The 100 Best Bands of All Time

Robert Fripp is a genius. The work he did with this band and other projects blows my mind. There’s the guitar cheesy solo shit you hear in every guitar center from some hack trying to show off… and then there’s the anti-solo solo which is the concept of "I’m going to take what everyone else is doing and take it off the tracks and flip it, reverse it, bend it, and smack you in the face with it..." That’s Fripp. I wish I could play like him so bad. — Dawn Moraga (Cor de Lux)

I love them to death. They're amazing. That's my stuff. — Tricky Stewart

With music ranging from chaotic to operatic, along with lyrics varying from nonsensical to politically charged, System of a Down are one of the most unique bands to ever achieve multiplatinum success. The Armenian-American band from Los Angeles came out swinging with their self-titled debut, and then took their music to new heights on their iconic sophomore album, Toxicity, a front-to-back tour de force. Despite it being more than two decades since their last album, SOAD continue to sell out stadiums on the strength of the stellar five albums they released from 1998 to 2005. — Spencer Kaufman

Guns N' Roses burst out of the gates with Appetite for Destruction, arguably the greatest debut hard-rock album of all time. While the band initially got lumped in with the hair metal acts of the time, GN'R brought a much grittier sound with them from the Sunset Strip. They delivered pure rock 'n' roll mayhem on a song like "Welcome to the Jungle," while also showcasing masterful arrangements on a track like "November Rain." Although Axl Rose took the GN'R train in another direction for roughly 20 years without the rest of the classic members, the return of Slash and Duff McKagan in 2016 led to one of the most successful rock tours of all time. The fact that they are this low on this list is mind-boggling. — S. Kaufman

Some of the best rock music is a primal scream, and that's exactly what Courtney Love delivered with Hole, a band that brought feminine rage to the '90s grunge and alternative world. With every growled lyric and powerful guitar riff, Love and bandmates Eric Erlandson, Patty Schemel, Kristen Pfaff, and Melissa Auf der Maur took on dark themes with rough and tumble fervor, and the resulting albums remain incredibly influential to this day. No song has ever picked at the scab of fame quite like "Celebrity Skin": "You better watch out/ What you wish for/ It better be worth it/ So much to die for." — Liz Shannon Miller

It was the first time as a young kid I learned how to be patient with music, and I learned that the payoff is worth having some sort of natural build rather than get to the punchline. — Amigo the Devil

Godspeed You! Black Emperor write symphonies for the apocalypse, extended meditations on entropy, tone poems that search for hope in a bleak world. Through unconventional orchestration, radical ideas, boundless compositions, and live performances that feel more like humanistic rituals than rock shows (they even tour with a dedicated film projectionist), the Canadian collective easily ranks among the most enduring, impressive, and influential acts in all of post-rock. — Jonah Krueger

Slayer have arguably the widest span musically of any of their Big Four compatriots, from the proto-black metal of their debut EP Haunting the Chapel to the progressive metal of Hell Awaits to the extreme metal of Reign in Blood to the groove metal of South of Heaven to the hardcore of Undisputed Attitude to the evil nu-metal of God Hates Us All. While Metallica owns the public conversation, it's only Slayer that encourages generation after generation of misunderstood freakish youth to carve their name into a school desk and to scream the name of the band like blood is gurgling out of their throats. Slayer encourage a natural ferality, one matched by the manic fever of their music and the rapid rap-adjacent spit of some of singer Tom Araya's most deft vocal performances. — Langdon Hickman

Thin Lizzy has always been our go-to band listen to on tour when we have a late-night drive and need to stay awake. I think Phil Lynott is such an underrated lyricist and vocalist. The songs have so much life and wordplay. The guitar harmonies are legendary, but I always find myself focusing in on the also-underrated drumming of Brian Downey. — Pat Beers (The Schizophonics)

Led by Phil Lynott, one of the greatest bass players of all time, Thin Lizzy's exhilarating songwriting, six-string heroics, and sheer, undeniable swagger helped inspire generations of hard rockers. (Robert Smith once even admitted to seeing the band "probably 10 times in two years," saying watching them shred was "better than drinking.") Be it their famous guitar harmonies, untamed live presence, or all-time great tracks like "The Boys Are Back in Town" or "Got to Give It Up," Thin Lizzy were simply rock 'n' roll incarnate. — J. Krueger

I think Nick Cave is the best poet. The way he explains things, his lyrics are so visceral, especially after his son died and the way he explained death in that documentary, how to cope with it and deal with it. I've seen Nick Cave three times, and Warren Ellis, his violinist and guitarist, is one of my favorite players in the world. They're one of the most incredible bands I've ever seen live. Captivating. Incredible. Everything about them is perfect. I don't really like going to shows that much, because it's like going to work, but I love that. — Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)

Some of the best storytellers in music, and don't have the best singing voices in the world, but have amazing, amazing personality and raw feeling. — Gurriers

If you've ever heard a rock band that your mom would call "weird," they're probably disciples of Can. The krautrock pioneers tested the limits of the increasingly fractured rock 'n' roll scene both in the studio and on stage, composing and improvising spellbinding, left-field recordings before translating them into hypnotic, unpredictable live experiences. Whether it's their underrated non-Damo Suzuki efforts or their incredible run with him fronting their controlled chaos, Can are an act that many, many pull from, but few (if any, really) can match. — J. Krueger

Out of the Bay Area came a band in the late '80s that blew my mind. A few years later, they would blow everyone's mind with a simplicity that caught fire and made every kid want to play guitar! All of a sudden they were on MTV and mud-slinging at Woodstock. Simple songs, good lyrics, but most of all, attitude! It should also be mentioned that Green Day saw a downward trend after an amazing album called Warning. They took a chance and people turned their backs. So they answered with American Idiot and the world woke up. Easily one of the biggest bands in the world still. With a live show that shows why they deserve it! — Jaret Reddick (Bowling for Soup)

It's not often that a group is the undisputed champion of their respective subgenre. Cocteau Twins are one of those rare cases. Thanks to mesmerizing classics like Heaven or Las Vegas or Treasure — as well as their icier, more ominous early material like Head Over Heels — the Scottish act is more than just dream pop royalty; they're basically the damn blueprint. Who cares if you can't understand a word they're saying on a cut like "Cherry-Coloured Funk" (an aspect of their sound that's far more intentional than you might think)? Cocteau Twins' tunes will transport you to an entirely different, shimmering, impressionistic dimension of washed-out tones and blissful melodies. — J. Krueger

Born from the psych-prog space rock of Hawkwind and named after one of that band's tracks, Motörhead sat at the alchemical core of a pre-differentiated rock. You are as likely to hear proto-thrash from them as you are rockabilly, punk rock, or something verging on the border of extreme metal. When asked about their musical hybridization, iconic frontman Lemmy Kilmister had one simple answer: It's all rock 'n' roll. Lemmy and the band maintained this view through eras where such divisions felt life or death. Hearing a song like "Overkill" will change your life and will seemingly do so every time you hear it after that. Without ever straying away from their signature sound, Motörhead released decades of brilliant records. — L. Hickman

When people think of punk, they think of the Sex Pistols. The image of a bleeding Sid Vicious, padlock necklace around his neck and bass slung on him as if it’s a post-apocalyptic weapon rather than an instrument. Johnny Rotten’s brash snarl shouting lyrics about anarchy and tearing down symbols of wealth and power. Steve Jones’ frenetic guitar and the relentless backbeat of Paul Cook. The Sex Pistols were able to change the course of a whole genre of music with the single album they made, Never Mind the Bollocks. On that singular record they declared, “No future for you,” but gave punk its future forever. — Travis Bland

