Top 100 Rock Bands: You Pick 'Em
As certain as death and taxes is the reality that no two of us will ever agree on the Top (fill in the blank) Classic Rock (fill in the other blank) of all time.
The latest entry on the list of lists of top rock bands comes from the Audio Video Revolution™ Web site. Using a point system based on seven criteria, judges came up with a list topped by Led Zeppelin, Beatles and Pink Floyd, in that order.
Here's the twist. The folks at AVRev.com will let you download their template and create your own list for their consideration. Not exactly a democracy, but a good way to recognize that no two of us are likely to ever agree entirely about who should be on the list and in what order.


Comments
best band 30 seconds to mars
AC/DC #1 Band of ALL-TIME!
H.I.M!!!!
WOOOOOOOO
Led Zeppelin is the number 1 Band. Not just my opinion, but also a fact. Oh it’s True!
The Beatles are definetely the best band of all time. They started the British Invasion and changed music forever, and they were in the forefront of the psychedelic movement. And, this was all before Led Zeppelin came around in 1969. Also look what the individual members of the Beatles did after they broke up.
Elvis peresly. i will say no more.
Nirvana is and always will be number 1!!!!!!!
Led Zeppelin baby! They are the greatest band ever! No one can ever beat the because they rocked so hard!
Nirvana? Now, come on, man.
can you say DEF LEPPARD!
the beatles wil own your head off
My Favorite Band is Vendetta Red
But of all Time Foo Fighters
David Grohl is the Man
Rage Against The Machine kicks ass!
iron maiden is the best band in the world
Led Zeppelin is THE best classic rock band of all time and Stairway to Heaven is the best classic rock song of all time.
My favorite is the original Foreigner but Cream has to be the top classic rock band of all time.
QUEEN is the only band that matters! There can be only one!!!
Led Zeppelin all the way….
Beatles are awesome,
as are Floyd, Doors, Who, Moody Blues, Cream, Stones, etc.
ACDC
Kiss
Led Zeppelin
Queen
You other rock bands watch out!
Queen have it all - they will ALWAYS be the best!
My favorite is Deep Purple (1970-1976). You owe it to yourself to go back and listen to “Burn”.
But I think Zeppelin is the best
zeppelin
MetallicA
LED ZEPPELIN FTW!!!!!!
Pink Floyd are far better than any other rock band…Let the others be..Comfortably Numb..!
I think you all are wrong! Aerosmith is the best.
H.I.M of course
Beatles rule of course. Never been anything better before or after.
Led Zeppelin easily remain the greatest rock band in history. Their music is brilliant, untouchable, and enduring. #2-The Beatles, #3-The Stones, #4-Pink Floyd, #5-The Who.
its gotta be 30 seconds to mars.absolutely unbelievable
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath
Jimi Hendrix
AC/DC
Metallica
Nirvana
Van Halen
The Who
Guns N’ Roses
KISS
Aerosmith
Sex Pistols
Queen
Soundgarden
Pink Floyd
Cream
Ramones
Ozzy Osbourne
The Clash
Alice Cooper
Pearl Jam
Deep Purple
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
Gun
Motorhead
Iggy Pop
Rush
Mφtley Crόe
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Def Leppard
The Doors
Rage Against The Machine
Alice in Chains
Reo Speedwagon
Green Day
Fleetwood Mac
Journey
Foghat
Elvis Presley
Ted Nugent
The Kinks
Dire Straits
ZZ Top
Pantera
Scorpions
The Rolling Stones
Kingdom Come
Smashing Pumpkins
Slayer
Thin Lizzy
Faith No More
Korn
Sonic Youth
Blue Oyster Cult
White Zombie
Heart
Anthrax
Bad Company
Muderdolls
Jethro Tull
Ministry
Boston
Steppenwolf
The Cult
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Evanescence
Aerosmith
Megadeth
Living Colour
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Foo Fighters
Twisted Sister
Pat Benatar
Spinal Tap
Bon Jovi
Hole
Marilyn Manson
Ratt
Toto
Pixies
Queensryche
My Chemical Romance
UFO
Whitesnake
Foreigner
Nazareth
The Police
Jefferson Starship
Rainbow
Danzig
Quiet Riot
Styx
Yes
Steve Winwood
Meat Loaf
Andrew W.K
LostProphets
Asia
RISE AGAINST… Nuff Said
The Doors
Best classic: led zeppelin
Best psychadelic: queen
Best modern: foo fighters/rage against the machine
Best punk: rise against
Best black/death: lamb of god
Best hardcore: avenged sevenfold
Best metal: iron maiden/metallica(old)
Best redneck: lynard skynard
Best nu: tool
and stone temple pilots should go in there somewhere
of course it has to be Led Zep
Led Zeppelin rightly remain the standard by which all rock bands are measured. They consisted of what turned out to be, not just four brilliant musicians, but a revolutionary innovative icon at every instrument. Still hard to believe that much talent assembled in one band, yet to fully appreciate Zeppelin you must understand that the magical whole was much greater than the sum of the incredible parts.
the mormon tabernacle choir singing the best of Judas Priest
pearl jam, the greatest of all!
