Our writers’ picks for the very best bands since rock became a permanent part of popular music.
By 
Katie Atkinson, Katie Bain, Eric Renner Brown, Anna Chan, Kyle Denis, Thom Duffy, Paul Grein, Joe Lynch, Melinda Newman, Isabela Raygoza, Dan Rys, Andrew Unterberger
11/5/2025
Clockwise, from top left: Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Carlos Santana of Santana, and Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone.
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One thing is for sure every year around the time of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies — there’s going to be talk about bands. Of course, there’s which bands are getting in this year, and who from those bands is showing up and/or performing, and which members from their earlier or later history have gone unfairly unrecognized. And then inevitably, there’s discussion to which bands have yet to get in, and which are the most overlooked and which seem destined to forever be on the outside. And then finally: Which previously ineligible bands will soon be up for voting for the first time — and do any of them have a real chance of getting in?
With this year’s Rock Hall induction finally coming up this weekend (Nov. 9), we think it’s a good time to look back on rock’s history — from the very beginning up until this century — and figure out which rock bands we at Billboard think still serve as the benchmarks for greatness. Which of the established canon of rock greats do we still think still merit their spots in the genre’s inner circle? Which newer artists do we think belong in there with them? Which artists from regrettably oft-excluded subgenres (or nationalities) do we think additional room should be made for? And who do we think is still the absolute best of the best?
Over the next three weeks, we’ll be counting down our picks for the 50 greatest rock bands of all time, starting this Wednesday (Nov. 5) with 50-31. We tried to keep the focus on true bands, so we didn’t include vocal groups (who don’t play the majority of their own instruments) — or bands who mostly fell in back of their top-billed frontperson — but we weren’t overly fussy in defining “rock” from there. Read our choices over the next few weeks, let us know your own picks, and long live rock and its many exemplary practitioners.
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50. Red Hot Chili Peppers
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}It is easy now, more than 40 years after their debut and after songs like “Under the Bridge,” “Scar Tissue” and “Californication” have become comforting rock radio staples, to forget just how subversive and groundbreaking the Chili Peppers once were. But the band’s explosion into the rock underground in the 1980s and early 1990s was a thunderbolt of sex, funk, driving rock and barely-contained kinetic energy, reinterpreting Funkadelic and the Sex Pistols in equal measure while adding in its own patented brand of SoCal hedonism to the brew. Even after lead singer Anthony Kiedis finally kicked the habit and the Chili Peppers began to show a softer edge, the quartet remained prolific and able to reinvent themselves, morphing into one of the great live acts of their time — or any time. – DAN RYS
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49. The Cure
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}When Trent Reznor inducted The Cure into the Rock Hall in 2019, the NIN frontman nailed it by calling the Robert Smith-led act “one of the most instantaneously recognizable and sonically unique rock bands of the 20th and 21st centuries.” From the goth rock/new wave group’s first appearance on a Billboard chart in 1980 to today, The Cure’s atmospheric, moody yet irresistible tunes have repeatedly appeared on our tallies, with the band cited as an influence by everyone from the Deftones to Lady Gaga and Olivia Rodrigo, and even sampled by late rapper Lil Peep, proof of the act’s multigenerational and cross-genre impact. — ANNA CHAN
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48. Sleater-Kinney
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}When riot grrrl veterans Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein teamed up to form a side project called Sleater-Kinney in 1994, the conversational alchemy between their wiry, razor-sharp guitars — augmented by Tucker’s vibrating banshee wail — served as a much-needed antidote to the decade’s trend toward juvenile pop-punk. Without sacrificing breakneck speeds or headbanging hooks, essential LPs such as Call the Doctor (1996) and Dig Me Out (1997) delivered three-minute screeds as musically complex as they were lyrically nuanced—not to mention politically aware. The group gradually expanded their sonic palette into ear-splitting Led Zeppelin territory on The Woods (2005) before going on hiatus and returning with a joyous roar on No Cities to Love (2015). Despite the exit of long-time drummer Janet Weiss in 2019, they’re still going strong. — JOE LYNCH
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47. Def Leppard
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}By its second album, High ‘n’ Dry, Sheffield, England’s Def Leppard had begun to refine the sound that would define it as one of the most popular rock bands of all time. Pairing with producer Mutt Lange, the British lads married hard rock with pop and new wave and, most importantly, massively big hooks; clean, muscular guitar riffs and Joe Elliott’s undeniable rock roar that combined to shatter records for hard rock bands: 1987’s Hysteria remains one of the most successful albums of all time of any genre, while “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is the stripper anthem for the ages. — MELINDA NEWMAN
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46. Oasis
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}Without the massive Live ’25 reunion tour, perhaps the world would have remained under the (mistaken) impression that Oasis was strictly a U.K.-based phenomenon that came and went in the ’90s. But what we learned over the summer was that, worldwide, fans were still desperate for Liam Gallagher’s unmistakable, raw vocals and Noel Gallagher’s galvanizing, sing-along rock anthems, and that the once-again-brotherly band was best enjoyed swaying arm-in-arm, soaked from a beer rainstorm, and topped with a bucket hat. Basically, we learned that the world never stopped needing Oasis. – KATIE ATKINSON
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45. The Stooges
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}Of the few groups who can reasonably lay claim to the title “first punk band,” none of them had the libidinous ferocity of the Stooges. Frontman Iggy Pop’s transgressive stage behavior (puking, slicing his own flesh, full-frontal nudity, peanut butter) attracted headlines and horrified onlookers, but there was nothing gimmicky about his voice, which could be harrowing, petulant, dangerous, seductive and apocalyptic within the space of one song. That haunted hellhound voice paired with the band’s atavistic sound — a caveman brew of blues, garage rock and avant noise banged out by brothers Ron and Scott Asheton, best distilled on Fun House (1970) — is what took them from infamy to immortality. A band often imitated, never bettered. — J.L.