In his experimental rockumentary Pavements, Alex Ross Perry tongue-in-cheekily dubs Pavement as "The World's Most Important Band." The thing is, when it comes to '90s slacker rockers and the recent generation of artists who have revitalized that sound, the exaggerated distinction is not all that far off. Be it their cockeyed lyricism, the creativity of their songs, or their slapdash approach to performance and recording (citation: that famous Beavis and Butt-Head bit), ripples of Pavement's splash are still being felt so thoroughly that every third review of an indie rock album name-drops them as a comparison point. — J. Krueger

DEVO aren't just a band — they're a whole "de-evolution" movement, dreamed up in 1973 and still rocking hard to this day, "energy domes" and all. The 1980 hit "Whip It" ensured the band immortality on the charts, but it's their playful energy that has truly cemented their legacy, never having anything less than a total blast on stage with songs like "Uncontrollable Urge" and "Girl U Want." All that, and DEVO was early to embrace the power of MTV — all contributing to an iconography almost as memorable as the music. — L.S. Miller

Long before Carlos Santana became a household name at the tail end of the '90s, he led an ensemble that pretty much invented the Latin Rock genre and was much more than a vehicle for his extraordinary guitar prowess. With Gregg Rolie's soulful vocals and swirling organ, Carlos' soaring strings and an explosive percussion section, Santana (the name of the band, not just the man) forged a unique and popular fusion of Latin rhythms, blues, jazz, and rock. Woodstock announced their arrival, but it was the three-album run of Santana (1969), Abraxas (1970), and Santana III (1971) that cemented their greatness and laid the groundwork for generations of Latino musicians. — Pedro Camacho

Suicide were less of a band and more of a blinding artistic force. Godfathers of everything from post-punk to industrial to synth pop, Alan Vega, Martin Rev, and their trusty drum machine were sometimes frantic and intense ("Ghost Rider," "Frankie Teardrop"), sometimes unsettlingly dreamy ("Dream Baby Dream," "Cheree"), and always, always radical in both conception and execution. Their live shows had the power to clear a room or incite a riot, Rev's relentless riffs and driving rhythms were guaranteed to raise just about anyone's heart rate, and Vega's off-kilter, on-the-brink-of-a-meltdown approach to being a frontman made even Iggy Pop look like a sensible, well-mannered individual. No wonder every cool band wants to be some version of them. — J. Krueger

Sometimes a band is great because each member is a technical virtuoso. Other times, however, a band is great not because they're the absolute best players around, but because of the unpredictable magic that occurs when the right group of people comes together in the right place at the right time. That's Crazy Horse. Known best for their work with Neil Young (with '70s heaters like Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Zuma, as well as acclaimed later efforts like Ragged Glory), the band's jammy, angular epics helped elevate some of Young's best songs into the stuff of legend ("Cowgirl in the Sand," "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)," "Powderfinger," "Cortez the Killer"). Hell, on Rust Never Sleeps, the crew even helped craft the sound of grunge guitar some twenty years before the genre even emerged. Talk about some crazy accomplishments. — J. Krueger

The Go-Go’s succeeded not only in breaking ground for the new wave genre, but women in music at large. They chose cleverness over confrontation and made their statement with their catchy, danceable, energetic music as much as their presence in a mostly boys club. The legacy speaks for itself: Only one all-women band, writing their material and playing their instruments, has reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s album charts, and that's Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Go-Go’s. — T. Bland

A few years before Nirvana took alternative rock to new stratospheres, Jane's Addiction started the revolution. With a unique sound that married the heft of Led Zeppelin with the experimentalism of The Velvet Underground, the thrilling lineup of singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins, and bassist Eric Avery released two masterful albums — Nothing's Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual — before abruptly calling it quits in 1991 just weeks after headlining the inaugural edition of the Farrell-founded Lollapalooza festival. While they've had second and third acts since then, that first act is the stuff of legend. — S. Kaufman

The Allman Brothers Band didn’t simply define Southern rock; for a time, they seemed to contain it, entirely, inside one band. Blues, jazz, gospel, country, psychedelia, and rock all converged in Macon, Georgia, carried by Gregg Allman’s weathered voice, Berry Oakley’s melodic bass, the twin-drummer churn of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, and one of music’s greatest partnerships in Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. On “Blue Sky,” their solos rise separately before folding into harmonized lines that feel like sunlight being passed back and forth – a song whose twin-guitar interplay became a template for generations of Southern rock and jam-minded players. At Fillmore East stretched that chemistry until songs felt discovered rather than performed. Even after Duane’s death, then Oakley’s, the band endured, evolving without severing the thread. As Allmans historian Alan Paul put it, they “elevated above their rock and roll peers to become an American institution.” — A. Krinsky

It's funny to think that an entire generation knows The Roots as the guys playing Jimmy Fallon on and off the air. Long before they took that steady paycheck, the Philly outfit was putting in the grunt work to prove that hip-hop could stretch well past two turntables and a microphone without losing an ounce of its soul. While Questlove may be the face of the late-career corporate era, Black Thought is the reason the catalog holds up: a top-tier MC whose reputation has never caught up to his ability. — Karan Singh

I love that band. They totally understood the nature of a hit. They’re weirdos and freaks and didn’t let the hits they had keep them from making those avant-garde records. Mark Hollis is a genius. I love those records more than I can describe. They’re great because they evolve well. — Madison Cunningham

Talk Talk walked the walk, so to speak. To them, music was first and foremost art, and art only grows when challenging yourself — and your audience. First a synth-pop band, then new wave hitmakers, they ended up completely abandoning expectations to pioneer post-rock with 1988's Spirit of Eden. —Ben Kaye

No other art speaks to me so acutely. — Michael Phillips (Radio Free Alice)

Without The Smiths, the 1990s wouldn’t have had the Britpop explosion and indie rock would have a much different tone. The Manchester band had an outsized influence for a group that was only around five years in the 1980s. The way Johnny Marr’s sparkling, playful guitar complemented Morrissey’s downtrodden voice created an emotional palette that artists like Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, and The Weeknd used to paint their own musical masterpieces. Just listen to the way the guitar breathes and howls while Morrissey reaches out for connection in “How Soon is Now?” — T. Bland

The raw sound of The White Stripes is immediately addicting, the propulsion of Jack White's guitar and Meg White's drums refusing to take any prisoners. "Seven Nation Army" is one of the all-time great sports anthems, but that song is just one cornerstone of the band's history, with other tracks like "Fell in Love with a Girl" and "Icky Thump" cementing the duo's talent for drum-driven action. Meg White has stayed out of the spotlight since 2011, even skipping the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, but her contributions to music remain indelible — and Jack White, of course, has continued to blaze his own path. — L.S. Miller

The Jesus Lizard was one of the first bands I ever saw live. The first time, they were opening for Helmet in the mid-'90s, and David Yow jumped right off the stage into the crowd and spent the whole time there. I'd never seen that before. Duane Denison is one of the most incredible guitar players. I'm so influenced by him, and he's such a great player, with his riffs and their odd time signatures. I feel like a lot of people overlook how amazing The Jesus Lizard are, because David Yow's a bad singer, but it works. He's great in the Jesus Lizard. I wouldn't want anyone else in that position. — Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)

Yellow Magic Orchestra took Western stereotypes and sold them right back: geisha and Mount Fuji on one side, Walkmans and semiconductors on the other. The joke was theirs, and they played it straight. Ryuichi Sakamoto, the band’s resident ethnomusicologist, answered to “The Professor” and had studied Okinawan, Indian, and African traditions. With Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, he made music that was artsy and daring and beloved around the world. — Wren Graves

