“Radioactive” proceeded to rule Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart for 13 straight weeks from March 2013 to the end of May. At the time of its initial reign, it displaced a fellow early adopter of the 2010s-flavored alternative/electronic fusion, Muse’s “Madness,” a song that truly leaned into its dubstep influences and turned the wubs up to 11. Meanwhile, a predecessor, Alex Clare’s “Too Close,” was practically two different songs: plaintive singer-songwriter on the verses, club banger on the chorus. “Radioactive” instead blended these sounds more deftly, creating something palatable to alternative and pop fans alike. By the end of its radio run, it appeared on a wide array of different formats, from Mainstream Rock Songs to Rhythmic Songs.

In some ways, that formula persists. Threads of “Radioactive” can still be heard in a weekly perusal of Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, represented in songs that are just enough this genre while also being a little that genre to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible. To that end, Marroquin refers to the blend of musical threads found throughout the song as “almost the beginning of genre-less music” -- an opinion that holds weight more than ever at the close of the decade, when artists often leap from radio format to radio format without as many of the barriers that might have previously stood in their way.

Imagine Dragons themselves pulled off the trick again with 2017’s top five Hot 100 hit “Believer” and “Thunder,” which in many ways take lessons learned from “Radioactive,” featuring guitar to an extent but mostly defining its sound on blasts of percussion and Reynolds’ muscular vocals. It was little shock when, like “Radioactive,” the tracks were featured prominently in many commercials and TV shows throughout the year.

But the ultimate sense of a mission accomplished came at the 2013 Grammys, where “Radioactive” was nominated for record of the year and best rock performance, emerging victorious in the latter category. That night, just as Alex da Kid and Marroquin had hoped, Kendrick Lamar performed the song with the band on the telecast.