rock The Best Punk Bands Of All Time  

Ranker Community
Originally by Ranker Community
510.2k votes 25.9k voters 367.3k views 288 items

List Rules The definition of "punk" is nebulous - if you don't consider a band punk, feel free to vote em down

The subject of who is the greatest punk band has fueled argument and debate for decades. Punk and punk inspired musical acts are more common than ever but the underground punk acts of the 70s and 80s will always be remembered for creating a culture for rebellion. From 80s punk to today's top punk bands, which are the best punk rock bands of all time and the best punk bands ever? These punk rocks are also making some of the best rock songs of 2018.

Good punk bands aren't hard to find, there's plenty of great punk music out there, thanks to the many punk groups on this list. Don't see your favorite punk rockers below? Click Rerank to add your list of your favorite punk bands here or vote up the punk acts you love and help create the definitive list of the greatest famous punk bands of all time.

list ordered by

1
6,600 3,401
Ramones is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Ramones Ramones, Rocket to Russia, End of the Century

2
7,316 3,053
Ranker Video
The Clash London Calling, The Clash, Black Market Clash

3
6,697 2,979
Sex Pistols is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle

4
5,857 2,230
Dead Kennedys is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Bleed for Me

5
3,803 2,730
The Stooges is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Stooges Raw Power, Fun House, The Stooges

6
4,123 2,895
Black Flag is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Black Flag Damaged, In My Head, My War

7
4,420 3,099
Misfits is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Misfits Legacy of Brutality, Famous Monsters, Walk Among Us

8
3,788 1,920
Buzzcocks is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady, Buzzcocks, Product

9
4,007 2,029
The Damned is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Damned Phantasmagoria, The Black Album, Not of This Earth

10
4,173 2,938
Bad Religion is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Bad Religion Recipe for Hate, The Empire Strikes First, Stranger Than Fiction

11
3,330 2,471
Minor Threat is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Minor Threat Complete Discography, Minor Threat, First Demo Tape

12
5,291 2,371
Stiff Little Fingers is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Stiff Little Fingers Inflammable Material, Now Then…, Nobody's Heroes

13
3,232 2,375
Bad Brains is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Bad Brains God of Love, I Against I, Bad Brains

14
3,658 3,000
Rancid is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Rancid …and Out Come the Wolves, Let's Go, Indestructible

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15
5,437 5,618
Green Day is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Green Day American Idiot, Dookie, 21st Century Breakdown

16
3,876 2,898
NOFX is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
NOFX Punk in Drublic, Pump Up the Valuum, The War on Errorism

17
4,428 3,850
The Offspring is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Offspring Smash, Americana, The Offspring

18
3,158 1,891
Descendents is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Descendents Everything Sucks, Milo Goes to College, I Don't Want to Grow Up

19
3,238 2,558
Social Distortion is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Social Distortion Social Distortion, White Light White Heat White Trash, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

20
2,914 2,290
Joy Division is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Substance

21
2,291 1,692
New York Dolls is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
New York Dolls New York Dolls, One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, Cause I Sez So

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22
2,322 1,120
The Cramps is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
pigonthewing added The Cramps Stay Sick!, Smell of Female, Flamejob

23
1,884 1,686
X is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
X Los Angeles, Under the Big Black Sun, Live at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Fabulous Sunset Strip

24
2,084 2,097
Hüsker Dü is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade, Flip Your Wig, Warehouse: Songs and Stories

25
2,560 1,901
Circle Jerks is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Circle Jerks Group Sex, Golden Shower of Hits, Oddities

26
2,302 1,786
Fugazi is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Fugazi The Argument, Repeater, 13 Songs

27
2,624 1,535
Siouxsie & the Banshees is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Siouxsie & the Banshees 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nocturne, Once Upon a Time: The Singles

28
2,212 1,346
The Jam is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Jam All Mod Cons, In the City, Setting Sons

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29
2,249 1,996
Operation Ivy is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Operation Ivy Lint Rides Again, Energy, Plea for Peace

30
1,817 585
Iggy Pop is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Corey Watson added Iggy Pop The Idiot, Lust for Life, Zombie Birdhouse

31
2,425 2,395
Dropkick Murphys is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Dropkick Murphys The Warrior's Code, Unity, The Singles Collection

32
2,195 1,321
The Stranglers is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
VaniadeBie-vernet added The Stranglers No More Heroes, The Stranglers, Aural Sculpture

33
1,837 1,228
The Dead Boys is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Dead Boys All This and More, Night of the Living Dead Boys, Younger

34
2,172 1,630
Suicidal Tendencies is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal for Life, The Art of Rebellion, Join the Army

35
2,304 1,299
The Exploited is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Exploited The Massacre, Beat the Bastards, Horror Epics

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36
2,413 2,054
Pennywise is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Pennywise Land of the Free?, About Time, Home Movies

37
1,700 1,544
MC5 is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
MC5 Kick Out the Jams, The Big Bang!: Best of the MC5, Back in the USA

38
1,744 1,057
Generation X is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Micksandy added Generation X Generation X, Kiss Me Deadly, Valley of the Dolls

39
2,234 1,289
Sham 69 is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Sham 69 The Adventures of Hersham Boys, The A Files, The Game

40
1,862 1,044
Crass is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Crass Merry Crassmas, Acts of Love: Fifty Songs to My Other Self, The Feeding of the 5000

41
3,321 3,879
Blink-182 is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Blink-182 Enema of the State, Dude Ranch, blink-182

42
1,507 1,263
Agent Orange is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
jinxiethelucky added Agent Orange Living in Darkness, This Is the Voice, Virtually Indestructible

An '80s Rock Legend Destroyed Washington Elites With A Devastating Speech To Congress

43
1,386 1,396
Minutemen is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime, My First Bells, Introducing the Minutemen

44
1,826 1,335
Blondie is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
GeorgeRainey added Blondie Parallel Lines, Heart of Glass, Blondie

45
1,724 1,581
Dead Milkmen is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Dead Milkmen The King in Yellow, Beelzebubba, Big Lizard in My Backyard

46
1,364 1,210
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbre... is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers L.A.M.F. The Lost '77 Mixes, So Alone, Down to Kill

47
1,261 1,190
Richard Hell & The Voidoids is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
Richard Hell & The Voidoids Destiny Street, Funhunt: Live at CBGB's & Max's, Time

48
1,476 1,280
The Vandals is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Vandals Christmas With The Vandals: Oi to the World!, Hitler Bad, Vandals Good

49
1,714 1,148
X-Ray Spex is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
X-Ray Spex Germfree Adolescents, Conscious Consumer, Obsessed With You: The Early Years

50
1,485 1,156
The Adicts is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Punk Bands Of All Time
The Adicts Smart Alex, Songs of Praise, Sound of Music