Pearl Jam's 1991 debut album, Ten, helped define grunge as both a genre and movement. Their 12 albums since have evolved from the gritty and gripping (Vs., Vitology, Yield, Dark Matter) to softer, alt textures (No Code, Riot Act, Binaural). Thrilling stadium performers adept at intimate moments, they’ve never been afraid to take a stand, as during their 1992 MTV Unplugged session, when lead singer Eddie Vedder wrote “Pro Choice” in permanent marker on his arm. Their 1994 battle with Ticketmaster feels as relevant today as ever, fitting for a band that remains a vital, vibrant force in rock. — Christine Terrisse

I fucking love The Breeders. I love the Deal sisters and the band so much. Jim the drummer is a fucking legend. — Violet Grohl

They're the best band of all time. Fight me. — Morgan Nagler

In between Pixies obligations, Kim Deal joined forces with her twin sister Kelley and created a blueprint for the next 35 years of indie rock (and even some of modern pop's biggest stars). The Breeders are effortlessly cool, tasteful and raw. They've done immaculate pop-rock — like "Cannonball," "Divine Hammer," and "Doe" — but The Breeders have control over chaos like no other, picking and choosing moments to let the distortion flood in like a tidal wave. Along with their contemporaries in Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders offered slacker rock that felt more celebratory and inspired than deflated, cruising through songs with an untouchable swagger and indestructible hooks. — Paolo Ragusa

Call it dad rock, call it yacht rock, call it jazz rock... it's all just Steely Dan, man. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were musically adventurous and profoundly good on their respective instruments, but they also had a casual, "meh, fuck it" kind of vibe that made them untouchable throughout their heyday. Their songs are sophisticated and funny, clever and neat, bewildering and memorable; I could live in that sweet-sour groove on "Peg" or the thick, soaring harmonies on "Reelin' in the Years." They're often derided or shrugged off, which almost feels like it was Becker and Fagen's goal. Little by little, though, the Dan gets to you. — P. Ragusa

Aerosmith have always been gloriously American in their excess. While their early output may have been dismissed as Led Zeppelin worship, they went on to create some of the most memorable rock songs of the '70s and '80s, and later experienced a career revival with a few power ballads in the '90s. For better or worse, Aerosmith directly influenced the hair-metal takeover of the '80s, while also breaking down barriers by joining forces with Run-DMC to bring rock and hip-hop together on an updated version of their hit "Walk This Way." Aerosmith's mix of the silly and the sincere, along with the sacred and the profane, has always kept the band in touch with the sneering spirit of rock 'n' roll. — L. Hickman

Starting as a grungy art rock project at once too heady for the punks they surrounded themselves with and too crass for the intellectuals, Tool slowly grew into their own unique hybrid merging the sexual and the silly, the druggy and the sincere, the hippy and the metalhead, until they arrived at a sound that is difficult to define. Tool famously take their sweet time between albums, and yet are able to sell out arenas with ease. At heart, Tool are the perfect children of King Crimson, merging the feral madness with cold cerebralism, wielding both in each hand and proving that exceptional technical acumen does not mean you can't move hearts and bodies. — L. Hickman

The studio band; the brains and the heart behind so many of the greatest songs of all time. Massively unappreciated to this day. Same goes for the Funk Brothers, the Wrecking Crew, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. All never got the due they deserved. — Phil Bern (Brunch)

Plenty of studio bands have fair arguments for this list, but what sets Booker T. & the M.G.'s apart is the catalog they built under their own name. Green Onions remains the epitome of cool, "Hip Hug-Her" sounds like the only soul groove ever written, and the sonic swings of Melting Pot stretch beyond the Stax sound. Individually elite and collectively the force behind classics by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and more, the M.G.'s headlined and supported with equal brilliance. — B. Kaye

We played with them just this past summer and they absolutely crushed it. One of the best setlists I've ever seen them play. I mean, they've been at it for 50, 40-something years. Iron Maiden's Iron Maiden, you know? So, I think that they're one of the top bands of all time. We've played with them many times and I've seen them many times, and just tons of energy and some of the most creative songs you could come up with. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the best songs of all time. — Brann Dailor (Mastodon)

Iron Maiden are a band measured in golden ages, plural, and exceptionally long ones at that. What other band counts their first hot streak as being seven albums long, even as they changed drummers and vocalists mid-process? Let alone a commanding second run of six consistently brilliant records in the 21st century. Every player in the band is wildly influential, sitting atop the Mount Rushmore of their respective instruments in the world of heavy metal, with no band in the past 50 years of the genre producing anywhere near the amount of ardent zeal. — L. Hickman

Few figures can be said to have totally reinvented the guitar. Eddie Van Halen sits in the rare company of players like Les Paul and Jimi Hendrix, people who not only changed their genre but the entire instrument. And yet there’s more: David Lee Roth, the band’s first vocalist, defined and perfected the '70s charismatic frontman, part poet and part acrobat, while Sammy Hagar, their second, defined the consummate AOR singer, able to wield grit and melody in equal measure. Van Halen are the quintessential example of a band that transcends their own songs and even their own players. From their legendary debut to the perfection of 1984 to the sonic reinvention of 5150, what we remember is the primal thrill of play itself, of virtuosity as a youthful joy.  — L. Hickman

While their fellow Bay Area rockers were riding the psychedelic waves of the late '60s, Creedence Clearwater Revival set roots in the swampy blues of the American South. Albums like Bayou Country and Willy and the Poor Boys helped forge the concept of roots rock, and tracks like "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son" remain the genre's gold standard. The band's six-record run between '68 and '70 is one of the most prodigious in music history; John Fogerty's songwriting produced so many classics and the band's covers became so indelible that 1976's Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits is one of only six LPs to spend over 800 weeks on the Billboard 200. — B. Kaye

George Clinton, Bootsy Collins. Some of the greatest to do it. — De’Wayne (DEWAYNE)

Parliament-Funkadelic was one band with two names, a roster north of 50 musicians, and a bandleader who treated the word “lineup” as a suggestion. As Funkadelic, they played acid-fried rock indebted to Hendrix and Sly Stone. As Parliament, they parked a spaceship on a funk record and invited everyone's aboard. Same players, different outfits. By 1981, both bands were dissolved, but hip-hop would spend the next two decades sampling what was left. — W. Graves

KISS was very important to me. That made me wanna get on stage. It made me wanna be a musician and all that. From the whole energy of it all, to the vibe and music. I love the music. I always loved KISS' music. The whole makeup thing that they put on, the persona, and I just thought it was a very special thing and it helped me be who I am. I looked up to those guys. I didn't have a dad so I said, "Man, I wanna do that." I had no goals. That's what I wanna do. So that was very special. — Frank Bello (Anthrax)

If we’re talking '70s, KISS is top three, no problem. — Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)

Put us up there. — Paul Stanley (KISS)

Influenced most of the bands that I loved in late '90s early 2000s. The simple angular haunting guitar sounds of [Tom] Verlaine will leave you bitter mad that you didn’t write that riff… that’s how you know it’s good. — Dawn Moraga (Cor de Lux)

In many ways, CBGB acted like a prism for punk rock, as the New York club refracted the style into a rainbow of subgenres and permutations. Television and their angular riffs, fractured grooves, and surprisingly clean, delicate approach to the raw harshness of punk helped define one of CBGB's streaks of light: art punk. Even with their limited discography, few acts have such lasting impact on the underground rock scene. — J. Krueger

They made great records, they wrote great songs, and they were great performers. And the band, like any great band, is a sum of the parts. Every single person in that band, from Rob Tyner to Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson to Fred Smith to our man Wayne [Kramer] and Michael [Davis], they were all stellar players and were able to create the lightning that got caught in the bottle that became the live record Kick Out the Jams, which is something I lived and breathed for a long time. — Brendan Canty (Fugazi)

I feel like MC5 were somewhere between rock and soul. Their songs were explosions of sweat and fury, and I always loved their supercharged R&B showmanship, and how everyone constantly sings and plays over each other. They were overwhelming in the best way. — Pat Beers (The Schizophonics)

