The 100 Most Popular Rock Music Genres, Ranked

Ranker Music

Updated May 15, 2024 35.0K views 80 items

Ranked By

38.0K votes

2.8K voters

Voting Rules

Vote up the rock subgenres that get your head banging and your fist in the air

Update: Follow Ranker's official New Rock 2020 playlist on Spotify!

The most popular rock genres embody the rollicking, freewheeling spirit of rock ’n’ roll in unique and fascinating ways. Whether it’s the head-banging riffs of metal or the drone of goth rock that makes you want to run and put your eyeliner on, all types of rock music connect with audiences on a personal, visceral level.

Rock music genres have always been fluid, with the best artists mixing and matching and forming new styles by forging ahead and just making the music they want to hear. Artists like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana, for instance, took the parts of punk rock and metal that appealed to them most and helped launch the whole grunge rock movement of the early 1990s.

The list of rock genres is as long as the list of musicians willing to pick up a guitar and try something new. Rock music is not necessarily defined by the driving bass lines and pounding drums of thrash metal, just as it is not defined by the synthesizers and drum machines of the new wave. There is a genre of rock music for any music fan.

So which are the rock genres that best capture the spirit of rock ’n’ roll? Which genres get your heading bobbing to the beat and your fist in the air with devil horns up? Vote below on the best subgenres of rock music.

Most divisive: Space Rock

Over 2.8K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 100 Most Popular Rock Genres

1
Alternative Rock
1,402 votes
Popular artists: Beck, Weezer, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, The Cure, Muse, The Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Pixies, The Smiths

Rank the best alternative rock bands here!
2
Heavy Metal
1,369 votes
Popular artists: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Slipknot, Deep Purple

Rank the best heavy metal bands here!
3
Grunge
1,260 votes
Popular artists: Nirvana, Hole, Stone Temple Pilots, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Everclear, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Melvins, L7

Rank the best grunge bands here!
4
Progressive Rock
1,035 votes
Popular artists: Rush, Dream Theater, Soft Machine, Porcupine Tree, Kansas, Gong, Supertramp, Spock's Beard, Roger Waters, The Nice

Rank the best progressive rock bands here!
5
Blues Rock
1,016 votes
Popular aritsts: Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Keys, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Muddy Waters, Gary Clark Jr.

Rank the best blues rock bands here!
6
Punk Rock
1,045 votes
Popular artists: Dead Kennedys, The Clash, Ramones, Misfits, Black Flag, The Stooges, Bad Religion, Bad Brains, Rancid, NOFX

Rank the best punk rock bands here!
7
Glam Rock
933 votes
Popular artists: David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Queen, Slade, Sweet, Motley Crue, Poison, The Darkness, Quiet Riot, Def Leppard

Rank the best glam rock bands here!
8
Psychedelic Rock
944 votes
Popular artists: Tame Impala, The Doors, Grateful Dead, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Love, The Byrds, Iron Butterfly, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

Rank the best psychedelic rock bands here!
9
Arena Rock
738 votes
Popular artists: Journey, Queen, Styx, Europe, Boston, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Kansas, Night Ranger, Survivor
10
Acid Rock
748 votes
Popular artists: Grateful Dead, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, Steppenwolf, The Seeds, Grace Slick

Rank the best acid rock bands here!

11
Alternative Metal
723 votes
Popular artists: Tool, Korn, Alice in Chains, System of a Down, Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Three Days Grace

Rank the best alternative metal bands here!
12
New Wave
715 votes
Popular artists: The B-52's, The Human League, Blondie, The Police, Elvis Costello, The Cars, INXS, Culture Club, The Pretenders, Simple Minds

Rank the best new wave bands here!
13
Garage Rock
592 votes
Popular artists: The White Stripes, The Sonics, MC5, Black Lips, The Kingsmen, The Raconteurs, The Kinks, The Kills, Kings of Leon, FIDLAR

Rank the best garage rock bands here!
14
Art Rock
657 votes
Popular artists: Genesis, Kate Bush, Yes, The Moody Blues, Brian Eno, Electric Light Orchestra, Greg Lake, The Who, Talking Heads, Lou Reed

Rank the best art rock bands here!
15
Folk Rock
644 votes
Popular artists: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull

Rank the best folk rock bands here!
16
Soft Rock
704 votes
Popular artists: Billy Joel, Air Supply, Hall & Oates, Chicago, Elton John, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Carpenters

Rank the best soft rock bands here!
17
Hair Metal
683 votes
Popular artists: Whitesnake, Poison, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Warrant, Dokken, Skid Row, Van Halen
18
Indie Rock
605 votes
Popular artists: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Sonic Youth, The National, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Rank the best indie rock bands here!
19
Pop Punk
742 votes
Popular artists: Green Day, blink-182, Sum 41, Paramore, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard, All Time Low, Taking Back Sunday, The Offspring

Rank the best pop punk bands here!
20
Roots Rock
559 votes
Popular artists: John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ry Cooder, Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Tom Petty, Wilco, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chris Isaak, The Doobie Brothers

Rank the best roots rock bands here!

21
Funk Rock
527 votes
Popular artists: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour, George Clinton, Faith No More, Primus, Lenny Kravitz, Wild Cherry, Bootsy Collins, Dan Reed Network, Grand Funk Railroad

Rank the best funk rock bands here!
22
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
483 votes
Popular artists: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Satan, Angel Witch, Witchfinder General, Savage, Cloven Hoof, Blitzkrieg, Raven

Rank the best new wave of British heavy metal bands here!
23
Gothic Rock
410 votes
Popular artists: The Cure, The Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death, Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cult, The Mission, London After Midnight, Play Dead, The Damned

Rank the best gothic rock bands here!
24
Nu Metal
528 votes
Popular artists: Disturbed, System of a Down, Mudvayne, Static-X, Sevendust, Staind, Godsmack, Marilyn Manson, Evanescence, Taproot

Rank the best nu metal bands here!
25
Surf Rock
412 votes
Popular artists: The Beach Boys, The Ventures, Dick Dale, The Surfaris, The Bel-Airs, The Lively Ones, Brian Wilson, The Challengers, The Atlantics, The Trashmen

Rank the best surf rock bands here!
26
Electronic Rock
452 votes
Popular artists: Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, Devo, Garbage, Starset, Pendulum, The Prodigy, Ratatat, The Killers

Rank the best electronic rock bands here!
27
Experimental Rock
403 votes
Popular artists: David Bowie, Death Grips, Tom Waits, Björk, Frank Zappa, Throbbing Gristle, Swans, Portishead, The Residents, Nurse with Wound

Rank the best experimental rock bands here!
28
Britpop
463 votes
Popular artists: Oasis, Pulp, Blur, Radiohead, Suede, The Stone Roses, Supergrass, Coldplay, Placebo, Cast

Rank the best Britpop bands here!
29
Synthpop
373 votes
Popular artists: Pet Shop Boys, New Order, A-ha, Duran Duran, Gary Numan, Eurythmics, CHVRCHES, Soft Cell, Tears for Fears, A Flock of Seagulls

Rank the best synthpop bands here!
30
Industrial Rock
363 votes
Popular artists: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, Rammstein, Swans, Die Krupps, Rob Zombie, White Zombie, Gravity Kills

Rank the best industrial rock bands here!