| 1 | The White Stripes | Seven Nation Army | Elephant (2003) |
| 2 | Audioslave | Like A Stone | Audioslave (2002) |
| 3 | Linkin Park | Faint | Meteora (2003) |
| 4 | Queens of the Stone Age | No One Knows | Songs for the Deaf (2002) |
| 5 | OutKast | Hey Ya! | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) |
| 6 | Radiohead | There There | Hail to the Thief (2003) |
| 7 | Foo Fighters | All My Life | One by One (2002) |
| 8 | AFI | The Leaving Song, Part II | Sing the Sorrow (2003) |
| 9 | Coldplay | Clocks | A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) |
| 10 | The Strokes | 12:51 | Room on Fire (2003) |
| 11 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Can't Stop | By the Way (2002) |
| 12 | Linkin Park | Numb | Meteora (2003) |
| 13 | Evanescence | Bring Me To Life | Fallen (2003) |
| 14 | Hot Hot Heat | Bandages | Make Up the Breakdown (2002) |
| 15 | The White Stripes | The Hardest Button to Button | Elephant (2003) |
| 16 | Trapt | Headstrong | Trapt (2002) |
| 17 | Foo Fighters | Times Like These | One by One (2002) |
| 18 | Blink-182 | Feeling This | Blink-182 (2003) |
| 19 | No Doubt | It's My Life | The Singles 1992–2003 (2003) |
| 20 | Jet | Are You Gonna Be My Girl | Get Born (2003) |
| 21 | Audioslave | Show Me How To Live | Audioslave (2002) |
| 22 | Chevelle | Send the Pain Below | Wonder What's Next (2002) |
| 23 | Good Charlotte | The Anthem | The Young and the Hopeless (2002) |
| 24 | Queens of the Stone Age | Go With The Flow | Songs for the Deaf (2002) |
| 25 | Linkin Park | Somewhere I Belong | Meteora (2003) |
| 26 | Hot Hot Heat | Talk With Me, Dance With Me | Make Up the Breakdown (2002) |
| 27 | The Ataris | The Boys of Summer | So Long, Astoria (2003) |
| 28 | Korn | Right Now | Take a Look in the Mirror (2003) |
| 29 | AFI | Girl's Not Grey | Sing the Sorrow (2003) |
| 30 | Johnny Cash | Hurt | American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) |
| 31 | Foo Fighters | Darling Nikki | Non-album Single (2003) |
| 32 | Jane's Addiction | Just Because | Strays (2003) |
| 33 | Coldplay | The Scientist | A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) |
| 34 | Chevelle | The Red | Wonder What's Next (2002) |
| 35 | Dashboard Confessional | Hands Down | A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar (2003) |
| 36 | Three Days Grace | I Hate Everything About You | Three Days Grace (2003) |
| 37 | Deftones | Minerva | Deftones (2003) |
| 38 | Staind | So Far Away | 14 Shades of Grey (2003) |
| 39 | Transplants | Diamonds and Guns | Transplants (2002) |
| 40 | P.O.D. | Will You | Payable on Death (2003) |
| 41 | Blink-182 | I Miss You | Blink-182 (2003) |
| 42 | Interpol | PDA | Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) |
| 43 | 311 | Creatures (For A While) | Evolver (2003) |
| 44 | Godsmack | Straight Out of Line | Faceless (2003) |
| 45 | A Perfect Circle | Weak and Powerless | Thirteenth Step (2003) |
| 46 | Fountains of Wayne | Stacy's Mom | Welcome Interstate Managers (2003) |
| 47 | Sum 41 | Still Waiting | Does This Look Infected? (2002) |
| 48 | Rancid | Fall Back Down | Indestructible (2003) |
| 49 | Nirvana | You Know You're Right | Nirvana (2002) |
| 50 | The Offspring | Hit That | Splinter (2003) |
| 51 | Brand New | The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows | Deja Entendu (2003) |
| 52 | Puddle of Mudd | Away From Me | Life on Display (2003) |
| 53 | Zwan | Honestly | Mary Star of the Sea (2003) |
| 54 | AFI | Silver and Cold | Sing the Sorrow (2003) |
| 55 | Jack Johnson | The Horizon Has Been Defeated | On and On (2003) |
| 56 | Pennywise | Yesterdays | From the Ashes (2003) |