There's no doubt that Sun Ra was one of the most interesting creative and musical minds of the 20th century, but when it came to how he realized his grand, avant-garde, intergalactic visions, he couldn't have done it without his band/collective — his Arkestra. With iconic longtime members like Marshall Allen, Michael Ray, or John Gilmore, as well as a talented rotating cast of players, Sun Ra and his Arkestra forever changed experimental music, Afrofuturism, the adoption and expansion of synthesizers, free jazz, modal jazz, jazz fusion... the list goes on indefinitely, not unlike the cosmos. Sun Ra is an icon, deservingly so, but his Arkestra deserves all the credit in the universe. — J. Krueger

They’re the ultimate summer band. Their music is so feel good and nostalgic. — Wisp

Two guitars, bass, drums, and a singer. In an era where rock music was in a post-grunge crisis, The Strokes went back to basics and changed the genre forever. You could dial in on why the songs remain so special; maybe it's those sour guitar chords and the interplay between Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., or it's Julian Casablancas' charming baritone, or it's the virtuosic rhythm section on tracks like "Juicebox" or "Reptilia." But overall, The Strokes express a rock 'n' roll spirit with a casual brilliance. Their impact on music is still being felt, but one thing remains true for so many 21st century bands: They just wanted to be one of The Strokes. — P. Ragusa

In another life, Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley would have been a legendary folk duo like Simon & Garfunkel, serenading audiences around the country with wistful harmonies. In this life, though, Cantrell and Staley had a lot more to unpack both individually and together. With Cantrell's metallic musical vision and Staley's curdled rasp — plus a powerful rhythmic backbone from drummer Sean Kinney and bassists Mike Starr and Mike Inez — Alice in Chains rose as one of the most lauded grunge bands in history. Their depiction of harshness and hurt, like on the seminal Dirt, connected with millions of disaffected dreamers; but when they slowed things down, like on "Nutshell" or their landmark 1996 live album Unplugged, they were downright transcendent. — P. Ragusa

Shrouded by mystery (or more specifically, by helmets), Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter didn't just rise to the top of the electronic music world: they revolutionized it, stretching the influence of dance music beyond the club and into the rest of the industry, as seen with their acclaimed soundtrack for Tron: Legacy, which went platinum on release. The duo broke up in 2021, but went out on a high note: Random Access Memories, Daft Punk's final studio album, is a genre-blending masterpiece, showcasing their talents for irresistible grooves and iconic musicality. — L.S. Miller

Hip-hop groups existed well before Wu-Tang Clan, but none with as much depth and range to their core group. Forming like Voltron with RZA as the mastermind, each member brought a unique style and differing forms of wizardry to the table. Without a truly weak link, the Clan could splinter into solo careers and still hold the center. Method Man was the movie star, GZA the chess master, and Ghostface and Raekwon were making bars sound like a fever dream. Voltron wishes he could assemble like Wu-Tang. — E. Fu and W. Graves

It would be enough for Death to earn entry to this list just by inventing death metal, with their demos under the name Mantas hitting the tape trading scene before anyone else. But frontman Chuck Schuldiner also reinvented it not just once or twice but every single album. This perpetual quest gave birth not just to so many strands of death metal but also to the careers of so many musicians, with the explosive legacy of players like Paul Masvidal, Gene Hoglan, and James Murphy being inexorably tied to the band's history. Few bands can boast the claim that each of their albums could be arguably their best depending on what you value in their work; Death are among them. — L. Hickman

Depeche Mode's music always has a little more to say than the standard pop fare: The almost deceptive serenity of "Enjoy the Silence," the wry warning about who you might choose to worship buried in the lyrics of "Personal Jesus." As of writing in 2026, only Dave Gahan and Martin Gore remain from Depeche Mode's original lineup, yet the band simply haven't stopped making hits since their 1980 debut — creating a musical legacy that's continued to evolve over the years, yet still remaining true to a moody signature sound. — L.S. Miller

They made some of the biggest songs that still jam today. The content of the music has always spoken to my soul! — De'Wayne (DEWAYNE)

Maurice White built Earth, Wind & Fire around three ambitions: write music for a universal audience, evolve consciousness through music, and change the world. He succeeded. Nearly a decade older than several members of the classic lineup, White was its architect – part producer, musical director, and spiritual guide – and by the late ’70s his vision was everywhere. “Shining Star” topped the Hot 100, That’s the Way of the World hit No. 1, and their fusion of funk, jazz, gospel, African rhythms, spirituality, and pop helped define the decade. Their live shows pushed just as far, bringing in The Wiz choreographer George Faison and illusionist Doug Henning for floating pianos, spinning drums, and disappearing musicians. Earth, Wind & Fire chased commercial success and got it, but the real goal was unity. They got that, too. — A. Krinsky

No band was more confrontational in hardcore than Black Flag. They defined the genre with this sense of conflict. It wasn’t a meathead, fight-you-in-the-pit kind of confrontation. Black Flag made people confront their inner rage with furious tempos, jagged guitar, and lyrics wrenched from an embattled dialogue with oneself. Black Flag had inner conflict expressed outwardly and that defined hardcore. The lineage of Henry Rollins screaming, “Rise above, we’re gonna rise above” to Turnstile singing, “Finally I can see it/ These birds not meant to fly alone” is a straight one. — T. Bland

If Black Sabbath invented heavy metal, then Judas Priest defined it. Metal before Priest featured a strong element of heavy blues. The album Sad Wings of Destiny changed all that, officially cutting the cord linking heavy metal and rock music to act as a genesis for a new form. Practically all forms of metal from the '80s on can be traced through Judas Priest's legacy, which includes having classic albums in every decade of their existence, spanning over 50 years. Moreover, they have arguably the greatest vocalist in the genre with Rob Halford and one of the most important twin-guitar attacks of all time. In many ways, they are the very heart of heavy metal. — L. Hickman

If you're talking about upbringing bass-wise, it's really hard to leave RUSH out. It's hard to leave RUSH, because I just saw them three nights at The Garden, 'cause I have no life at all, and I had to see them three nights 'cause they were changing setlists, and I could only get three shows. I was gonna go for the fourth, but I missed it. It's okay, but incredible, still inspiring. Geddy Lee's still amazing. So much fun, so much fun, and those guys are having a ball. It made me come home at 3:00 in the morning and pick up a bass and fucking go over RUSH songs. That's how inspired I was. — Frank Bello (Anthrax)

RUSH took the genius virtuosity of prog and compacted it, with a perfect three-album run to kick off the '80s, proving again the viability of great musicianship. Few prog bands successfully reinvented themselves as many times, let alone produced hit records in every decade of their existence. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are among the best ever at their respective instruments, yet feel more like family to fans than simply a band. — L. Hickman

I think [Paul Westerberg's] a really good writer and there was a long era in rock music where there were good writers, and then a lot of eras where you didn't have to be the best lyricist. So I'm always appreciative when I feel like there's a rock musician whose lyrics could just stand alone. — Alicia Bognanno (Bully)

Hearing The Replacements in college was like “Whoa.” It was music I could finally relate to. — John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls)

Heart-on-their-sleeves misfits, The Replacements gave punks permission to have feelings. Bob and Tommy Stinson on guitar and bass with Chris Mars on drums imbued the band with its early speed, aggression, and attitude, while Paul Westerberg provided the poetry. With “Bastards of Young” they wrote the all-time greatest anthem to losers trying to make it, filling it with undeniable emotion. If creating a style that a band couldn’t completely capitalize on but others eventually would was currency, The Replacements would be rich. Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased to Meet Me have given sentimental punks more to crib from than probably any three-album stretch in American indie rock history. — T. Bland

I love them, I grew up listening to them. — Wisp

They’re undeniably the best of all time. — Harry Ruprecht (The Backfires)

