2009 in alternative and punk rock

• February 4
  • Lux Interior of The Cramps dies of aortic dissection in California.[1]
• February 8
  • Coldplay wins three awards including Song of the Year for Viva La Vida.
  • Blink-182 announce that they are to reunite for a tour and new album.[2]
• February 18 – Kings of Leon win best international group and best international album for Only by the Night at the Brit Awards.
• February 26 – Vocalist Steven Page leaves the Barenaked Ladies.[3]

• March 6 through March 8 – Phish's reunion shows at Hampton Coliseum in Virginia.

• April 17 through April 19 – Coachella 2009

• May 2 to May 3 – The Bamboozle festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey

• June 1 – Pearl Jam are first musical guests on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, performing new songs.
• June 4 to 7 – Oasis begins the summer stadium leg of their world tour with 3 sold-out homecoming concerts at the 70,000 capacity Heaton Park.
• June 11 to 14 – Bonnaroo 2009
• June 24 to 28 – Glastonbury Festival 2009
• June 25 – July 5 – Summerfest
• June 26 – Warped Tour begins in Pomona, California[4]
• June 30 – The U2 360° Tour begins in Barcelona's Nou Camp Stadium in front of a sell out crowd.

• July 2 to 3 – Blur's 20 year reunion and superconcert at Hyde Park.
• July 2 to 5 – Heineken Open'er Festival in Gdynia, Poland
• July 6 – Ryan Ross and Jon Walker leave Panic! at the Disco and go on to form The Young Veins.
• July 6 to 12 – Australian Radio station Triple J holds its 'Hottest 100 of All Time' with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" coming in first for the third consecutive time a 'Hottest 100 of All Time' has been held 1991, 1998 and 2009. This is the largest music poll in the world with more than half a million people voting.
• July 9–12 – 10th EXIT festival takes place in the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad, Serbia, with more than 190,000 visitors.
• July 21 – shortlist announced for the 2009 Mercury Prize.
• July 22 to July 25 – 2009 10,000 Lakes Festival
• July 24 Start of blink-182's reunion tour, with Fall Out Boy and Weezer as opening acts, kicks off.

• August 7–9 – Lollapalooza 2009
• August 21 – Vocalist Jim Lindberg announces his departure from Pennywise.[5]
• August 28 – After another fight with his brother Liam, Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis. Initial reports shortly afterwards suggested that Oasis had broken up, but Liam later stated that they have not.
• August 28–31 – Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham, UK
• August 31 – Ingrid Michaelson kicks off her "Everybody" tour in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

• September 7 – Muse release their new single, "Uprising".
• September 10 – Nine Inch Nails performs their final concert in Los Angeles.
• September 13 – Green Day wins three awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards held in New York City at Radio City Music Hall.[6]
• September 17 – Avril Lavigne and husband Deryck Whibley split after three years of marriage.
• September 21 – Fucked Up's The Chemistry of Common Life is announced winner of the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.
• September 24 – Chiodos fires their lead singer, Craig Owens.

• October 2 through October 4 – Austin City Limits 2009[7]
  • Green Day released their UK and US single "East Jesus Nowhere"

• November 12 – Steven Tyler announces that he is not leaving Aerosmith, dispelling rumors that the band would be in need of a new lead singer.[8]

• December 16 – John Frusciante announces his second departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• December 20 – Rage Against the Machine takes the Christmas number one slot in the United Kingdom with Killing in the Name, after a massive Facebook campaign.[9]
• December 25 – The folk singer and songwriter Vic Chesnutt commits suicide.
• December 30 – Rowland S. Howard, former guitarist for The Birthday Party, dies of cancer at age 50.

December 29 - Release of Twenty one Pliot's first album, their self - titled, which included songs like "Addict With a Pen", and "Isle of Flightless Birds".