The Worst Bands & Musicians of All Time

Over 73.5K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Worst Bands & Musicians of All Time
Voting Rules
Vote up all of the worst singers, rappers, and bands of all time.

This list of worst bands in music history, ranked by music fans (and haters) contains the most awful bands to listen to throughout recorded music. The rankings of the worst musicians are suggested and voted on based on a variety of metrics, including popular bands least deserving of their fame and fortune, artists who shamelessly ripped off other, superior acts and just bands that don't know how to play their instruments or write songs. Obviously, the majority of choices will be rock bands, but any "musical group" or bands are technically eligible. Think the worst band of all time is a jazz band? Hate polka bands as much (or more) than Nickelback? Featuring 90s boy bands, crappy singers, and even people who were once considered in the top 10 artists of the year, this list has them all.

What makes a band go from just being terrible to epically earning "Worst Band of All Time" status? For some, there's an original inkling of a good sound in there that just gets weighed down by poor decisions, excessive drug use and bad production. For others, it's a total lack of songwriting ability that renders the band - as a whole - incapable of producing quality music. Some bands just have no business being together in the first place, so incapable are they of playing in sync and producing pleasant music. And then some bands may have limited talent but waste it by producing songs and albums that are overblown, slickly commercial and hollow.

This list collects all these examples of terrible bands with no business recording music, and more. It will be a great guide for keeping track of musicians and artists to avoid next time you are on Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon.

Most divisive: Rihanna
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