Sure, people love Oasis because it's fun to sing along and those Gallagher brothers are a hoot. But then maybe you find yourself getting choked up when Liam howls, "Maybe you're the same as me/ We see things they'll never see." Or you're in the middle of the "Champagne Supernova" post-chorus and you can't believe they managed to make music that sounds so rich and timeless. Or you're listening to "Talk Tonight" and realizing that Noel is being so honest and sincere that it's like one single tear was falling down his cheek in the booth. Oasis know how precious it is to be alive — every song is a testament to that joyous, massive feeling. — P. Ragusa

Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And you have to listen deep to understand what I'm saying: The Kinks had a profound influence on Pink Floyd. David Gilmour's songwriting has a lot of Kinks influence in it. Pulp has a lot of Kinks in it. They opened up genres that didn’t exist. If you’re an alternative fan and you don’t know The Kinks’ influence on alternative music, you’ve kind of missed the boat on that. The Kinks, one of the greatest bands of all time, hands down, easy. — Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)

To me, it's just perfect music. It's got an edge to it, it's melodic, and it makes me want to dance. — Nathaniel Motte (3OH!3)

Favorite band of all time. Saw them when I was very young, changed my life, and they're still one of my all-time favs. — Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney)

At the forefront of the riot grrrl movement in the early '90s, Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Billy Karren channeled political rage into some of the decade's most electrifying punk rock. Songs like "Double Dare Ya" and "Rebel Girl" became rallying cries for a generation of young women, and decades later, Bikini Kill's influence continues to shape punk music and the culture surrounding it. — Helena Parada

A great band, a classic. — Esteban Santana (Glixen)

Everything is perfect about them. — Aislinn Ritchie (Glixen)

It takes some incredible ambition to invent and spearhead a new genre, especially one defined by electronic effects and bending technical rules. Kevin Shields is nothing if not ambitious. His perfectionist approach, and the collaborative glory of Bilinda Butcher, Debbie Googe, and Colm Ó Cíosóig, helped push dream pop and rock music to a new arena defined by washes of heavy guitar, lopsided mixing techniques, and the balance between harshness and serenity. My Bloody Valentine ask you to lose yourself in the noise, to surrender to a sea of sound and pick and choose what reaches you. — P. Ragusa

We're proud to be from the same place as they are. — Jet

The running joke is that AC/DC over their 50-plus year career have written exactly one song with one drum pattern. The thing is, you can get away with that if the song is excellent enough. From their early days fronted by the dearly departed legend Bon Scott to rebounding with Brian Johnson and making the biggest hard-rock album of all time, the band has shown time and again their total mastery of the pub song, bearing enough proto-punk danger and heavy metal muscle to perfectly capture that feeling of youthful bravado. From Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap to Powerage, from Back in Black to Black Ice and 2020’s PWR/UP, they’ve proven themselves tireless generational savants of the perfect hard rock song. — L. Hickman

The Beastie Boys always blended all my favorite genres in the best ways. Ill Communication and Check Your Head are masterpieces that have both stood the test of time. When you hear a Beastie Boys song, you immediately know who it is. They are so unique that there will never be another group quite like them. The fact that all three of them had such distinct voices and unique styles of rapping but were also incredibly underrated musicians is pretty mind blowing. — Matt Noveskey (Blue October)

Editor's Note: Check out our Cover Story with Mike D to see how the Beastie Boys member is still doing it like no other.

Nine Inch Nails, huge for me. — Danny Elfman

It'd be fun to go back in time and tell Trent Reznor in 1988 that a few decades in the future, Nine Inch Nails would be composing the soundtrack for a Disney movie. It's an indication as to how much the groundbreaking industrial/electronic rock band have evolved since their early days, with members rotating in and out but the signature style enduring: hard, loud, yet never lacking for lyrical grace. The band is still going strong thanks to epic tours and Reznor and Atticus Ross' recent collaboration with Boys Noize, which rocked Coachella 2026 hard — proof that longevity can be found in constant re-invention. — L.S. Miller

Joy Division changed the course of rock music with just two studio albums. Emerging from Manchester's late-'70s punk scene, the band forged a sound as haunting as it was influential, with Peter Hook's melodic basslines, Ian Curtis' unmistakable baritone, and Martin Hannett's atmospheric production. Unknown Pleasures and Closer remain two of post-punk's defining records, and the band's influence stretches from gothic rock and new wave to generations of indie and alternative musicians. — H. Parada

I don't really like music from the '80s, but I like The Police. It's somehow minimal and maximal at the same time. It's like a band where the guitar player is doing the least, which is crazy, and whenever he does shit, it's crazy. Those solos are incredible. Their drummer is incredible, even though Stewart Copeland's a dick. Sting has good lyrics. — Preston Fulks (Momma)

The Police is one of my favorite bands. I just love them so much. I love their songs. I love how the three of them play together. It was just one of my favorite bands. My friends and I, when we were in seventh or eighth grade, it became our band. That's one of the reasons I started playing guitar, was 'cause my friend Margaret found out about them first, and she chose Sting as her favorite member. Then Adrian chose Stewart, the drummer. And I got Andy Summers, so I play guitar. But I also was already playing guitar. I love The Police so much. — Lisa Loeb

Only a handful of bands have taken their culture’s music across the world without compromise. Bob Marley and the Wailers are one of those bands. Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer are one of the primary reasons that reggae is a global genre and Caribbean music has a presence in the industry today. Though the latter two band members would depart in 1974, they laid the foundation of the sound revolution. It’s one of the great tragedies of music that Marley and Tosh didn’t get to see the long-term influence reggae would have on music after their untimely deaths in the 1980s. — T. Bland

R.E.M. emerged from Athens, Georgia, just as college radio was becoming a lab for an underground outside the glossy mainstream of the ’80s. Their sound was all tension and texture, mystery made melodic: Buck’s guitar bright against Mills’ melodic bass, Berry’s intricate pulse beneath Stipe’s singing and lyrics that forced listeners to lean in to catch. By Out of Time and Automatic for the People, that once-regional sensibility had gone worldwide — even as the band resisted superstar behavior, declining to tour behind either album. John Paul Jones arranged strings for several Automatic tracks, expanding their palette without stealing from their strangeness. R.E.M. didn’t simply cross over; they redrew where the mainstream started. — A. Krinsky

They just did everything exactly right. — Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World)

While each member's previous projects were foundational and excellent in their own right (Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish), when Ian MacKaye, Joe Lally, Brendan Canty, and Guy Picciotto united for Fugazi, everything fell perfectly into place. Equal parts ferocious and forward-thinking, Fugazi's bulletproof discography, from their iconic debut 13 Songs to their excellent swan song The Argument, forever shifted the landscape of punk, post-punk, and just about every other genre tangentially related to "punk." Beyond their recorded contributions, Fugazi's legendary live shows and DIY ethics are still held up as a gold standard in the underground today. Few outfits have had such holistic influence. — J. Krueger

Evolving out of the 1970s New York new music scene, Blondie remains a cornerstone of new wave and pop, Debbie Harry's soaring vocals proving transportive on beloved tracks like "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me." The band's fearlessness when it comes to experimenting with genres and styles helped them create music ahead of the times, as seen with the rap section on "Rapture" — making "Rapture," technically, the first rap video to air on MTV, and the first number one single with rap vocals. — L.S. Miller

Few bands changed American culture as profoundly as The Grateful Dead. Born from the Acid Tests in '65, they turned freedom, community, and improvisation into a movement still thriving more than half a century later. Garcia’s unmistakable tone, the band’s elastic interplay, and nightly percussive experimentation inspired Deadheads to follow them from city to city, turning the road itself into a lifestyle. They welcomed tapers, helping performances circulate far beyond the room, and cementing venues like the Fillmore with no two shows alike. Their music blurred rock, folk, country, blues, and jazz – a range reflected in their ties to Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Bruce Hornsby. Dead & Company carried that spirit forward, while their iconography, songbook, and the poetry of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow remain embedded in the zeitgeist. After all, the music never stops. — A. Krinsky

