The 100 Best Rock Bands of All Time

It was extremely difficult to narrow down the best rock bands of all time, thanks to the volume of artists and the smorgasbord of sub-genres (alternative, rock, psychedelic, punk, new wave, grunge, metal, just to name a few—and all of the sub-sub-genres within those). Because of this, there are going to be bands here not everyone agrees with, and there may be bands missing that may shock some. That's OK! At its core, rock 'n' roll is about rebellion, going against the grain and doing your own thing—and doing it loudly and with abandon.

What makes the greatest rock bands ever? For Parade, it came down to sound, influence on the genre and cultural impact. Not everything wonderful sells, and not everything that sells is great. Also note that there are a lot of solo artists and musical groups who did phenomenal work and helped create rock's sound as we know it, but didn't fit into the "band" category if they specialized in just one aspect or instrument of their production: Think Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, the Jackson Five,Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Bee Gees, The Drifters, Sam Cooke, Leadbelly, Ray Charles and Eric Clapton, to name just a few!

With that in mind, behold our choices for the top 100 best rock bands of all time. Rock on!

Best Rock Bands of All Time

1. The Beatles

As if The Beatles need any introduction: The Liverpool quartet is one of the bestselling, most influential bands in the history of music. Wondering just how far their influence extends? One of the Guardians of the Galaxy is named in homage to one of their songs.

2. Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones ooze rock n' roll and have been long lauded as the greatest rock n' roll band in history. Their countercultural symbolism, raunchy lyrics and killer musicianship have made them one of the most enduring acts ever—and neither substance abuse (Keith Richards), cancer (Ron Wood) nor heart surgery (Mick Jagger) could keep them from a stage for long.

3. Prince & The Revolution

Obviously Prince was the leader of The Revolution, but the band's other members were also crazy-talented and gloriously diverse: Brown Mark on bass and vocals; Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (lovingly known as "Wendy and Lisa") on guitar and on keyboards, piano and vocals respectively; Matt "Doctor" Fink on keyboards and vocals and Bobby Z. on drums. The Revolution not only performed on, but also produced the masterpiece Purple Rain on their own, helping to cement Prince's legacy as rock royalty forever.

4. Queen

Before the film Bohemian Rhapsody won Rami Malek an Oscar, the operatic tune "Bohemian Rhapsody" enjoyed a revival thanks to Wayne's World. The song was just one of countless Queen classics, ranging from ballads ("Who Wants to Live Forever," "Play the Game," "Save Me") to stadium anthems ("We Will Rock You," "We Are the Champions," "Don't Stop Me Now") to rollicking barn-burners ("Tie Your Mother Down," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Bicycle Race," "Keep Yourself Alive") to cheeky pop-tinged confections ("Under Pressure," "I Want to Break Free," "Another One Bites the Dust," "Good Old Fashioned Loverboy," "Killer Queen"). Freddie Mercury brought the theatrics, whimsy and groundbreaking production, Brian May the slick solos, Roger Taylor the beats and John Deacon the inimitable bass riffs to make some of the most simultaneously timeless, heavy and frothy pop-rock music ever made.

5. Guns N' Roses

From Slash's solos to Duff McKagan's bass lines to Axl Rose's screeches and warbles (he may have the biggest vocal range out of any of his musical peers) to their debauchery, Guns N' Roses is, rightfully, one of the most influential bands in music. And in true rock n' roll fashion, Rose declined to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

6. AC/DC

From their early days with Bon Scott to their resurrection with Brian Johnson, the Young brothers and AC/DC have made the "Highway to Hell" seem like a pretty sweet ride. Johnson told The New York Post that he actually met Scott before Scott's untimely passing, after which Johnson replaced him as the Australian band's frontman.

"I had a terrible case of appendicitis and I went down on my side, kicking and going, 'Ooh!'" he recalled. "But I kept on singing. Apparently, he told the boys when he joined AC/DC, 'I saw this guy Brian Johnson sing, and he was great. He was on the floor, kicking and screaming—what an act!' Of course, it wasn’t an act. I was really ill."

7. The Jimi Hendrix Experience

No rock list of any kind would be complete without Jimi Hendrix. The man changed guitar forever, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience delivered some of the best live performances in rock history—psychedelic, mesmerizing and energetic, while appearing effortless.

8. Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin is best known for "Stairway to Heaven," but their hit "Immigrant Song" enjoyed a resurgence thanks to its prominence in Thor: Ragnarok—it fit so seamlessly that you'd have thought the 1970 track was written just for the movie, a testament to the rock icons' timelessness.

Guitarist Jimmy Page said of the band in an archived interview, "The fact was, whether we liked it or not, we were brought together by fate and it was sort of fated that we should change music, I think. And we certainly did."

9. Bob Dylan

Though he's mostly renowned for his superb storytelling in song, Bob Dylan brought many obscure instruments to his folk-blues-rock music: Besides guitar, bass, drums, piano, flute, saxophone, trumpet, bugle, whistle and harmonica, he also plays harp, mandolin, harmonium and didgeridoo, making him the rare master of all trades. This also makes him a seriously impressive one-man band.

10. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts poked fun at their beginnings in this video for "Bad Reputation," mocking all the major labels who turned them down—leading them to start their own label, Blackheart Records, and go multi-platinum and put a major crack in rock's glass ceiling.

11. Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd made hits in spite of themselves. Producer Bob Ezrin told Guitar World in 2009 of the makings of the band's magnum opus, "The Wall," "The most important thing I did for the song was to insist that it be more than just one verse and one chorus long, which it was when Roger wrote it. I said, 'Man, this is a hit! But it's one minute 20. We need two verses and two choruses,'" he recalled. "And they said, 'Well, you're not bloody getting them. We don't do singles, so f--k you.' So I said, 'Okay fine,' and they left. … While they weren't around we were able to copy the first verse and chorus, take one of the drum fills, put them in between and extend the chorus."

12. Grateful Dead

The second band on this list to inspire a Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor, the Grateful Dead combined elements of rock, folk, jazz and blues to make a sound all their own.