Rock The Best Rock Bands of All Time  

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Originally by Ranker Community
2.5M votes 170.6k voters 2.8M views 2,352 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
40,147 26,458
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
44,957 20,078
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
27,584 20,003
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
34,646 18,476
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
41,930 14,605
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
20,257 15,615
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
25,849 16,175
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
21,761 12,490
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
17,982 14,831
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
22,430 19,032
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
17,447 14,402
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
18,829 16,554
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
16,397 14,181
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
15,539 10,860
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
19,850 14,090
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
16,566 11,771
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
13,775 16,460
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
14,234 10,369
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
10,877 11,785
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
12,594 10,819
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
9,977 8,587
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
12,269 8,220
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
13,505 8,954
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
12,371 10,155
Rush is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Moving Pictures, 2112, Hemispheres - See The Best Rush Songs

25
14,492 11,540
Red Hot Chili Peppers is listed (or ranked) 25 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

26
11,006 7,596
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
11,828 8,384
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
9,753 8,454
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
8,718 7,444
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
10,222 7,578
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
8,928 6,960
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
7,902 8,445
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
7,415 8,014
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
7,846 7,537
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
10,202 8,051
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
9,419 9,594
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
7,653 6,245
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
7,999 7,377
Journey is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
Escape, Frontiers, Evolution - See The Best Journey Albums

39
7,402 5,904
Chuck Berry is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
The Great Twenty-Eight, Maybellene, Two Great Guitars - See The Best Chuck Berry Albums

40
7,545 5,653
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
7,172 7,509
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
9,142 6,774
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
9,695 9,280
Green Day is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Rock Bands of All Time
American Idiot, Dookie, 21st Century Breakdown - See The Best Green Day Songs

44
9,428 7,707
Foo Fighters is listed (or ranked) 44 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

45
6,829 6,522
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
7,457 5,755
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
7,721 6,137
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
5,639 5,600
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
6,969 5,843
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
5,602 5,716
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