At their peak, Talking Heads represented a near-perfect fusion of artistic ideals within a pop format. With a bass player for the ages, a wacky, unapologetically eccentric frontman, and a Downtown New York ethos characterizing each and every release, the group symbolized post-punk and new wave's potential as a vehicle for bigger ideas. And their hits were indestructible: "Psycho Killer," "Burning Down the House," "Once in a Lifetime," "This Must Be the Place," "Life During Wartime"... so many gems from a band who inspired countless others to get weird, get groovy, and stop making sense. — P. Ragusa

The E Street Band represent what it is like for a group of people with shared dreams to come from the same place. — Danny Rocco (Des Rocs)

Bruce captures the full spectrum of the human experience throughout his catalog. His storytelling covers such a broad range of topics, but at the heart of it all, there is a sense of relatability. You feel the weight of these characters' circumstances. It fills you with whatever the overarching feeling is… pride, pain, regret, hopelessness, hopefulness, anxiety, anger, or pure joy. At the end of the day, you feel like someone is saying what you can’t put into words. — Joseph Milligan (Anberlin)

Anyone who's ever touched a synthesizer has to acknowledge the influence of Kraftwerk, which has helped define the fundamental nature of electronic music since 1970. Born from the experimental art scene of West Germany, the band's simple lyrics and addictive beats belie far more complex musicality, as heard in classic tracks like "The Model" and "Computer Love." Although the lineup has changed frequently over the years, founding member Ralf Hütter and a new collection of bandmates are still going, even performing live at Coachella in 2025. Like the robots that inspire it, Kraftwerk endures. — L.S. Miller

My sister, when she was 16 and I was 14, took me to see the Bad Brains at the 9:30 Club, and it pretty much changed my entire DNA. I've said multiple times that they're the best live band I've ever seen, which is almost an understatement, because back in 1980, '81, '82, they were incredibly ripping. Not just confident, but incredible players, right? You could tell they were coming at it from a jazz [perspective]. They were real fusey jazz players. They were like, "Let's just make the craziest music on the planet." And then they had the best front person on the planet, H.R. Love them. I saw them a ton, and even in Fugazi, I thought, that's one of the high watermarks of the live experience and something to shoot for: a Bad Brains show. You gotta shoot for it. You're not gonna get it, but you gotta shoot for it. — Brendan Canty (Fugazi)

They were my first show I ever saw and it was life-changing. — Joe Principe (Rise Against)

A true band with songs and styles that will shape people's lives forever, I believe. — De’Wayne (DEWAYNE)

There are plenty of contextual reasons to justify calling Sly and the Family Stone one of the greatest bands of all time: their commercial success, their lineup that mixed both race and gender (in the '60s, mind you), their blend of radical optimism and political messaging, or their everlasting sonic influence on funk and psychedelic soul. All of which changed the course of popular music, but what's just as remarkable is how fucking awesome the music itself really is. From hits like "Everyday People" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" to deeper cuts from stone-cold classics like There's a Riot Goin' On or Stand!, the act's groovy, soulful, expressive output might have been driven by the band's namesake, but it was truly a family affair. To listen to Sly and the Family Stone is to be reminded of music's communal power in the most enjoyable way imaginable. — J. Krueger

I think without the groundwork they laid, people would simply not know what "cool" looks and sounds like. Also, the fact that together, they are greater than each individual member makes them a great BAND. — Sophie (Sophie's Body)

Massive fan since I was a kid. I love the texture, guitars, fuzz, and I love Kim Gordon's voice so fucking much and the writing is just brilliant. — Violet Grohl

Punk music had always dealt in dissonance as a manifestation of pure anger, but Sonic Youth made dissonance and atonality an art to express confusions and alienation. In doing so, they created a whole new wing of the genre. The band absolutely altered how guitar lays the foundation for emotional expression in punk and alternative music. In rejecting commercial viability through the No Wave movement, Sonic Youth made their own path to artistic success and influence while creating a road that bands like Nirvana followed. Listen to “Kool Thing” and learn exactly what grunge, the rock music that defined the 1990s, owes to Sonic Youth. — T. Bland

I remember the first time I saw Rage Against the Machine was at Lollapalooza 1993 and they were going on at like 11 in the morning. Without being familiar with any of their songs yet, their show was so powerful that the rest of the day felt like an afterthought even though it was filled with all my favorite bands from the time. I immediately bought their debut cassette and learned every song on it on bass. I saw them several times after that, and I'm so grateful I did because the lifespan of the band was relatively short. Nonetheless, they gave us incredible albums that were filled with an intensity that only the four of those guys together could bring. The spinoffs and other projects were all fine in their own right, but none of them held a candle to Rage. The epitome of the saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." No frills and no nonsense — just drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and a lot of rage.  — Matt Noveskey (Blue October)

Countless bands would not exist if the Ramones had never blasted that first beat of “Blitzkrieg Bop” onto tape. That’s the first song on their first record and the first sound of a revolution for a significant number of young musicians who went on to found bands that added to the endless mural of rock music history. Guns N’ Roses, U2, Metallica, every single pop punk band — hell, every punk band — were influenced by the Ramones. When rock music was getting bloated, its fire snuffed out, in the late 1970s, Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy saved it for the next generation. — T. Bland

Erase Pixies from musical history, and the trajectory of rock music suddenly becomes entirely different, as countless acts have taken direct influence from their dynamic, hooky songwriting. The popularity of the "loud-quiet-loud" formula many alternative rock bands have ridden to success is so closely associated with the quartet that it's the name of their 2006 documentary. Hell, Kurt Cobain even joked that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt at writing a Pixies song. One listen to their impeccable four-album stretch (Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova, Trompe le Monde), and it's immediately clear why they became blueprints for decades of music to come. — J. Krueger

The Joshua Tree changed the course of rock 'n' roll music. Everything sounded different after that, it was unbelievable. Daniel Lanois’ work on that, you can hear the trajectory leading to it, and where it went. It changed everything about rock 'n' roll. — Brandi Carlile

Four Irish kids formed a band in Dublin in 1976, and 50 years later, their impact is still being felt. From landmark albums like The Joshua Tree to boundary-pushing spectacles like 1997’s “PopMart Tour” and christening the Las Vegas Sphere, U2 have spent five decades refusing to stand still, continually challenging themselves and expanding the scale of their ambitions. Bono’s howl, The Edge’s shimmering chime, and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.’s propulsive rhythms have powered one of rock’s most enduring catalogs. And yes, even “Vertigo” still rips! — P. Ragusa

Queen redefined what it means to "perform" and to entertain without compromising the quality of the art. Queen infused influences into the genre that in turn spawned entire generations of music.  — Danny Rocco (Des Rocs)

That’s probably my favorite band. — Brandi Carlile

I mean... the number of iconic songs?! Freddie Mercury's vocals? The creativity of each and every number? I could go on and on and on... — Kimiko Glenn (KIMIKO)

Freddie Mercury had arguably the most powerful voice in music, and it led one of the most singular bands in rock. Four masters of their instruments fused seemingly limitless styles – hard rock, opera, rockabilly, funk, disco – into stadium-sized epics. Their music was distinctly Queen, yet to this day feels universal. — B. Kaye

Hip-hop owes much of its endurance to those who dared to challenge powerholders back when the culture had far fewer foot soldiers, and nobody made that confrontation sound quite as thrilling as Public Enemy. One of music's most compelling contradictions, Chuck D and Flavor Flav were an unlikely pairing with exceptional chemistry: a booming revolutionary forever ready to overthrow the government alongside a clock-wearing court jester set on keeping the party going. Somehow, it worked. Nearly four decades later, "Fight the Power" still serves the same purpose it was conceived for in 1989. — K. Singh

In order to do something as weird as what they were doing then, what would you have to do now? I have no idea. No one had ever seen anything like that before. It was art, it was music, it was violence, it was loud, it was total teen rebellion. I think they were kind of like Alice Cooper, in that they were driving a stake through the heart of the peace-and-love generation. By far the best live band from the '60s/'70s — no one’s even close. Power and volume, great songs on weird records. Much weirder than people realize.