| 57 | Good Charlotte | Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous | The Young and the Hopeless (2002) |
| 58 | Trapt | Echo | Trapt (2002) |
| 59 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Universally Speaking | By the Way (2002) |
| 60 | Thrice | All That's Left | The Artist in the Ambulance (2003) |
| 61 | Metallica | St. Anger | St. Anger (2003) |
| 62 | The All-American Rejects | Swing, Swing | The All-American Rejects (2002) |
| 63 | System of a Down | Innervision | Steal This Album! (2002) |
| 64 | Coldplay | Moses | Non-album Single (2003) [From Live 2003] |
| 65 | Audioslave | I Am the Highway | Audioslave (2002) |
| 66 | Lostprophets | Last Train Home | Non-album Single (2003) [Later on Start Something (2004)] |
| 67 | The Ataris | In This Diary | So Long, Astoria (2003) |
| 68 | Puddle of Mudd | She Hates Me | Come Clean (2001) |
| 69 | The Donnas | Take It Off | Spend the Night (2002) |
| 70 | Korn | Did My Time | Non-album Single (2003) [From Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Soundtrack] |
| 71 | The Used | Buried Myself Alive | The Used (2002) |
| 72 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Dosed | By the Way (2002) |
| 73 | Cold | Stupid Girl | Year of the Spider (2003) |
| 74 | Good Charlotte | Girls & Boys | The Young and the Hopeless (2002) |
| 75 | NOFX | Franco Un-American | The War on Errorism (2003) |
| 76 | Beck | Lost Cause | Sea Change (2002) |
| 77 | Limp Bizkit | Eat You Alive | Results May Vary (2003) |
| 78 | Finch | What It Is To Burn | What It Is To Burn (2002) |
| 79 | The White Stripes | Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground | White Blood Cells (2001) |
| 80 | Less Than Jake | The Science of Selling Yourself Short | Anthem (2003) |
| 81 | Nickelback | Someday | The Long Road (2003) |
| 82 | Rage Against the Machine | Calm Like A Bomb | The Battle of Los Angeles (1999) |
| 83 | Evanescence | Going Under | Fallen (2003) |
| 84 | Audioslave | Cochise | Audioslave (2002) |
| 85 | System of a Down | I-E-A-I-A-I-O | Steal This Album! (2002) |
| 86 | Seether | Driven Under | Disclaimer (2002) |
| 87 | Sum 41 | The Hell Song | Does This Look Infected? (2002) |
| 88 | Godsmack | Serenity | Faceless (2003) |
| 89 | Simple Plan | Addicted | No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (2002) |
| 90 | Staind | Price To Play | 14 Shades of Grey (2003) |
| 91 | The Used | Blue and Yellow | The Used (2002) |
| 92 | The Distillers | Drain the Blood | Coral Fang (2003) |
| 93 | The Strokes | Someday | Is This It (2001) |
| 94 | Chevelle | Closure | Wonder What's Next (2002) |
| 95 | Yellowcard | Way Away | Ocean Avenue (2003) |
| 96 | Limp Bizkit | Let Me Down | Results May Vary (2003) |
| 97 | Dropkick Murphys | Walk Away | Blackout (2003) |
| 98 | Trapt | Still Frame | Trapt (2002) |
| 99 | Eminem | Sing for the Moment | The Eminem Show (2002) |
| 100 | Foo Fighters | Low | One by One (2002) |
| 101 | Interpol | Obstacle 1 | Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) |
| 102 | Staind | How About You | 14 Shades of Grey (2003) |
| 103 | Good Charlotte | Hold On | The Young and the Hopeless (2002) |
| 104 | Jane's Addiction | Everybody's Friend | Strays (2003) |
| 105 | Atmosphere | Trying To Find A Balance | Seven's Travels (2003) |
| 106 | Thrice | Stare at the Sun | The Artist in the Ambulance (2003) |
| 106.7 | Liam Lynch | United States Of Whatever | Fake Songs (2003) |
About 2003
In 2003, KROQ’s playlist thrived on garage rock anthems from The White Stripes, nu-metal’s evolution with Linkin Park and Audioslave, and the emo-punk explosion led by AFI and Blink-182. The year mixed raw intensity, pop-infused hits, and eclectic covers, reflecting KROQ’s alt-rock dominance.