Hollywood Undead releases their third studio album, Notes from the Underground. It debuts at number 2 on the US all-format Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week. It is the band's highest charting album, but not its highest selling.[3]
Coheed and Cambria release their seventh studio album, The Afterman: Descension, the second half of the double albumconcept album that started with 2012's The Afterman: Ascension. The Descension album, much like Ascension had the year prior, debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Descension debuts at number 9, selling 49,000 copies. It is the band's fifth top ten album on the chart at the time.[4]
Red releases their fourth studio album, Release the Panic. It debuts at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 41,000 copies.[4]
Legacy Recordings releases People, Hell, and Angels, an album of twelve unreleased songs recorded by Jimi Hendrix between 1968 and 1970 prior to his death in 1970. The album ends up being Hendrix's best selling album in 44 years, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 72,000 copies. Billboard notes that this is an uncommonly good performance for posthumous releases, especially ones this old.[7]
The Strokes release their fifth studio album Comedown Machine. It manages to hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, though its opening sales, 44,000, is less than half of their prior album, Angles in 2011.[8]
Alice in Chains single "Hollow" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, and stays there for 3 weeks in a row, and 4 of the 5 weeks of the month.[9][2]
Young Guns single "Bones" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for a week. While it is only at the top for a week, its 43 weeks on the chart lead it to being the third most popular song on the chart for the year-end chart.[10][2]
April
Paramore releases their fourth studio album, Paramore. It tops the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 106,000 copies. It is their first album to top the US album's chart, and eventually goes platinum, selling over a million copies in the US alone, and has two double platinum singles from it, "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun".[11][12]
The following week, Fall Out Boy releases their fifth studio album, Save Rock and Roll. It replaces Paramore as the best selling album of the week on the Billboard 200, selling 154,000 copies.[13]
Device, the band formed by David Draiman of Disturbed and Geno Lenardo of Filter, releases their first single, "Vilify". It tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for 2 weeks. It is their only song to do so, with the band falling into hiatus the next year.[17][2]
June
Queens of the Stone Age release their sixth studio album, Like Clockwork. The album, their first in six years, featured a troubled production cycle, but still managed to find success upon release, including topping the US Billboard 200 chart upon release week, selling 91,000 copies, debuting at number 2 on the UK all-format album chart, and receiving 3 Grammy Nominations.[18]
Sleeping with Sirens releases their third studio album, Feel. It debuts at number 3, selling 59,000 copies, and is to date, the band's best performing album with chart placement, debut sales, and overall sales.[18]
Black Sabbath release their nineteenth and final studio album, 13, the band's first album release in 18 years. The album tops the Billboard 200 chart, selling 155,000 copies. It is the bands first and only album to top the chart in 43 years.[19]
Skillet releases their eighth studio album, Rise. It debuts at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 60,000 copies, and eventually is certified Gold, indicating half a million copies sold.[20][21]
Alice in Chains single "Stone" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart and stays there for 3 weeks.[2]
July
We Came As Romans releases their third studio album, Tracing Back Roots. It debuts at number 8 on the Billboard 200, selling over 26,000 copies in its opening week.[22]
Asking Alexandria releases their third studio album, From Death to Destiny. It debuts at number 5 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies, making it their best charting and selling to date.[27]
Avenged Sevenfold releases their sixth studio album, Hail to the King. It tops the Billboard 200 chart, selling 159,000 copies. It is their second album to top the US albums chart, and is the highest charting hard rock album of the year.[28]
Nine Inch Nails releases their eighth studio album, Hesitation Marks, their first in five years. It debuts at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 107,000 copies.[29]
September
Arctic Monkeys release their fifth studio album, AM. The album debuts at number 6 on the Billboard 200, selling 42,000 copies.[30]
Avenged Sevenfold's single "Hail to the King" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs charts for the entire month, and stays there for a cumulative 10 weeks, the longest of any song in 2013.[2]
October
Pearl Jam releases their tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt. The album tops the Billboard 200 chart, selling 166,000 copies. It is their fifth album to top the US albums chart, and their seventh to debut in the top 2 of the chart. Lightning Bolt holds on to be the second-best selling album on the chart in its second week of release as well.[31][32]
Korn releases their eleventh studio album, The Paradigm Shift. It debuts at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 46,000 copies in its opening week. It is the band's twelfth release to chart in the top 10 of the chart.[33]
Mayday Parade releases their fourth studio album Monsters in the Closet. It debuts at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 30,000 copies, the highest in sales and charting for the band.[33]
November
Five Finger Death Punch releases their fifth studio album, and their second of 2013, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2. Much like Volume 1 earlier in the year, Volume 2 debuts and peaks at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Volume 2 sells 77,000 copies in its first week. Volume 2 goes on to be Gold certified by the RIAA, while Volume 1 ends up going platinum.[34][21]
Korn's single "Never Never" tops Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, and stays there for three weeks. Despite the band's long-running popularity dating back to the mid-1990s, this is the band's first song to top the chart.[2][35][36]