Top 20 Best And Greatest Bands of All Time - Updated 2023

Created to be New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page, lead guitarist with legendary British blues band the Yardbirds.

Like Page, bassist and keyboard player Jones was also a veteran studio musician; vocalist Plant and drummer Bonham came from little-known local bands.

Led Zeppelin created the era of album rock, and they refused to release singles off their albums, even when they garnered massive radio play and arena rock, playing ever-larger stadiums as their ticket sales skyrocketed.

They got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. They are also considered “as influential” during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.

Pink Floyd was formed in 1965 by Syd Barret with members Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright.

A few of the members started their career with other bands like Sigma 6, The Megadeaths, and The screaming Abdabs, all formed in 1964.

The newest member, David Gilmour, helped steer the band through its most successful period.

Gaining a following as a psychedelic rock band, they were recognized for their revolutionary compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical effect with the lyrics, and live shows, which made them a leading band of the progressive rock music genre.

They are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history. In 1996, they were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, in 2005, into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

The Beatles were the most influential English rock 'n' roll band from Liverpool, UK. They became a critically acclaimed and successful rock music band in rock music history.

Their innovative music and band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr's style helped define the 1960s generation and continue to be well regarded for their musical achievements with their vast commercial success.

They gained massive popularity in the UK with their first hit song, "Love Me Do," in late 1962.

They were named "the Fab Four" as Beatlemania took Britain's music industry over the following year. By early 1964 they had become international music celebrities, leading the "British Invasion" of the US music market.

They are the best-selling music act of all time, with estimated record sales of over 600 million units worldwide.

The Rolling Stones is a British rock band whose music took them to the heights of popularity in the early 1960s during the “British Invasion.”

The Rolling Stones are one of the longest-serving rock bands in the history of the rock genre.

Since 1962, the group has perfected its unique blend of genres into an influential style.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards co-wrote many excellent standards, from “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” to “Start Me Up.”

Their lineup changed over the years, but talents like Charlie Watts and co-founders Bill Wyman and Brian Jones were integral to their evolution.

Queen is a British rock band whose most famous lineup consisted of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor.

Queen was the perfect live act for both the ‘70s and ‘80s with glam and moving into a broader rock style statement. 

Their early period involved operatic and diabolical productions such as “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Before long, the band was known for its well-rounded sound and bold songwriting that avoided simple categorization.

To this day, Singer Freddie Mercury’s enviable range remains the gold standard for rock frontmen, inspiring audiences in classic shows like “Live Aid.”

Brian May’s guitar playing provided unexpected solos and some of the most compelling work of his generation.

May and his bandmates have carried on the group's legacy long after Mercury’s death, ensuring their former singer’s contributions will never be forgotten.

AC/DC is a hard rock band established in November 1973 in Sydney, Australia, by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, and many consider them to be hard rock's god. 

Their use of the power chord riff became a staple of their tracks and their greatest asset. Bon Scott sang for them in their breakthrough period that saw success with the albums "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Let There Be Rock."

After Scott's death, singer Brian Johnson took over and helped create their most well-known album, "Back in Black."

Angus Young's guitar sound punctuated the band's finest compositions through both eras. Even into the '90s, the group maintained its relevance with the electric "Thunderstruck."

Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and  John Densmore came together to form an American rock band, The Doors, in 1964 in Los Angeles.

The Doors were among the most controversial and influential rock bands of the 1960s. Morrison's lyrics, voice, and erratic stage persona appealed to the masses, especially the young generation of that era.

The group is widely regarded as important in the era's rebellious culture. 

The Doors marked the moment when the American rock underground music of the 1960s came crashing into the mainstream.

Aerosmith is an American rock band recognized as one of greatest of all time.

The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970, and consists of Steven Tyler on vocals and keyboard, guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford. 

Their style, blues-based hard rock, has come to incorporate elements of pop rock, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists.

The band got their commercial success with their 1975 album Toys in the Attic, selling over nine million copies and Get a Grip, in 1993, however, became their top-grossing album to date, with more than twenty million sales.

The Eagles are an American soft rock band that started in Los Angeles in 1971 and is known for songs like “Hotel California” and “Take It Easy.”

Their top hits also include “Desperado,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Life in the Fast Lane.” Their music is the perfect blend of country and rock. The Eagles formed in 1971 and are still touring today.

