According to a study published in April 2026, listening to music is the top stress reliever in the U.S., with some surprising go-to artists. Health software developer Tebra polled 1,000 people about what they listen to when de-stressing. Additionally, the company gathered data from public playlists curated for mental health or stress relief, and an interesting pattern emerged.
The study analyzed 155,626 tracks from 560 playlists labeled for stress relief and mental health. Listeners seemed to turn to rock, metal, and heavy music a lot when “seeking emotional relief,” the study shared. But hip-hop and indie rock also dominated the poll.
Heavy Music Heals: People Often Seek Rock Bands for Stress Relief
35% of people polled said they de-stress by listening to music, making it the number one technique. Additionally, 82% stated that their music taste changes with their mood, turning to different genres and artists when stressed, compared to a good mood.
As for the top mental health song, the study revealed that “Sparks” by Coldplay appeared the most across the playlist data. A close runner-up was Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met”, proving the popular theory of listening to sad music when you’re sad.
Considering the aforementioned playlist data, Linkin Park showed up often on rock-leaning playlists for stress relief. The study doesn’t get specific about whether it’s the music or lyrics—or both—that resonate most with listeners. But turning to Linkin Park for stress relief makes a surprising amount of sense when you really think about it. Additionally, Linkin Park was one of the most “self-reported artists” for de-stressing, alongside the playlist data.
Many other rock and metal bands were also found to be stress relievers
Linkin Park wasn’t the only rock band included, however. On playlists specifically for stress-relief, Radiohead and Deftones also appeared frequently. For mental health-related playlists, listeners turned more toward heavy metal. Alice in Chains, Slipknot, and Metallica appeared most often. Stressed-out listeners who preferred indie rock turned mostly to Arctic Monkeys, Mac DeMarco, and Tame Impala.
Emo also had a moment, but as a genre, it came in last in the playlist data. This makes some sense, actually. For those who like to listen to sad music when they’re sad, emo is the go-to genre. But for those who turn to music to change their mood, emo might not be the right choice. Still, Panic! at the Disco, Rise Against, and Turnstile appeared most frequently on emo and punk-leaning stress relief playlists.
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