Rock The Best Rock Bands of All Time  

Ranker Community
Originally by Ranker Community
2.3M votes 159.4k voters 2.7M views 2,361 items

List Rules Only rock bands or rock artists with solo careers.

There are thousands of rock bands that have existed throughout the decades ever since the dawn of rock and roll, but only the greatest ones have stood the test of time and continue to be classic and popular bands to listen to with their timeless music. Who are the greatest rock bands of all time?

Anyone can vote on this best rock bands list, which makes these rankings a trustworthy way to find out which great rock artists are truly the best. You can also add your own rankings to this list and see how your taste in music stacks up against everyone else's. Listening to great rock music is fun, but showing off your superior rock and roll taste is even better.

For more rock music, check out this list of the Best Beatles Songs of All Time, or vote on these lists of the Best Rock Vocalists and the Best Female Rock Vocalists of all time.
list ordered by

1
37,509 24,215
The Beatles is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Abbey Road, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - See The Best Beatles Songs 

2
42,105 18,510
Led Zeppelin is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin II - See The Best Led Zeppelin Songs

3
25,874 18,182
The Rolling Stones is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Let It Bleed, Exile on Main St., Sticky Fingers - See The Best Rolling Stones Songs

4
32,404 16,949
Pink Floyd is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Wall, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here - See The Best Pink Floyd Songs

5
37,175 13,803
Queen is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
A Night at the Opera, Queen, Innuendo - See The Best Queen Songs

6
19,134 14,452
The Who is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Who's Next, Tommy, Quadrophenia - The Best Who Albums

7
24,189 15,112
AC/DC is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Back in Black, Highway to Hell, Let There Be Rock - See The Best AC/DC Songs

8
20,496 11,663
Jimi Hendrix is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
First Rays of the New Rising Sun, Band of Gypsys, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection - See The Best Jimi Hendrix Songs

9
16,962 13,824
The Doors is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Doors, L.A. Woman, Strange Days - See The Best Doors Albums

10
20,987 17,766
Nirvana is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Nevermind, In Utero, MTV Unplugged in New York

11
16,219 13,489
Eagles is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Hotel California, Eagles Greatest Hits, Volume 2 - See The Best Eagles Songs

12
17,584 15,501
Metallica is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, Metallica - See The Best Metallica Songs

13
15,387 13,306
Aerosmith is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Toys in the Attic, Pump, Permanent Vacation - See The Best Aerosmith Songs

14
14,604 10,179
Creedence Clearwater Revival is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Green River, Cosmo's Factory, Willy and the Poor Boys - See The Best Creedence Clearwater Revival Albums

15
18,498 13,207
Guns N' Roses is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Appetite for Destruction, G N' R Lies, Use Your Illusion I - See The Best Guns N' Roses Songs

16
15,575 11,058
Black Sabbath is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Paranoid, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell - See The Best Black Sabbath Songs

17
12,943 15,420
U2 is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Joshua Tree, War, Achtung Baby - See The Best U2 Songs

18
13,258 9,777
David Bowie is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs - See The Best David Bowie Songs

19
10,193 11,013
The Beach Boys is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Pet Sounds, Surfin' USA, Ultimate Christmas - See The Best Beach Boys Songs

20
11,850 10,148
Van Halen is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Van Halen, 1984, Diver Down - See The Best Van Halen Songs

21
9,269 7,962
Bob Dylan is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
prostoemail97 added Highway 61 Revisited, Blood on the Tracks, Blonde on Blonde - See The Best Bob Dylan Songs

22
11,539 7,729
Eric Clapton is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
461 Ocean Boulevard, Crossroads, Pilgrim - See The Best Eric Clapton Songs

23
12,592 8,467
Elvis Presley is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Jailhouse Rock, The Sun Sessions, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters - See The Best Elvis Presley Songs

24
13,627 10,799
Red Hot Chili Peppers is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Californication, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Stadium Arcadium - See The Best Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs

25
11,680 9,583
Rush is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Moving Pictures, 2112, Hemispheres - See The Best Rush Songs

26
10,202 7,133
Fleetwood Mac is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, Tango in the Night - See The Best Fleetwood Mac Songs

27
11,075 7,945
Lynyrd Skynyrd is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd), Second Helping, Gold - See The Best Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs

28
9,109 7,999
The Police is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Synchronicity, Ghost in the Machine, Zenyattà Mondatta - See The Best Police Albums

29
8,202 6,986
Cream is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Disraeli Gears, The Very Best of Cream, Fresh Cream - See The Best Cream Albums

30
9,625 7,133
Deep Purple is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Machine Head, Live in Japan, Deep Purple in Rock - See The Best Deep Purple Songs

31
8,339 6,589
Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker... is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Last DJ, Damn the Torpedoes, Into the Great Wide Open - See The Best Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Albums

32
7,430 7,941
The Clash is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
London Calling, The Clash, Black Market Clash - See The Best Clash Songs

33
6,929 7,507
Bruce Springsteen is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Born to Run, Born in the U.S.A., The Rising - See The Best Bruce Springsteen Songs

34
7,436 7,062
ZZ Top is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Tres Hombres, Eliminator, Rio Grande Mud - See The Best ZZ Top Songs

35
9,541 7,596
Pearl Jam is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Ten, Vs., Vitalogy - See The Best Pearl Jam Songs

36
8,882 9,032
Radiohead is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Kid A, OK Computer, The Bends - See The Best Radiohead Songs

37
7,213 5,901
The Kinks is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire), The Kink Kronikles - See The Best Kinks Songs

38
6,981 5,560
Chuck Berry is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Great Twenty-Eight, Maybellene, Two Great Guitars - See The Best Chuck Berry Albums

39
7,452 6,947
Journey is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Escape, Frontiers, Evolution - See The Best Journey Albums

40
7,038 5,321
Dire Straits is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits, Making Movies - See The Best Dire Straits Albums

41
6,805 7,092
Ramones is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Ramones, Rocket to Russia, End of the Century - See The Best Ramones Songs

42
8,646 6,386
John Lennon is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Imagine, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Double Fantasy - See The Best John Lennon Songs

43
8,850 7,270
Foo Fighters is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Wasting Light, The Colour and the Shape, Foo Fighters - See The Best Foo Fighters Songs

44
9,098 8,746
Green Day is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
American Idiot, Dookie, 21st Century Breakdown - See The Best Green Day Songs

45
6,404 6,156
R.E.M. is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Murmur, Green, Automatic for the People - See The Best R.E.M. Songs

46
7,037 5,467
Simon and Garfunkel is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sounds of Silence, Bookends - See The Best Simon and Garfunkel Songs

47
7,204 5,740
Iron Maiden is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
BaruchLalaev added The Number of the Beast, Iron Maiden, Powerslave - See The Best Iron Maiden Songs

48
5,310 5,242
Genesis is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Genesis, Foxtrot - See The Best Genesis Songs

49
6,587 5,553
Neil Young is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Harvest, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush - See The Best Neil Young Albums

50
5,270 5,407
The Allman Brothers Band is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
At Fillmore East, Beginnings, Eat a Peach - See The Best Allman Brothers Band Albums