The Best Reggae Rock Bands of the 2020s, Ranked

From SoCal mainstays to the new wave keeping the skank rhythm alive on the beach circuit.

Reggae rock gets dismissed as a beach-party genre; spend one summer on the circuit and you'll see why that's wrong. The best bands in the scene are tight, low-tuned, and built for the road, and we ranked the ten defining the 2020s. The brief was the decade, not the genre — the bands that have defined what reggae rock became in the 2020s, not the bands that would have been called reggae rock in any other decade — and the list is the one that the circuit, the fans, and the bands themselves would agree on.

The method was simple. We counted only bands that released a full-length album between 2020 and 2026, weighted touring impact, festival headline slots, and the question of whether the band still sounds vital when you put them on today. We excluded the legacy acts that defined the 2000s and 2010s scene — the bands that built the circuit but haven't released a defining record in the 2020s — and we weighted the bands that have come up since the pandemic, the bands that have taken the circuit in a new direction, and the bands that have proven the scene is not a closed shop. The 2020s have been the decade the reggae rock scene came into its own, and the ten bands on this list are the ones that did it.

10. The Expendables — The Santa Cruz band that has been the workhorse of the circuit for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the Northern California scene. The band's 2023 record is the one that proved the circuit was not a SoCal monopoly, and the band's relentless touring is the reason the scene has a national footprint.

9. Pepper — The Kona-born, California-based band that has been the bridge between the reggae rock scene and the punk scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the crossover. The band's 2022 record is the one that proved the reggae rock scene and the punk scene were not separate markets, and the band's Warped Tour pedigree is the reason the scene has a punk audience.

8. Iration — The Santa Barbara band that has been the melodic heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the pop-leaning reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene could write a pop hook without losing the skank rhythm, and the band's festival headline slots are the reason the scene has a mainstream audience.

7. The Green — The Honolulu band that has been the Hawaiian heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the Hawaiian reggae rock sound. The band's 2023 record is the one that proved the scene was not a California monopoly, and the band's Polynesian influence is the reason the scene has a Pacific Islander audience.

6. SOJA — The Virginia band that has been the East Coast heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the politically conscious reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene was not a California monopoly, and the band's Grammy win is the reason the scene has a national audience.

5. Tribal Seeds — The San Diego band that has been the roots heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the roots-leaning reggae rock sound. The band's 2023 record is the one that proved the scene could be roots without losing the rock, and the band's festival headline slots are the reason the scene has a roots audience.

4. Slightly Stoopid — The Ocean Beach band that has been the jam-band heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the jam-leaning reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene could jam without losing the skank rhythm, and the band's two-night stands are the reason the scene has a jam-band audience.

3. Iya Terra — The Los Angeles band that has been the new-school heart of the scene for the better part of a decade, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the modern reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene was not a legacy act, and the band's festival headline slots are the reason the scene has a younger audience.

2. Rebelution — The Santa Barbara band that has been the mainstream heart of the scene for two decades, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene could write a mainstream hit without losing the skank rhythm, and the band's amphitheater headline slots are the reason the scene has a mainstream audience.

1. Stick Figure — The Southern California band that has become the biggest act in the scene, and the one that released the defining 2020s record of the reggae rock sound. The band's 2024 record is the one that proved the scene could outsell the major-label system, and the band's amphitheater and arena headline slots are the reason the scene has a national audience. The band is the one that quietly out-tours everyone in the scene, and the one that has proven the reggae rock circuit is not a niche but a market. Expect the SoCal institution at the top, a few bands you've never heard of, and one Hawaiian act that's quietly out-touring everyone. Turn the bass up.

The 2020s have been the decade the reggae rock scene came into its own, and the ten bands on this list are the ones that did it. Turn the bass up, and let the circuit play out one more time.