Top 100 Greatest Alternative Bands/Artists of All Time
Updated: Apr 4
Pictured - R.E.M (Italy - 2003)
Alternative music has been a driving force in the music industry for decades, giving rise to some of the most innovative and influential bands in history. From the punk rock and new wave pioneers of the 70's, to the indie darlings of today, alternative music has continued to push boundaries and inspire new generations of musicians and fans. This list of the 100 greatest alternative bands of all time celebrates the diverse range of artists who have contributed to the genre's legacy, showcasing the artists who have shaped the sound of alternative music and left an indelible mark on the musical landscape. Although what defines “alternative music,” is subject to much debate and always will be, the bands included in the list are those who are considered alternative rock, new wave, post-punk, jangle-pop and indie. Along with the Top 100 Greatest Alternative Artists, we also ranked the Top 100 Greatest Alternative Albums featuring many artists on this list.
1. Pixies
If you ask any fan of alternative music who the best alternative band of all-time is, personal opinions aside, the answer more often than not will be The Pixies. The Boston quartet released two of the best rock albums of the 80’s Surfer Rosa and Doolittle right in a row kicking off the golden age of 90’s alternative rock. Although The Pixies are not really considered grunge, they are often credited with being a massive influence on the grunge scene of the 90’s. The influence The Pixies had on indie and alternative rock truly can not be overstated.
2. Radiohead
Throughout the 90’s and into the early 2000’s, it seemed as if Radiohead was only capable of releasing perfectly crafted records with OK Computer often being cited as the one of the best albums of the 90’s (if not the best album of the 90’s). Although their entrance into the alternative world may be a bit later than a lot of bands high on this list, their impact was about as big as could be. Apart from the impact Radiohead made on rock music, their level of talent, innovation and their songwriting ability was truly massive.
3. The Smiths
Often cited as one of the first indie-pop bands, The Smiths crafted a unique blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle-pop and catchy guitar hooks establishing what would be considered indie-pop for the next 40 years. The impact of The Smiths can be heard in just about every indie band post The Queen is Dead , which is often cited as the finest indie rock album of all time. The Smiths changed the game for alternative music and put a popular, fresh face to indie music.
4. R.E.M.
No band is more synonymous with college radio than R.E.M. Throughout their rise to fame in the 80’s, R.E.M was one of the first bands to make alternative music popular eventually crossing over into unworldly levels of mainstream success by the late 80’s. With a stream of albums getting better and better, the band hit their peak in 1992 with Automatic for the People, lauded by fans and critics alike putting R.E.M. on top of the world.
5. Talking Heads
Taking hints from art-rock pioneers of the 70’s David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Frank Zappa, Talking Heads put a fresh face to a very creative style of music while adding elements of new wave, post-punk and dance-rock to the mix. Talking Heads added a tasteful amount of weirdness paired with a vast amount of musical talent and showmanship to an ever-changing new wave sound a bit outside of what was in the mainstream.
6. The Velvet Underground
Although their level of commercial success was essentially abysmal (as are many artists high on this list), The Velvet Underground is often credited as being the first alternative rock band. The group mixed lyrics of an avant-garde lifestyle with other elements of experimental rock and art-pop into what would now be considered alternative rock. In terms of innovation, and barrier breaking, The Velvet Underground are second to none.
7. The Cure
Few bands on this list had the amount of commercial success as The Cure and had an equal amount of longevity and influence. The Cure was one of the first gothic rock bands if not the first, mixing darker elements heard in late 60’s bands like The Doors with the post-punk sound and the glam rock visuals akin to David Bowie. With quite a long time in the limelight, The Cure influenced later acts from Smashing Pumpkins to Interpol.
8. Pavement
Likely no band more influenced the sound of modern indie than Pavement. Sticking with only independent labels throughout their influential run in the 90’s, the group not only helped craft the iconic indie sound, but what it meant to be a band without a major label behind you. Although the band flew under the radar for most people in the 90’s they established a dedicated cult following and were constantly praised by critics adding to their everlasting musical legacy.
9. The Smashing Pumpkins
Meshing elements of gothic rock, shoegaze and progressive rock, The Smashing Pumpkins developed an iconic sound largely popularizing the growing alternative rock sound. Whereas other more grunge-esque bands of the early 90’s spawned offshoots of themselves, no one was really ever quite able to sound like the Pumpkins, although their influence was massive for bands like Blink-182, Third Eye Blind and My Chemical Romance.
10. Sonic Youth
Fitting in a similar indie rock style as other groups like Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth expressed a bit more of an experimental attitude utilizing room filling noise and unorthodox sounds. Just as much as they were loved by their fans, their albums have received an immense amount of retrospective praise and accolades. With a strong influence from The Velvet Underground, the unusual guitar tunings utilized by the band allowed for a plethora of alluring noise revitalizing the noise rock sound.
11. Red Hot Chili Peppers
12. Joy Division
13. The Replacements
14. The Strokes
15. Elvis Costello & The Attractions
16. The Jesus & The Mary Chain
17. Interpol
18. The White Stripes
19. Rage Against the Machine
20. Belle & Sebastian
21. Ween
22. Fugazi
23. Death Cab For Cutie
24. The Pretenders
25. INXS
26. New Order
27. PJ Harvey
28. Arctic Monkeys
29. Echo & The Bunneymen
30. Arcade Fire
31. Yo La Tengo
32. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
33. Siouxsie & The Banshees
34. Beck
35. Dinosaur Jr.
36. XTC
37. The Black Keys
38. Wilco
39. Muse
40. The B-52's
41. Jane's Addiction
42. Depeche Mode
43. Bauhaus
44. Joe Jackson
45. The Jam
46. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
47. Public Image Ltd.
48. Flaming Lips
49. The Shins
50. Modest Mouse
51. Iggy Pop
52. Guided By Voices
53. The Libertines
54. Weezer
55. Hüsker Dü
56. Vampire Weekend
57. My Bloody Valentine
58. The New Pornographers
59. Primal Scream
60. Sufjan Stevens
61. Sebadoh
62. Wire
63. The English Beat
64. Bloc Party
65. The The
66. Neutral Milk Hotel
67. Squeeze
68. Minutemen
69. The Stone Roses
70. Phoenix
71. Cage the Elephant
72. Kate Bush
73. Spoon
74. Slint
75. Broken Social Scene
76. Franz Ferdinand
77. Happy Mondays
78. The Dandy Warhols
79. Built To Spill
80. MGMT
81. The Feelies
82. The Stranglers
83. Butthole Surfers
84. Sleater-Kinney
85. The Killers
86. TV On The Radio
87. Buzzcocks
88. The Kooks
89. Cocteau Twins
90. Wolf Parade
91. Galaxie 500
92. The Only Ones
93. Talk Talk
94. Band of Horses
95. The Housemartins
96. The Breeders
97. 10000 Maniacs
98. Gang of Four
99. Billy Bragg
100. Elliott Smith
For a broader ranking of rock bands including grunge, punk rock, classic rock and more, check out Top 100 Greatest Rock Artists of All Time. Be sure to check out the expanded Spotify Playlist including many artists on this list below!