Their early music was a combination of country music and soft rock. Their first album, released in 1972, sold over a million copies.

They also captured the shifting zeitgeist of the ’70s, riding the country-rock hippie hangover at the end of the ’60s until it reached the slick, expensive, and expansive pop/rock of Southern California in the late ’70s.

Guns N' Roses (GNR) is an American hard rock band created in Los Angeles, California, in 1985.

Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin were previously in a band called Hollywood Rose and they teamed up with some members of L.A. Guns to start a new group.

Over the coming years, in 1987 band debuted with the album, Appetite for Destruction, which sold in huge numbers, with singles like "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" both reaching Billboard's Top Ten.

Originating from the L.A. underground rock music, the nasty lyrics matched the sleaze of the music–driven by heavy blues licks that covered misogyny, violence, city life, sensuality, liquor, and hard drugs.

The band's hedonism and rebelliousness outlaw nature drew them to the comparisons to the early Rolling Stones and earned them the nickname "the most dangerous band in the world."

Black Sabbath is a British rock band formed in Birmingham, UK, in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi.

After Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band had multiple line-up changes. Iommi is the only constant member throughout the band's history, and they are one of the best Classic Rock Bands Of All Time.

In the early 70s, Black Sabbath was a rock band to introduce heavily distorted, aggressive presentation of lyrics about drugs, mental pain, and abominations of war, thus giving birth to generations of metal bands that followed in their wake.

Their name itself is taken from a notorious horror film. They are often credited with creating the Heavy Metal genre and the doom metal subgenre.

Nirvana was an American rock band founded by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington.

Later they went through changing drummers, notably Chad Channing, and in 1990 Dave Grohl was recruited.

Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and he was regarded as the most influential rock band of the Generation X era.

Their music maintains a widespread fan following and continues to influence modern rock culture still today.

In the late 1980s, Nirvana markup itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album, Bleach, with the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.

A cultural phenomenon of the 1990s, their second album, Nevermind, was certified Diamond by the RIAA and is credited for ending the dominance of hair metal.

Deep Purple is an English rock band formed in 1968 in London.

They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of their existence.

Formed initially as a psychedelic and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock.

They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre and have sold over 100 million records worldwide.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band that initially performed as My Backyard in 1964.

It comprised Ronnie Van Zant as a lead vocalist, Gary Rossington on the guitar, Allen Collins on the guitar, Larry Junstrom on the bass guitar, and Bob Burns with drums formed in Jacksonville, Florida.

The band spent five years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1969.

The band released its first album in 1973, having settled on a lineup that included bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell and guitarist Ed King.

Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird."

Metallica was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich.

He called local musicians to create a new band, and eventually, an early lineup came together that included guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, bassist Ron McGovney, and lead guitarist Dave Mustaine.

The band's fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.

Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo.

Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work.

Creedence Clearwater Revival, also called Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California.

The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford.

These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.

Creedence Clearwater Revival is an American rock band that was hugely popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Derided by many rock critics at the time as merely a "singles" band, Creedence Clearwater Revival proved to be masters at making thoughtful records that sold.

Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt.

For most of the band's career, they have been a power trio with drummer Tre Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before recording the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991).

Touring guitarist Jason White became a full-time member in 2012 but returned to his touring role in 2016. Before taking its current name in 1989, Green Day was called Sweet Children, and they were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street Club in Berkeley, California.

Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, Pennywise, and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with a popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

Green Day infused the raw power of punk with a melodic pop sensibility and lyrics that captured the angst-ridden restlessness of American teenagers at the end of the 20th century and into the 21st.

U2 is an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976.

The group consists of Bono as the lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the Edge as lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums and percussion.

Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, effects-based guitar sounds.

Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes.

Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter, Steve Harris.

Though fluid in the band's early years, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers.

The band has released 41 albums, including 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations. They have also released 47 singles and 20 video albums.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante.

Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, punk rock, hard rock, hip hop, and psychedelic rock.

Heavily influenced by the Los Angeles punk music scene in the late 1970s, school friends Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, and Irons formed Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem.

The Chili Peppers' mix of hard rock, funk, and hip hop has influenced genres such as funk metal, rap metal, rap rock, and nu metal. Kiedis said the band was early to combine "hardcore funk and hip-hop-style vocals" and suggested they had influenced Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Linkin Park.