Over the last few columns, I’ve taken a dive under the hood of Classic Rock and Classic Hits to see what’s going on with the music in each format. Now it’s time to complete the cycle by looking at what’s happening in the Adult Hits format and, finally, compare all three.
I built the analysis using Mediabase’s full-year statistics for each format’s airplay in 2025 to look at which artists received the most spins.
I also pulled archived numbers for 2024 (the previous year), 2020 (five years earlier), 2015 (10 years earlier), and 2000 (25 years earlier) to look for changes.
Here’s what stood out to me:
The Big Six
As it stands today, there are six very consistent core artists for Adult Hits stations: Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Queen, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Billy Joel.
They have been in the top six, in that order, for two years running and also made up the top six five years ago in 2020, just in a different order.
However, not all artists in the top six are created equal.
The top two, Michael Jackson and Aerosmith, each broke 130,000 total spins in 2025, while no other act topped 95,000. That’s a sizable gap between the top two and the other four.
The Up and Comers
Looking to the future of the format, there are two candidates who could potentially break the dominance of the existing top six: Guns N’ Roses, whose presence has grown steadily since 2015, and Green Day, which follows a similar trajectory. Not far behind are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alanis Morissette.
There were also debuts in the Top 100 this year from Ozzy Osbourne (likely for unfortunate reasons), The Offspring, Eminem, and Weezer. More on this coming up.
| Adult Hits Artists | 2025 Rank | 2024 Rank | 2020 Rank | 2015 Rank |
| GUNS N’ ROSES | 7 | 9 | 12 | 25 |
| GREEN DAY | 9 | 12 | 22 | 26 |
| RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS | 16 | 33 | 36 | 44 |
| ALANIS MORISSETTE | 22 | 42 | 50 | 65 |
Adult Hits vs Classic Hits
Looking at the formats through this lens of most-played artists also helps outline the differences between Adult Hits and Classic Hits.
The key similarity is each format’s basis in Classic Rock. The main overlap is with artists like Journey, Queen, Billy Joel, Pat Benatar, and Fleetwood Mac. It’s notable, though, that in both formats some Classic Rock acts, like John Mellencamp and The Eagles, are steadily falling down the ranker.
The big difference, mentioned above, centers on a willingness to embrace the nineties, where Adult Hits is much more adventurous. As noted above, Green Day is #9 for Adult Hits but only #69 for Classic Hits. There are similar splits for Alanis at #22 versus #56, and Nirvana, which is #19 at Adult Hits but not in the Top 100 for Classic Hits.
Classic Hits, instead, is choosing to hang on to more acts from before the eighties. The Beatles (#32), Beach Boys (#74), Creedence Clearwater Revival (#59), and Stevie Wonder (#68) aren’t the highest-ranking acts, but they add a flavor that isn’t part of the Adult Hits mix.
The other major division is how much each format values pure pop acts. Classic Hits includes more of this sound as well.
| Artist | Classic Hits Rank ’25 | Adult Hits Rank ’25 |
| Madonna | 3 | 11 |
| Whitney Houston | 26 | 67 |
| Paula Abdul | 78 | n/a |
| Lionel Richie | 93 | n/a |
Adult Hits vs. Classic Hits vs. Classic Rock
When you put the three formats side by side, there are only three artists — Aerosmith, Queen, and Journey — that are in the Top 10 in all three formats. While there are other similarities and shared artists, this look really illustrates each format’s unique profile:
Adult Hits: With the Top 100 including artists from more than 40 years of music, this format is by far the broadest, with the most room to stretch musically. It has also gone the farthest in embracing the nineties. That means the widest audience appeal demographically, but also the biggest challenge when it comes to definition in listeners’ minds.
Classic Hits: Featuring the fewest pure rock acts and the most eighties pop, this format is essentially a single-decade format. Yes, other artists and decades get played, but the format is so centered on the eighties that it is probably the best defined of the three, while also being the least flexible when tastes change.
Classic Rock: While the format has evolved over time to include nineties music, it is the narrowest of the three, focused heavily on guitar-driven music. That gives it the least width when it comes to finding an audience, but it likely generates the most passion among the listeners it does find.
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at the unique nuances of the three formats. It seemed like a great way to set the stage for a new year. Now let’s get 2026 rolling and get some ratings.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
