A Bigger Bang is the long awaited follow-up to The Rolling Stones' 1997 studio album Bridges to Babylon and was released in 2005. Like Bridges to Babylon and its 1994 predecessor Voodoo Lounge, the album was again produced by Don Was and The Glimmer Twins.

The album title refers to the Big Bang theory that the universe began as a cosmic explosion. Likewise, the album can be interpreted as a new beginning for the Stones or a way to reach a new audience in the new millennium.

A Bigger Bang was largely recorded in Mick Jagger's house in France, similar to the creation of Exile on Main St. in Keith Richards' house in the same country in 1971. The album features a more basic, stripped-down style reminiscent of classic albums like Some Girls, but with a harder, more contemporary edge. Many of these songs were recorded with just the core band of Richards, Jagger, and Watts, with Ron Wood apparently absent from some of the sessions, and with only very occasional contributions from outside musicians.

Although initial reports stated that that the Stones had "returned to their roots" with the record, the minimal instrumentation, rough mix, and tough blues and "garage" rock hybrid bear certain similarities to the aesthetic of contemporary artists like The White Stripes and The Black Keys, which would indicate that the Stones are still, as they have always been, in touch with modern trends in popular music.

Critical reaction was positive. A Bigger Bang was being touted as the best Rolling Stones album since 1981's Tattoo You and was widely considered to find the band in a revitalized state. Nevertheless, all of the Stones albums since 1989's Steel Wheels had been similarly lauded, and many critics and fans felt that the Stones had yet to record a late-period album truly up to their own standards, though the rock-oriented nature of the record certainly appeased the Stones loyal fanbase.

First single, "Streets of Love / Rough Justice" reached #15 in the UK singles chart, while A Bigger Bang entered the UK charts at #2 and #3 in the U.S. However, like all of The Rolling Stones' studio albums since Tattoo You, its commercial performance was not enormous, as its singles failed to become major hits and the record made only a transient impact on the charts. Nevertheless, A Bigger Bang went platinum and sold about as well as its predecessor, Bridges to Babylon (perceived as a considerably more commercial record), indicative of the Stones' enshrinement as a ceaselessly popular rock band rather than immediate pop contenders, and of a commercial security derived from a huge, devoted fan base (which may have been one of the bands realizations in recording this less calculated, rawer, and fairly uncommercial record).

The album is the first on which Jagger also plays bass on some tracks.

This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.