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44. Cafe Tacvba
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}If any band embodies reinvention, it’s Café Tacvba. Since their self-titled debut (1992), the Mexico City mavericks have expanded musical boundaries like no other, crafting a sound that bridges tradition and experimentation. The band’s breakthrough Re (1994) introduced jaranas and melodeón to its sonic palette, blending Mexican folk with rock, bolero, and norteño. From the wistful “Eres” and the dance-driven “El Baile y El Salón,” to its soulful takes on Leo Dan’s “Cómo Te Extraño Mi Amor” and Los Tres’ “Déjate Caer,” Cafeta honors Latin American greats with fearless originality. Whether collaborating with virtuosic violinists or delivering an explosive MTV Unplugged, the band’s boundary-defying creativity has made it an unparalleled force in Latin rock history. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
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43. No Doubt
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}No Doubt didn’t make a big splash with its 1992 debut, but 1995’s nine-week Billboard 200 No. 1 Tragic Kingdom launched the band into superstardom and gave young girls a strong, glamorous queen of pop-punk-ska to look up to in singer Gwen Stefani. Explosive lead single “Just a Girl” — which stands as a feminist anthem – peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100, while breakup ballad “Don’t Speak” topped Radio Songs for an impressive 16 weeks. No Doubt’s music has endured through the band’s lulls, going on to influence the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and becoming karaoke-bar staples. The oft-reinvented band itself has been feeling “Hella Good” as of late, reuniting to play Coachella in 2024, with a residency set for Las Vegas’ Sphere in 2026. — A.C.
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42. Earth, Wind & Fire
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}“I had a vision, and music was playing in my head that I wanted to bring through,” EWF founder Maurice White once told Billboard, describing the potent mix of R&B, rock, pop, jazz, funk and gospel that has fueled such hits as “Shining Star,” “After the Love Is Gone” and the perennial crowd-pleaser “September.” White’s astrological sign (Sagittarius) inspired the band’s unique name, but its richly rhythmic sound came from White’s collaboration with younger brother Verdine, lead singer Philip Bailey, and more than two dozen topflight musicians who have performed with EWF across more than five decades. Maurice White passed away in 2016. Earth Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame four years later. — THOM DUFFY
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41. The Band
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}By the time their first two now-classic albums arrived in 1968 and ’69, the musicians who comprised The Band boasted a decade of road work, first backing rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks and then Bob Dylan after he “went electric” for his world tour in 1966. But it was once they were billed as The Band that these four Canadian multi-instrumentalists — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson—along with Arkansas drummer and vocalist Levon Helm — created the template for what became Americana music, a rich blend of country, rock, R&B and soul. Their original version of this brew has never been surpassed. — T.D.
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40. Blondie
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}Siphoning the reckless energy of punk into spirited, Brill Building-inspired pop tunes, Blondie — lead by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein — catapulted itself from CBGB to the top of the Hot 100 thanks in large part to Harry’s ability to code-switch from sneering punk to crystal-voiced siren with the unflappable cool of James Dean and the knowing wink of a Roy Lichtenstein painting. Not content to merely bridge the gap between girl group and punk, Blondie’s idiosyncratic forays into disco (“Heart of Glass”), reggae (“The Tide Is High”), dance-rock (“Atomic”) and even hip-hop (“Rapture”) helped to blast down sonic Walls of Jericho in an era of genre rigidity. — J.L.
