encompassing punk New Wave and rock
while also spawning subgenres like
grunge and brick pop it went from an
indie genre to one of the most popular
types of music in the 1990s and beyond
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
alternative bands of all time will be
Bambaataa basra bidding for this list
we’ve chosen influential artists who
helped define the alternative sound and
genre throughout the decades who are
commercially successful and whose music
stood the test of time this is part of a
series of videos spanning the decades of
alternative rock music from the 1970s to
the 2000s and includes our list of the
top 10 alternative bands of the 1980s
1990s and 2000’s as well as the top 10
punk bands and the top 10 grunge bands
number ten talking heads they may have
only been together for 16 years but this
New York band managed to become one of
the biggest influences ever on
subsequent alternative rock acts formed
in 1975 the Talking Heads managed to hit
the mainstream while still maintaining
their street cred with critics during
the 1980s
their brand of New Wave incorporated
elements of punk funk and world music
but still had enough pop sensibility to
earn them top ten singles and a place on
our list number nine the White Stripes
after getting the Detroit scene buzzing
with their first three discs the White
Stripes went from indie garage rockers
to one of the most well-known
alternative rock acts of the early 21st
century and all they needed was a little
song called fell in love with a girl
after that breakthrough track the duo
made their major label debut with
elephant and unleashed one of the most
memorable and successful alternative
rock songs of the 2000s
so they’ve since called it quits
there’s no denying they knew exactly how
to get us going with their fusion of
garage punk and blues rock
number eight Pearl Jam
made a call greed with a grunge lineage
consisting of Green River Mother Love
Bone and Temple of the dog it’s no
wonder Pearl Jam became one of the
alternative rock subgenres biggest acts
however Pearl Jam did this via their own
merits which included memorable hooks
and courses as well as socio-politically
driven lyrics they cemented themselves
as one of the big four
thanks to their classic and punk rock
inspired sound as well as Eddie Vedder’s
often imitated but never duplicated
growl
you
decades after 10s breakthrough success
Pearl Jam is still enjoying popularity
number seven Depeche Mode spearheading
the electronic side of alternative rock
Depeche Mode broke onto the music scene
in 1981 with
Speak & Spell despite the departure of
Vince Clarke the group bounced back with
a darker sound that captivated teens
everywhere and helped the band
infiltrate the mainstream
more lineup changes in suit but the
Brits didn’t let that stop them they’ve
since sold over 100 million albums won
multiple Grammys and are still going
strong today
please
number six the Red Hot Chili Peppers –
got to got a tick is these alternative
rockers into great funk hard rock and
psychedelic rock into their style and
that’s exactly what makes them both
unique and long-lasting
after several years of taking the indie
route the Chili Peppers hit it big in
the early 90s
the music world soon took a liking to
the bands fusion of styles and evolving
sound which allowed them to find chart
and commercial success with albums like
Californication and Stadium Arcadia in
the new millennium
it’s
number five REM
formed in the 1980s these guys from
Georgia made a name for themselves with
their very first album
with the help of Michael stipes hard to
decipher singing and Peter bucks
distinctive guitar style REM had critics
raving while college radio had their
backs early on
extensive touring and a top 10 hit in
1987 soon landed them a major label deal
and solidified their status as one of
the originators of the genre
so they broke up in 2011 our EMS
alt-rock legacy lives on
coming in fast
number four the clash battle bogged down
as part of the original wave of British
Punk the clash was known for their
angsty dirty vibe and socio-politically
charged lyrics after spreading their
musical message on tour the idealistic
musicians struck a chord with Americans
by experimenting with genres on London
Calling and combat rock
they’re strong songwriting musical
passion and fearlessness help The Clash
map out the sound of hunk rock for
decades and it inspired countless
artists to come is it any wonder they
were dubbed the only band that matters
number three the cure
to say is great
founded in 1976 the Cure first found a
home during that decade within the post
punk and new wave movements
boys
the 80s saw the English group sound take
a darker turn and they found themselves
categorized as gothic rock
they soon made way for lighter more
radio-friendly fare which paved the way
for the band to take over the airwaves
in the early 90s and help them NAB
multiple Billboard Hot 100 entries by
gaining popularity right before alt rock
hit it big The Cure helped set the stage
for the genres imminent explosion and
solidified their place in music history
I wish I was special you’re so very
number to Radiohead
after making waves with their first two
alternative rock efforts Radiohead
proved they weren’t a one-note band with
the more complex sound and abstract
themes of Ok Computer
this cleared the path for the Brits to
branch out to other genres and they soon
achieved international critical and
commercial success
today Radiohead continues to be one of
the most highly regarded acts in years
due to their consistently original and
innovative music is what you get
before we unveil our number one pick
here are a few honorable mentions
welcome cherry
mom and dad went to would show it drop
me off a grand number-one nirvana a kid
can scream supreme though drummer Dave
Grohl went on to lead one of the most
accessible alt rock acts of modern times
the Foo Fighters never would have
achieved the success they have today
without his former band for alternative
rock and music in general were never the
same after Nirvana burst onto the scene
thanks to never minds incomparable
success and the band’s blend of heavy
music with pop tendencies Nirvana
brought the Seattle sound to the masses
and became leaders of grunge’s Big Four
in the process
when it’s all said and done no other
musicians spoke to a generation quite
like Nirvana and Kurt Cobain
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite alternative rock act for more
entertaining top 10s published every day
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
