January •
Nickelback finds crossover success with their song "
Never Gonna Be Alone", which peaks at number 58 on the all-format US
Billboard Hot 100 chart. •
Three Days Grace's single "
Break" continues its stay at the top of the
Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, that started in December 2009, and continues into February, spanning 11 consecutive weeks. The song also finds cross-over success, peaking at number 73 on the
Billboard US all-format
Hot 100 songs chart. •
You Me at Six release their second studio album,
Hold Me Down. It peaks at number 5 on the UK albums chart and was certified gold. •
Spoon releases their seventh studio album,
Transference. It debuts at number 4 on the
Billboard, selling 53,000 copies in its opening week.
February •
Alice in Chains single "
Your Decision" tops the
Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and stays there for 8 consecutive weeks. •
Alkaline Trio releases their seventh studio album,
This Addiction. It debuts just outside of the top 10 of the
Billboard 200, charting at number 11 with 26,000 copies sold. It is the second highest debut of the week, and the career highest debut for the band.
March •
Almost Alice, a
concept album of music inspired by
Tim Burton's 2010 film
Alice in Wonderland, is released. It features contribution from various artists, including many rock bands, including
Shinedown,
Franz Ferdinand,
They Might Be Giants, and
All Time Low. The album debuts at number 5 on the
Billboard 200, selling 58,000 copies. •
Lifehouse releases their fifth studio album,
Smoke and Mirrors. It debuts at number 6 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 56,000 copies. •
The Edge, a compilation of rock songs primarily originating from the 2000s, is released. It contains popular singles from 24 rock bands, including
Evanescence,
Staind,
Chevelle,
Sum 41,
Alien Ant Farm,
Godsmack, and
Panic at the Disco. It debuts at number 4 on the
Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its opening week. •
Slash releases his first solo album,
Slash. It is the highest debut of the week on the
Billboard 200, charting at number 3 and selling 60,000 copies.
April •
Godsmack single "
Cryin' Like A Bitch" tops the
Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for 5 weeks. •
Bullet For My Valentine releases their third studio album,
Fever. It debuts at number 3 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 71,000 copies. It is a career high for the band.
May •
Three Days Grace's single "
The Good Life" tops the
Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for 5 weeks. •
Deftones releases their sixth studio album, and their first in four years,
Diamond Eyes. It debuts at number 6 on the
Billboard 200, selling 62,000. It is the first album without original bassist
Chi Cheng, who entered a long-term coma in 2008. •
The Black Keys release their sixth studio album,
Brothers. It debuts at number 3 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 73,000 copies. It holds on to number 8 in its second week as well, selling another 26,000 copies.
July •
Shinedown's single "
The Crow & the Butterfly" tops the
Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for a single week. It also finds minor crossover success, breaking into the
Billboard all-format
Hot 100 chart at number 97. •
Nickelback finds crossover success with their single "
This Afternoon", which peaks at number 34 on the
Billboard all-format
Hot 100 chart. It is also the bands tenth song to reach the top 40 of the chart. •
Korn releases their ninth studio album,
Korn III: Remember Who You Are. It debuts at number 2 on the
Billboard 200, selling 63,000 copies.
August •
Disturbed releases their fifth studio album,
Asylum. It tops the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 179,000 copies in its opening week. It is the band's fourth album in a row to top the chart. •
Disturbed's single "
Another Way to Die" tops the Mainstream Rock chart and stays there for 8 consecutive weeks. It holds on to number 3 in its second week, selling another 70,000 copies. •
Stone Sour releases their third studio album,
Audio Secrecy. It debuts at number 6 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 46,000 copies. •
Weezer releases their eighth studio album,
Hurley. It debuts at number 6 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 45,000 copies. The album's title and cover art is a reference to the character
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (
Jorge Garcia) from the television series
Lost.
October •
Kings of Leon release their fifth studio album,
Come Around Sundown. It debuts at number 2 on the
Billboard 200 chart, and tops the national album charts for
12 other national charts.
November •
My Chemical Romance releases their fourth studio album,
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It debuts at number 8 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 112,000 copies in its opening week. In the same month, they release their single "
Sing", which sees crossover success, later peaking at number 58 on the
Billboard US all-format
Hot 100 chart.
December •
Three Days Grace's single "
World So Cold". It tops the Mainstream Rock chart for 5 consecutive weeks. • The low sales of
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, the 2010 iteration of
Activision's
Guitar Hero rock music video game series, fall well below estimates.
NPD Group reported 86,000 units sold in the United States across all platforms for the last five days of September during which it was available. This figure fell below the initial sales of the previous games, such as 1.5 million and 500,000 units in first-week sales for
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007) and
Guitar Hero World Tour (2008), respectively. Weak sales of
Warriors of Rock, in part, led to Activision closing its
Guitar Hero business unit and cancelling a planned 2011 sequel. ==Deaths==