Linkin Park’s Comeback Smash Might Not Be Done Hitting No. 1

Linkin Park’s first new single in more than half a decade, “The Emptiness Machine,” became an enormous smash the moment it arrived on the Billboard charts. The song was an immediate sales giant, and it was also welcomed warmly on streaming platforms. The band’s latest is bolting up some of those rankings at a brisk and impressive pace, and it may soon hit No. 1 on multiple tallies.

“The Emptiness Machine” climbs on two charts in the U.S. this week. The single shoots to No. 3 on both the Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay rankings. That’s a new high point for the tune, which seems like it’s headed right for the summit on those lists.

Linkin Park’s new hit has climbed to third place on both of those rankings in just two weeks. That kind of performance is rarely seen on radio rosters, and when it does happen, more often than not, the same group is behind the winner. There’s a good chance that in a frame or two, “The Emptiness Machine” won’t be able to lift any higher.

Thus far, Linkin Park has scored 10 No. 1 hits on the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally. They’ve accrued two more leaders on the Alternative Airplay chart throughout their many years together. The group has thus far earned 20 top 10 wins on both lists, including their latest single.

As it surges on the two airplay rankings, “The Emptiness Machine” is largely on the downswing on most of the Billboard lists—but that doesn’t mean it’s not successful. The track already reached its peak on more than a dozen rosters in the past week or two, and now it’s backtracking, as any cut would. This frame, it dips a few rungs on nine different tallies.

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“The Emptiness Machine” still sits at No. 1 on four other rosters. Linkin Park remains in charge of the Hot Hard Rock Songs, Hard Rock Streaming Songs, and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts this week. The tune also holds atop another radio tally, the Rock & Alternative Airplay list, for a second frame.

Songs improve faster on sales and streaming rankings much faster than radio ones published by Billboard, as the first two are powered by immediate fan action, while the latter relies on many DJs and programmers choosing one track to put into constant rotation. It’s not often that a new single rises into the top 10, or to No. 1, in just a few weeks, but interest in Linkin Park’s return was so intense, that it fueled “The Emptiness Machine” to the top of the tallies faster than most cuts could hope for.