not tell you which one i heard it in)

8h ago

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