My three favorite albums: Sell Out, Who’s Next, and Tommy. — Buzz Osborne (Melvins)

Such beautiful melodies and abstract thoughts in the songs. Beautiful strummy guitar with excellent textural electric guitar and drumming, and Robert Smith's voice that is just so expressive, and it's so dark but also shimmery. — Lisa Loeb

Few bands have made misery sound quite as inviting as The Cure. Robert Smith could write something as bleak and suffocating as "One Hundred Years," then turn around and deliver the deliriously lovestruck "Just Like Heaven" without either feeling like a departure. Their catalog moves through gothic dread, psychedelic sprawl, jangly pop, and some of the most gorgeous guitar textures of the '80s. — H. Parada

I grew up listening to it. I don't know if there's a better song than "The Weight." It's one of my favorite songs. — Sean Foreman (3OH!3)

Webster’s Dictionary defines “band” as “The Band.” Well, no, but it might as well; in so many ways, The Band were definitive. As The Hawks and then Bob Dylan's first touring electric band, their road-born chemistry was unparalleled. As multi-instrumentalists, they eschewed the studio wizardry of the late '60s to become progenitors of rock’s return to raw musicianship. As singers, the distinctive vocals of Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko served songs individually, then joined for Americana’s most enduring harmonies ("The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"). All in service of a soul-deep commitment to songcraft, led by Robbie Robertson's epic storytelling. Even their farewell became the archetypal exit thanks to The Last Waltz. Generations later, anyone seeking inspiration to form a band need only look to The Band. — B. Kaye

I don't know any other band — well, it might be close with Iron Maiden — but most of my circle growing up and to this day, I've never heard more people say, "I learned how to play guitar from Metallica" [than with any other band]. Which is what I did: Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets were the first three records I tried to sit down and "finger out" with my ear. Then, as I grew, so many people shared the same sentiment with how and why they got into heavy metal. We've been fortunate enough to tour with them many times and I've seen them over 100 times and they bring it... To this day, they're bringing out young bands and blowing people's careers up and being real and honest. — Troy Sanders (Mastodon)

Metallica may not be the highest-ranked metal band on this list, but they are certainly the biggest. They've played all seven continents (including Antarctica), became the first metal act to headline Las Vegas' futuristic venue the Sphere, and still have the biggest selling album of the SoundScan era ("The Black Album"). Oh, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another band in any genre that had a better five-album run to begin a career. — S. Kaufman

When Prince performed, he was like a hybrid of James Brown, Jimi, Little Richard, and Buster Keaton. The Revolution were a killer band and I love the albums and performances from that time period. — Pat Beers (The Schizophonics)

I don't even need to describe why. Oh, the place he has in my heart. I'm gonna leave it at that. — Fred Armisen

Prince and the Revolution were singular in the 1980s, having the top album (Purple Rain soundtrack), single (“When Doves Cry”), and movie (Purple Rain) at the same time. Only a handful of musicians have even come close to that feat, with Elvis Presley and The Beatles counted among that elite group, and no one else has ever had all three at once. The Purple One and his backing musicians not only dominated major charts in 1984, they pushed the boundary of genre, combining rock, funk and R&B in ways that had never been done; "Purple Rain" was simultaneously in the top five of Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop and rock charts, and won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Group. Few artists have matched the chart-topping, genre-smashing, and live-performing combination of Prince and the Revolution. — T. Bland

Equal in creativity to The Beatles, but carved their own path which inspired no smaller amount of bands. An incredible, dark but beautiful story behind them, which only increases the beauty of the music they made. Pet Sounds and SMiLE are obviously the benchmark of what artistic heights rock 'n' roll could reach, but so much before and after is worth diving deep into, and prefigures so much that came after. — Phil Bern (Brunch)

Listening to The Beach Boys' discography is listening to the evolution of pop music. From birthing the California sound on Surfin' Safari to canonizing baroque-pop with the landmark Pet Sounds, from the eclectic thoughtfulness of Surf's Up to the subversive synth experiments of Love You. God only knows the road wasn't always smooth, but the journey was transformative. — B. Kaye

If you were to think of bands the same way you'd think of players in a Madden game or characters from your last Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with individual stat lines across different categories, Pink Floyd would be in the running for the ultimate build. Recorded output? They've got somewhere between four and six classic albums (one of which, The Dark Side of the Moon, is among the best-selling records of all time). Live shows? Be it their early experiences of sheer psychedelia or the few ambitious performances of The Wall, the only thing better than listening to Floyd was, seemingly, catching them in person. Chops? Just take a look at our rankings of the best guitarists and bassists of all time. Overall story? Between Syd Barrett's departure, iconic subplots like Live in Pompeii, and the creative battle between Roger Waters and David Gilmour — one of the most famous rivalries in rock history — Pink Floyd's history plays out as dramatically as one of Waters' sprawling concept albums. Put it all together, and you've got one of the most fascinating, lasting, and influential musical outfits in the canon of popular music. — J. Krueger

Hendrix was an alien. Is he a band, though? I guess it's the Hendrix Experience, so I guess he counts.... Can only be mimicked, but cannot be bested. — Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)

Certainly as a kid growing up, I would have to say... Jimi Hendrix would be [one of] my top bands of then. — Danny Elfman

Take the greatest rock guitarist of all time and put him with a top-tier drummer and phenomenal guitarist-turned-bassist, and you have The Jimi Hendrix Experience, a group that brought the Stratocaster maestro out of obscurity and propelled him into the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll. With the backing of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix stepped up his showmanship and aesthetic, becoming the guitar-burning deity on stage that he’s remembered for. It wasn’t just Hendrix who opened the eyes of American music fans at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, but The Jimi Hendrix Experience. With three albums made in a two-year span from 1966 to 1968, the legacy of Jimi Hendrix was truly captured by his band. — T. Bland

A band universally disliked when it came out. You think of the time release of that band. It took 35 years for people to finally catch up. That's a lonely time release, thinking, "I know that we got it right," and everyone else takes that long to get it. I still move that if you find me your wildest band, the craziest band, and play Raw Power first, and then play that band, watch that band fold like a house of cards. It's called Raw Power, and that's what it is. — Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)

No one sounded like them before, and no one’s sounded like them since. Once in a century band, with a perfect run of albums. Could be No. 1 on the list if they had kept it going just a little while longer. Doomed and beautiful, and casts a long shadow on the rest of us. — Phil Bern (Brunch)

"Streetwalkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm," that's what I wanna see. Of course, I have to put The Stooges in there. — Buzz Osborne (Melvins)

OutKast formed as high schoolers in Atlanta in 1992 and spent the next eight years refusing to make the same album twice. The 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, had a title with no spaces and a tracklist with no apologies. ATLiens went to space. Aquemini got funkier, stranger, and better. Big Boi kept the low end honest while André 3000 reached for the skies. By Stankonia in 2000, they were running a gospel choir at drum-and-bass speed and calling it a single. Even now OutKast live up to their name, with few in the mainstream able to match their vision or perspective. — W. Graves

