Top 10 Greatest Rock Bands of the '80s
The greatest rock bands of the 1980s, ranked by album quality, live performances, and lasting influence. Guns N' Roses' "Appetite for Destruction" (1987) is the best-selling debut album in U.S. history. Metallica transformed thrash metal into arena rock. U2 went from post-punk to the biggest band in the world.
The '80s split rock into factions — hair metal (Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi) dominated MTV while underground bands (R.E.M., The Smiths, Pixies) built the foundation for '90s alternative. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest kept traditional metal alive. The Cure and Depeche Mode proved rock could be electronic. Vote for the bands whose '80s output you still play today.
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#1
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Queen
#2
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Guns N' Roses
#3
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Bon Jovi
#4
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AC/DC
#5
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Van Halen
#6
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Def Leppard
#7
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Motley Crue
#8
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Journey
#9
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Metallica
#10
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Iron Maiden
#11
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Aerosmith
#12
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Scorpions
#13
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Dire Straits
#14
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Foreigner
#15
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U2
#16
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The Police
#17
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The Cure
#18
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Pink Floyd
#19
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X Japan
#20
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Led Zeppelin
#21
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Survivor
#22
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Duran Duran
#23
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Heart
#24
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer
#25
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Whitesnake
#26
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Loverboy
#27
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Europe
#28
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Bad Religion
#29
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Kiss
#30
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XTC
#31
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Joy Division
#32
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The Smiths
#33
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REO Speedwagon
#34
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Racer X
#35
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Twisted Sister
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