while also spawning subgenres like
grunge and brick pop it went from an
indie genre to one of the most popular
types of music in the 1990s and beyond
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
alternative bands of all time will be
Bambaataa basra bidding for this list
we’ve chosen influential artists who
helped define the alternative sound and
genre throughout the decades who are
commercially successful and whose music
stood the test of time this is part of a
series of videos spanning the decades of
alternative rock music from the 1970s to
the 2000s and includes our list of the
top 10 alternative bands of the 1980s
1990s and 2000’s as well as the top 10
punk bands and the top 10 grunge bands
number ten talking heads they may have
only been together for 16 years but this
New York band managed to become one of
the biggest influences ever on
subsequent alternative rock acts formed
in 1975 the Talking Heads managed to hit
the mainstream while still maintaining
their street cred with critics during
the 1980s
their brand of New Wave incorporated
elements of punk funk and world music
but still had enough pop sensibility to
earn them top ten singles and a place on
our list number nine the White Stripes
after getting the Detroit scene buzzing
with their first three discs the White
Stripes went from indie garage rockers
to one of the most well-known
alternative rock acts of the early 21st
century and all they needed was a little
song called fell in love with a girl
after that breakthrough track the duo
made their major label debut with
elephant and unleashed one of the most
memorable and successful alternative
rock songs of the 2000s
so they’ve since called it quits
there’s no denying they knew exactly how
to get us going with their fusion of
garage punk and blues rock
number eight Pearl Jam
made a call greed with a grunge lineage
consisting of Green River Mother Love
Bone and Temple of the dog it’s no
wonder Pearl Jam became one of the
alternative rock subgenres biggest acts
however Pearl Jam did this via their own
merits which included memorable hooks
and courses as well as socio-politically
driven lyrics they cemented themselves
as one of the big four
thanks to their classic and punk rock
inspired sound as well as Eddie Vedder’s
often imitated but never duplicated
growl
you
decades after 10s breakthrough success
Pearl Jam is still enjoying popularity
number seven Depeche Mode spearheading
the electronic side of alternative rock
Depeche Mode broke onto the music scene
in 1981 with
Speak & Spell despite the departure of
Vince Clarke the group bounced back with
a darker sound that captivated teens
everywhere and helped the band
infiltrate the mainstream
more lineup changes in suit but the
Brits didn’t let that stop them they’ve
since sold over 100 million albums won
multiple Grammys and are still going
strong today
please
number six the Red Hot Chili Peppers –
got to got a tick is these alternative
rockers into great funk hard rock and
psychedelic rock into their style and
that’s exactly what makes them both
unique and long-lasting
after several years of taking the indie
route the Chili Peppers hit it big in
the early 90s
the music world soon took a liking to
the bands fusion of styles and evolving
sound which allowed them to find chart
and commercial success with albums like
Californication and Stadium Arcadia in
the new millennium
it’s
number five REM
formed in the 1980s these guys from
Georgia made a name for themselves with
their very first album
with the help of Michael stipes hard to
decipher singing and Peter bucks
distinctive guitar style REM had critics
raving while college radio had their
backs early on
extensive touring and a top 10 hit in
1987 soon landed them a major label deal
and solidified their status as one of
the originators of the genre
so they broke up in 2011 our EMS
alt-rock legacy lives on
coming in fast
number four the clash battle bogged down
as part of the original wave of British
Punk the clash was known for their
angsty dirty vibe and socio-politically
charged lyrics after spreading their
musical message on tour the idealistic
musicians struck a chord with Americans
by experimenting with genres on London
Calling and combat rock
they’re strong songwriting musical
passion and fearlessness help The Clash
map out the sound of hunk rock for
decades and it inspired countless
artists to come is it any wonder they
were dubbed the only band that matters
number three the cure
to say is great
founded in 1976 the Cure first found a
home during that decade within the post
punk and new wave movements
boys
the 80s saw the English group sound take
a darker turn and they found themselves
categorized as gothic rock
they soon made way for lighter more
radio-friendly fare which paved the way
for the band to take over the airwaves
in the early 90s and help them NAB
multiple Billboard Hot 100 entries by
gaining popularity right before alt rock
hit it big The Cure helped set the stage
for the genres imminent explosion and
solidified their place in music history
I wish I was special you’re so very
number to Radiohead
after making waves with their first two
alternative rock efforts Radiohead
proved they weren’t a one-note band with
the more complex sound and abstract
themes of Ok Computer
this cleared the path for the Brits to
branch out to other genres and they soon
achieved international critical and
commercial success
today Radiohead continues to be one of
the most highly regarded acts in years
due to their consistently original and
innovative music is what you get
before we unveil our number one pick
here are a few honorable mentions
welcome cherry
mom and dad went to would show it drop
me off a grand number-one nirvana a kid
can scream supreme though drummer Dave
Grohl went on to lead one of the most
accessible alt rock acts of modern times
the Foo Fighters never would have
achieved the success they have today
without his former band for alternative
rock and music in general were never the
same after Nirvana burst onto the scene
thanks to never minds incomparable
success and the band’s blend of heavy
music with pop tendencies Nirvana
brought the Seattle sound to the masses
and became leaders of grunge’s Big Four
in the process
when it’s all said and done no other
musicians spoke to a generation quite
like Nirvana and Kurt Cobain
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite alternative rock act for more
entertaining top 10s published every day
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
Please follow and like us: