The Best Alternative Artists Of 2023

Akansha Kakkad
Updated September 15, 2023 1.2K votes 152 voters
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Alternative Artists Of 2023

2023's alternative music scene is officially off to an amazing start, with new music from punk princess Avril Lavigne, renowned produce/singer-songwriter Jack White, and your favorite y2k British rock group Muse. 2021 Eurovision winner Måneskin continues to redefine alternative rock with '70s glam punk influence, and The Lumineers are back with their fourth studio album, BRIGHTSIDE, fusing classic alternative with their unique indie folk sound. 

Which trending alternative musicians are you most excited to see live, and whose records are you currently listening to? Who will Travis Barker collaborate with next? And which When We Were Young music festival headliners released the greatest bangers so far? Vote below for the best alternative artists of 2023, and be sure to also check out this year's top new alternative songs afterwards.

Most divisive: Eddie Vedder
Ranked by
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
    1
    Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk rock and psychedelic rock. When played live, their music incorporates elements of jam band due to the improvised nature of many of their performances. Currently, the band consists of founding members vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea (Michael Peter Balzary), longtime drummer Chad Smith, and former touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best-selling bands of all time with over 80 million records sold worldwide, they have been nominated for sixteen Grammy Awards, of which they have won six, and are the most successful band in alternative rock radio history, currently holding the records for most number-one singles (13), most cumulative weeks at number one (85) and most top-ten songs (25) on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. In 2012, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band's original lineup, originally named Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons, alongside Kiedis and Flea. Because of commitments to other bands, Slovak and Irons did not play on the band's 1984 self-titled debut album. Slovak performed on the second and third albums, Freaky Styley (1985) and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987), but he died from a heroin overdose in 1988. As a result of his friend's death, Irons chose to leave the group. After short-lived replacements on guitar and drums, John Frusciante and Smith joined in 1988. The lineup of Flea, Kiedis, Frusciante, and Smith was the longest-lasting and recorded five studio albums beginning with Mother's Milk (1989). In 1990, the group signed with Warner Bros. Records and recorded the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) under producer Rick Rubin. This album became the band's first major commercial success, but Frusciante grew uncomfortable with the band's popularity and left abruptly in 1992 in the middle of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik Tour. After two temporary guitarists, Dave Navarro joined the group in 1993 and played on their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although commercially successful, the album failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, selling less than half as much as its predecessor. Navarro was fired from the band in 1998. Frusciante, fresh out of drug rehabilitation, rejoined the band that same year at Flea's request. The reunited quartet returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which became the band's biggest commercial success with 16 million copies sold worldwide. That album was followed three years later by By the Way (2002), and then four years later by the double album Stadium Arcadium (2006), their first number-one album in America. After a world tour, the group went on an extended hiatus. Frusciante announced he was amicably leaving the band in 2009 to focus on his solo career. Klinghoffer, who had worked both as a sideman for the band on their Stadium Arcadium tour and on Frusciante's solo projects, replaced him. The band's tenth studio album, I'm with You, was released in 2011 and topped the charts in 18 different countries. The band released their eleventh studio album, The Getaway, in 2016. The album was produced by Danger Mouse, marking the first time since Mother's Milk that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had not worked with Rubin, and topped the charts in ten different countries. As of November 2018, the band is in the process of working on their twelfth studio album which they expect to release in 2019.
  • Twenty One Pilots
    2
    Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. The band was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both left in 2011. Since their departure, the line-up has consisted of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The duo is best known for their singles "Stressed Out", "Ride", and "Heathens". The group received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for "Stressed Out". The band independently released two albums, Twenty One Pilots (2009) and Regional at Best (2011), before being signed by record label Fueled by Ramen in 2012. Their label debut, Vessel, was released in 2013 and became the second album in history on which every track received at least a gold certification, making Twenty One Pilots the first band in the history of music to see every song on two albums earn gold or platinum awards.
  • Paramore
    3

    Paramore

    83 votes
    Paramore are an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, while York, a high school friend of the original lineup, joined in 2007. The band are signed to Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, both owned by Warner Music Group. Williams is separately signed to Atlantic as she was scouted when she was a teenager, and they were the only label to let her stay in the band instead of going solo, but Atlantic said the rest of the band had to sign to FBR. She is also the only member to appear on all five of Paramore's studio albums. The group released its debut album, All We Know Is Falling, in 2005, with the album reaching number four on the UK Rock Chart in 2009 and number thirty on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart in 2006. In 2013, the band's fourth album gave them their first #1 on the US Billboard 200.
  • Green Day
    4

    Green Day

    76 votes
    Green Day are an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For much of the band's career, they have been a trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of 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. Green Day were originally part of the late-80s/early-90s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and shipped over 10 million U.S. copies. The band is credited alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid and Social Distortion, with popularizing mainstream punk rock.
  • Blink-182
    5

    Blink-182

    74 votes
    Blink-182 are an American rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Their current lineup consists of guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has diversified throughout their career, their musical style blends catchy pop melodies with fast-paced punk rock. Their lyrics center on relationships, adolescent frustration, and maturity—or lack thereof. The group emerged from a suburban, Southern California skate-punk scene and gained notoriety for high-energy live shows and irreverent humor. After years of independent recording and touring, including stints on the Warped Tour, the group signed to MCA Records. Their biggest albums, Enema of the State (1999) and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), saw international success. Songs like "All the Small Things", "Dammit", "I Miss You", and "What's My Age Again?" became hit singles and MTV staples. Later efforts, including an untitled album (2003), marked stylistic shifts.
  • Weezer
    6

    Weezer

    65 votes
    Weezer are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals, keyboards). After signing to Geffen Records in 1993, Weezer released their self-titled debut album, also known as the Blue Album, in May 1994. Backed by music videos for the singles "Buddy Holly", "Undone – The Sweater Song", and "Say It Ain't So", the Blue Album became a multiplatinum success. Weezer's second album, Pinkerton (1996), featuring a darker, more abrasive sound, was a commercial failure and initially received mixed reviews, but achieved cult status and critical acclaim years later. Both the Blue Album and Pinkerton are now frequently cited among the best albums of the 1990s. Weezer has sold 10.2 million albums in the US and over 35 million worldwide.