Brandwave

Red Bull vs Rockstar:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Red Bull had more branded searches than Rockstar among energy drink brands in the United States. Red Bull had about 450,000 branded searches, while Rockstar had 12,100. Red Bull made up 48.6% of all energy drink brand searches we track, and Rockstar accounted for 1.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about energy drink brands, Red Bull appeared in all five answers and Rockstar in none.

Among energy drink brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Red Bull, about 37 searches for every 1 for Rockstar

Red Bull 450K searchesRockstar 12.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Red Bull, mentioned in every answer we collected

Red Bull in 5 of 5Rockstar in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Red Bull, the only one of the two named

Red Bull first in 5Rockstar never named

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Top energy drink brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Red Bull appeared in all five answers. Rockstar did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Red Bull1st
  2. Celsius2nd
  3. Monster Energy3rd
  4. Ghost4th
  5. C45th
  6. Alani Nu6th
  7. NOS7th
  8. Reign8th
  9. Rockstar–
  10. Bang–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Red Bull5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Celsius5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Alani Nu3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ghost3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • C43 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Monster Energy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • NOS1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Reign1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rockstar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Bang0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about energy drink brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 26, 2026.

Is Red Bull or Rockstar more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Red Bull and Rockstar by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 energy drink brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Red Bull and Rockstar among energy drink brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Red Bull, Rockstar. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRed BullCelsiusMonster EnergyAlani NuGhostC4RockstarBangNOSBucked UpReignZOA
Oct 202541.1%28.5%15.1%6.8%3%1.4%1.1%1.1%0.49%0.4%0.74%0.4%
Nov 202542.7%26.1%15.7%7%3.1%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.51%0.28%0.63%0.51%
Dec 202537.5%26%16.8%9.2%4.1%1.2%1.2%1%0.45%0.45%0.67%1.2%
Jan 202643.7%21.9%16%8.8%3.2%1.2%1.2%0.96%0.43%0.28%0.52%1.8%
Feb 202647.4%23.8%14.2%6.4%2.9%1.3%1%1%0.46%0.25%0.57%0.7%
Mar 202644.9%25.5%13.5%7.4%3.3%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.29%0.66%0.36%
Apr 202644.9%20.9%13.5%11%4%1.2%1.2%1.2%0.54%0.36%0.66%0.54%
May 202648.8%21.2%14.6%5.4%4.4%1.3%1.1%1.1%0.59%0.39%0.72%0.39%
Jun 202641.3%28.7%12.4%6.8%4.5%1.4%1.4%1.1%0.74%0.4%0.74%0.49%
Jul 202636.7%31.2%13.5%6%4.9%1.5%1.5%1.2%0.81%0.43%0.81%1.5%
Aug 202639.2%22.3%11.7%14.4%6.4%1.3%1.3%0.86%0.7%0.38%0.58%0.86%
Sep 202648.6%19.9%11.9%8%5.3%1.6%1.3%0.87%0.71%0.58%0.58%0.58%

How has the Red Bull and Rockstar comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States energy drink brands in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Red Bull gained share of searches among energy drink brands in the United States, from 39.2% to 48.6%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Rockstar in the United States rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 12.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Red Bull’s and Rockstar’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Red Bull

1 branded search term

  • red bull

Rockstar

1 branded search term

  • rockstar energy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among energy drink brands

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