Zeppelin changed the course of music. Sometimes people talk of Led Zeppelin as being heavy metal or heavy; Led Zeppelin is world music. It’s such a combination of so many different forms and never fearful to try different things. That music sounds as good today as it did the day it came out. — Paul Stanley (KISS)

We could probably state the obvious and say Led Zeppelin. The musicality, the intention, the lyrics, the intelligence — it's all there. I think they really changed rock music in a huge way. There would be no modern rock music without Led Zeppelin. — Sam Kiszka (Greta Van Fleet)

That first album was probably the best debut album by anyone ever. It's fully realized: the songwriting, the performances, the production, everything about it. — Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard/Tomahawk)

Nirvana not only gave us two of the best albums ever in Nevermind and In Utero, they also gave us their own versions of songs by artists like The Meat Puppets and David Bowie that most people assume are originals because they are just that well done. Kurt and company changed the entire game when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became mainstream. I remember seeing the video for the very first time when I was watching MTV after school one day. It had such an effect on me that I still remember exactly where I was, what I was wearing, and especially what it felt like. — Matt Noveskey (Blue October)

It was huge for me, of course, hearing them for the first time. — Danny Elfman

Part of the big Venn diagram of wilt. — wilt

That is a complicated love affair of profound songwriters and their ability to overcome what made them different to make one of the most cohesive and powerful bands of all time. — Brandi Carlile

Fleetwood Mac reminds us of the pathos of what it means to be in a band. Their relentless talent and spirit is iconic. — Danny Rocco (Des Rocs)

Who is Fleetwood Mac's best instrumentalist? The best singer? The best songwriter? None of these questions can be answered without a fight. Pound for pound, Fleetwood Mac is as talented as any band on this list, and while lesser acts would have capsized due to the off-stage tension, this group just wrote better songs. So what if it set their relationships with each other on fire? Fleetwood Mac burned all the brighter for it. — W. Graves

The first time I heard The Clash was a paradigm shift in my life. — John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls)

The Clash took the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s and protest songs and imbued those elements with the aggression and politics of punk rock, bringing new meaning to music made by loud guitars, fast drums, and the trashing of inhibitions. Mick Jones had the musical chops to make the music shine while Joe Strummer gave it guts and brains. Paul Simonon added attitude. They showed the succeeding line of musicians that anger can be power and took thoughtful punk rock to a global scale like no other band. The Clash were promoted as the only band that matters, a statement Strummer embraced. A bolder, more spiritually true proclamation has yet to be uttered in rock ‘n’ roll. — T. Bland

I'm old enough that I remember the British Invasion. I remember seeing bands on Ed Sullivan. In 1964, I was five. Of course, the Beatles were No. 1. They sang better. They played better. They wore matching suits. They had a classical producer. But The Rolling Stones had more energy, more excitement. They seemed better live. They had a rawness and a swagger. They were sexy and kind of dangerous in a way The Beatles weren't. And they lasted longer and kept it going. Mick Jagger's voice has been in my ear practically my whole life. — Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard/Tomahawk)

The Stones are right up there for me, but the period I like best is probably from Beggars Banquet right up until Some Girls. I don't think they did a bad record in there. Sticky Fingers is, to me, one of the greatest rock records ever made. If you don't like that record, then you just really don't like rock music, I don't think... People can say what they will, but there's not a week that goes by that I don't listen to something by The Rolling Stones. — Buzz Osborne (Melvins)

I think Radiohead is the best band that has ever existed on the planet. Jonny Greenwood's guitar playing is brilliant, and so are the effects they use. I am always and will always be enamored with Radiohead, especially because I'm such a gearhead that I'm always like, "What are they doing? What is that? What are they using? How are they doing that?" — Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)

They had hits but they’re not beholden to their hits. They’re always going to shatter the glass and do something that might lose people, and I respect that deeply. — Madison Cunningham

One of my favorite bands since 1997. I still discover new things in their lyrics after 20 years. — John Nolan (Taking Back Sunday)

In my heart, I think of Miles' Second Great Quintet of the '60s, with Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter. I think it started with E.S.P. and goes through Miles Smiles and all the way through In a Silent Way. That bunch of records, and the live CDs that came out from Europe, are so inspirational to me in terms of getting a band to a level that is dizzying in its attack, in its approach with each other, and its listening, and its fluidity, and its spontaneity.  The European stuff is really only if you're not driving. 'Cause it'll fuck you up. It'll make you dizzy.  — Brendan Canty (Fugazi)

I can always go back and be inspired. — Alex Nauth (Foxy Shazam) 

The First Great Quintet produced more famous records, in part due to control and restraint. The Second Great Quintet threw all that out the window. Here, the spotlight shone less on the melodies than on the frenetic chemistry between the players. This was Davis as one peer among equals, and you can find a picture of the band in the dictionary next to the entry for "locked-in." Those records feel like second-hand telepathy, listening to five guys who are clearly already in each other's heads. — W. Graves

Just for sheer influence. They were so perverse and so different, and people talk about "alternative." Consider that when they started, they were around at the same time as The Beach Boys, who I also like, and I'm not dissing. But not only did they sing about odd things, like drugs and sex, you could just look at those pictures and see that these guys were off. And they had a female drummer when they started. Then there's the weird dynamic between Lou Reed, who was a great writer, and the weird, classically trained John Cale, et cetera. And their influence. When I meet people who like The Velvet Underground, usually I kind of like them. I feel like I can get along with them. Whereas millions of people like the Rolling Stones, and I don't necessarily like all of them. — Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard/Tomahawk)

It's a vibe. It's a whole world that is just so cool. — Morgan Nagler

Incredible. What more can you say? I think everyone understands the vibe. — Etta Friedman (Momma)

Not just because they started the genre that we call home, but those first six albums are pretty much unreal. What a run. That's insane. So much variety, so much experimentation. It's all over the place. It's doom and it's metal with "Children of the Grave" or "Into the Void," but there's also "Planet Caravan." There was so much. There's Tony Iommi's baroque guitar playing. They're just wildly creative and you can hear an incredible discography. It's really amazing. And seeing them play live. We got to tour with them in 2005. But, I watch all the old footage of them in the '70s. I watch it all the time, and I'm so glad they met, is all. — Brann Dailor (Mastodon)

Just riffs, heaviness, depth, bass playing, for God's sake. It's just got everything. It's the start of it all. It makes you feel that fucking fire, that rage you have in you. It gets it out of you and I love that. I'll never forget it. I was very honored to play at "Back to the Beginning," so it's all come around and I'm still grateful for that. I'll never forget Black Sabbath. — Frank Bello (Anthrax)

There was such a prototypical edge to what they were doing. They sort of invented modern metal. — Greta Van Fleet

The bar that they set, I don’t think anybody else in that genre can reach. — Paul Stanley (KISS)

I think there's so much to them. Great pop. Paul McCartney is the greatest bass player of all time. You can't go wrong with them. — Shaun Cooper (Taking Back Sunday)

Because of Sgt. Pepper’s and because of all the talent in that band. — Kenny Loggins

The Beatles defined what it means to be a modern band and wrote some of the greatest songs ever known in the history of music. — Danny Rocco (Des Rocs)

They're on everyone's list for a reason! The Beatles broke the rules of what songwriting, song structure, chord changes, and instruments had to be presented as on a record. Their songs are beloved. You can find a song for you whether you're feeling a bit whimsical, want to rage and rock out, or need a heart-wrenching ballad. — Dolly (Dolly Ave)

Every artist who's become an artist in the modern day is an artist because of The Beatles, whether they know it or not. Everything goes back to The Beatles at some point, at least in my skewed timeline. They're a prototype, aren't they? They were experimental, they were unapologetically themselves, and they did a lot of things that had never been done before, for music, for themselves and for the world. The fucking Beatles. — Danny Wagner (Greta Van Fleet)