The 2002 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2003, was the tenth of such countdowns of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 39 (not necessarily the top 39) songs was released. For the first time, a DVD, containing film clips of songs from the Hottest 100 was also released. This was also the last time that phone voting was allowed; in the 2003 poll, only internet voting was permitted. SMS voting was removed for the 2003 poll but was reinstated in the 2004 event When the announcers got to the number one track, they announced that rapper Nelly's song "Hot in Herre" had won the Hottest 100, after playing half of the song, they declared that it had been a joke, broke the CD on air, and began playing Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows". The band Salmon Hater came in at number 26 with their song "6.66" after Triple J morning show hosts Adam Spencer and Wil Anderson made an effort to rig the event, telling listeners to vote for the otherwise unlikely candidate.

Full list

Note: Australian artists

Artists with multiple entries

Countries represented

Top 10 Albums of 2002

Bold indicates winner of the Hottest 100.

CD release

The double CD titled triple j – Hottest 100: Vol 10 Various Artists was released 3 March 2003. It is a compilation of 39 songs that made it into the Hottest 100.

DVD release