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39. Green Day
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}Green Day started out as scrappy teenagers rubbing shoulders with the likes of Operation Ivy and Pansy Division at the famed Berkeley, Calif., DIY punk club 924 Gilman St. – and when the pop-punk trio began flooding the airwaves with its deeply catchy, deeply irreverent hits, the venue disowned them. But Green Day, which fused its punk spirit with the songwriting chops of ’60s greats like The Beatles and The Who, was always destined for bigger things. Since Dookie, its hit-filled 1994 major-label debut, the group has become synonymous with alt-rock radio, scoring 13 No. 1s and 40 entries on the Alternative Airplay chart, figures on par with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters. But those artists didn’t also record a zeitgeist-seizing political rock opera, much less turn it into a smash Broadway musical. — ERIC RENNER BROWN
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38. Santana
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}Iconic guitar riffs are basically a prerequisite for any all-time rock band, and Santana’s riffs aren’t just iconic — they’re perennially mined to create new hit songs, many across genres that emerged well after the band’s 1969 self-titled debut first reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The nine-time Grammy-winning band, fronted by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana boasts four Billboard 200 No. 1 albums and two Hot 100 No. 1 singles across four decades, underscoring the timelessness of its singular blend of Latin rock, psychedelic rock and jazz fusion. Throughout myriad lineup changes, its musical fearlessness fashioned Hot 100 hits out of jazz covers (1969’s “Evil Ways”) and R&B collaborations (The Product G&B-assisted “Maria Maria”) that helped push the sonic boundaries of rock music. — KYLE DENIS
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37. Thin Lizzy
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}Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Thin Lizzy broke out in the mid-’70s with a twin-lead-guitar attack and the peerless, reckless charisma of frontman Phil Lynott. As undeniable and formidable an ensemble as ever crashed the U.S. shores, Thin Lizzy’s anthems were boisterous, romantic and unpredictable, packing all the excitement and possibility of a night out with friends equally likely to show you the time of your life or get you thrown in jail (or both). They burned too bright to last for very long — and Lynott tragically died in 1986 at just 36 — but as long as there are pubs and jukeboxes, them wild-eyed boys will never be too far away. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
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36. Ramones
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}As rock became virtuosic, thematically heady and all around bigger in the ‘70s, Ramones showed up with leather jackets, ripped jeans and three-chord songs about girls, horror movies, glue sniffing and brawls that whizzed through the air and smacked listeners like a rock from a slingshot. No band did more for codifying punk songcraft — Chuck Berry riffs with girl-group glee delivered with attitude and abandon —and fashion than the Ramones. Like Coney Island’s Cyclone, the ride isn’t smooth (or for the faint of heart), but it’s an exhilarating whiplash of a spin — one all about living in the moment, but nevertheless built to last. – J.L.
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35. Eagles
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}It’s all about the songs with the Eagles. The quality and range of those songs, from the tender ballad “Desperado” to the hard-driving rocker “Life in the Fast Lane,” made the band legendary. Linda Ronstadt recruited all four of the original members for her own band before they went off on their own in 1971. Songs aside, the band’s statistics are amazing too: Eagles are the only group to win Grammys for vocal performances in pop, rock and country, while their 1976 compilation Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is No. 1 on the RIAA’s roster of all-time best-selling albums. — PAUL GREIN
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34. Nine Inch Nails
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}When 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine debuted on the Billboard 200, Trent Reznor brought the gritty sound of industrial music to the mainstream’s consciousness. Whether it was lead single “Down In It” launching on a Billboard chart, the FBI investigating whether or not its video was a snuff film (it wasn’t), or NIN’s iconic mud-filled Woodstock ‘94 performance, the band showed it was here to innovate and never conform. Since then, country icon Johnny Cash has covered The Downward Spiral’s “Hurt,” while rapper Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus sampled “34 Ghosts IV” for megahit “Old Town Road,” as Reznor and musical partner Atticus Ross went on to bring their unique brand of bleak, atmospheric-but-danceable music to TV and film, work that has led them just a Tony shy of EGOT status – a feat few rock acts can boast. — A.C.
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33. The White Stripes
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}Taking inspiration from garage rock, the blues, punk and the pantheon of guitar-wielding greats that came before, Jack and Meg White stripped the combined essence of these influences down to its sparest, rawest, loudest form across the duo’s six perfect studio albums. Among the White Stripes’ litany of classics, 2003’s “Seven Nation Army” is now firmly woven into the global cultural fabric, used as an anthem of power and defiance that’s chanted at sporting matches and political demonstrations alike. Meanwhile, the pair’s live shows vibrated with intensity, creating a generation of believers who still hold out hope for an eventual reunion tour. — KATIE BAIN
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32. Aerosmith
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}Aerosmith, which formed in Boston in the early ’70s and scored some of the most enduring rock hits of the decade, had largely faded from relevance by 1986, when group leaders Steven Tyler and Joe Perry appeared on Run-D.M.C.’s remake of their 1977 hit “Walk This Way.” The groundbreaking rap/rock fusion was a huge hit and set up a comeback that took Aerosmith to new levels of popularity in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The band improbably reached its commercial peak in 1998 when the Diane Warren-penned “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon became its first and only single to top the Hot 100 — the only one of Aerosmith’s eight top 10 hits that Tyler didn’t write or co-write. – P.G.
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31. Paramore
Trending on Billboard
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}From raising a generation of pop-rock devotees with early hits (2007’s “Misery Business”) to inspiring a generation of new-gen pop stars (Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, etc.) and continuing to top the Billboard charts (2023’s This Is Why topped both Rock and Alternative Albums), few bands have been as instrumental to rock’s transition between consumption eras as Paramore. Anchored by Hayley Williams’ soaring, remarkably malleable pipes, Paramore has spent two decades bending the worlds of rock and pop to their whim. Whether they’re resolving intra-band conflict through sly songwriting or blending the gospel influences of its Franklin, Tenn. roots into Hot 100 top 10 hits (2014’s “Ain’t It Fun”), Paramore is for the people. — K.D.
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