THE BEATLES!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to say The Beatles the best and most influential band of all time HANDS DOWN!
The Beatles and DEEP PURPLE
BOn jovi #1
pink floyd is the best band of all time. no true classic rock fan can say pink floyd isnt badass
Here’s a link to my top 30 classic rock bands of all time, you can also find other great classic rock lists compiled by me.
carlozzi006.googlepages.com/home
System of a down Definatly kills all.
I think Breaking Benjamin,EvE6 and fear factory kick ass of all the bands.they are the best.Also,You all must not forget Elvis Presley but Now,BB,EvE6 and fear factory kick ass of everyone.
Beatles deserve the most respect and are the most succesful band in sales (thats a fact). But I would have to say led Zeppelin is the best band musically. Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Queen, and Black Sabbath are also in the top 5 best bands of all time.
Best rock band ever LED ZEPPELIN and the rest … what rest?
Gorillaz all the way! RoCk on!!!!
Pink Floyd is def by far # 1….in “Classic” rock, but Tool is def the best in modern rock..i don’t care what anyone says, its the truth
Before the Brian Jonestown Massacre, probably Joy Division or Brian Eno. After the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s “Bravery, Repetition, and Noise), nobody yet.
BILLY TALENT
LED ZEPPELIN
GUNS N’ ROSES
OZZY OSBOURNE
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
CHIODOS
ALEXISONFIRE
FOO FIGHTERS
ILLSCARLETT
:)
forgot…
SMASHING PUMPKINS
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
THE USED
OK WTF is this you all are like OMG Avenged Sevenfold is so hardcore OMG……no I’m sorry but they are far from hardcore. Listen to some Pantera, Damageplan and Cannable Corpse then come and talk to me about Hardcore.
Later
I have no problems with this list as it stands, I agree Led Zeppelin (musically) is the band which all rock bands are measured against, even though they didnt have the commercial success that the Beatles had, their music sounds as fresh today as it did when as a young 17 old i waited for Physical Graffiti to roll of the press and it changed my music likes for ever.
Mika is so the best !!!
I noticed how Jimi Hendrix was posted about, what twice? Now all sorts of Rock bands shaped the title “Rock” and all contributed in their own way. I would have to say Jimi Hendrix, only because his style of playing not only advanced rocks popularity during a time of pop music, but he introduced a little of every type of music and showed people new break throughs in music technology: the wah wah peddle. but the greates rock band depends on your style. just keep rockin and love what you listen to.
THE DOORS ALL THE WAY!!!! JIM MORRISON GREATER SONG WRITER TO EVER LIVE…WE WILL MISS YOU
the doors best band ever
Led Zeppelin as top rock band? Puh lease… Doesn’t make sense that they scored higher than the Beatles and Queen in sales? That’s not true. And best live performance? Queen’s Live Aid performance tops. What a stupid, biased list.
avenged sevenfold most definatly
It’s predictable, but the Beatles have to be #1. It begins and ends with them.
Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC and No1 - Guns n Roses!
There are some great bands listed but I think there’s a few missing…
Styx
original REO Speedwagon
Uriah Heep
i agree with person and ivo…..love acdc ….love gnr….love aerosmith…all those bands rock the world……..
YOU MAY NOT LIKE OUR INTERGITY….YEA….WE BIULT THE WORLD OUT OF ANARCHY!!! HEY YEAH!!!
rock ever
Areosmith by far!
NIRVANA!!! Such a timelessly aweso m band
nirvana is number one, everyone in that band is a genius. kurt couldve been on top of the rock world as we know it
The doors are the BEST.
#1 is and always has been the WHO
2 Rolling Stones
3 Beatles
4 Led Zeppelin
5 U2
6 Police
7 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
8 Steely Dan
9 Van Halen
10Neil Young and Crazyhorse
LED ZEPPLIN ALL THE WAY!!
no question
THE greatest rock band of all time remains the mighty Led Zeppelin. The only other band even in Zep’s league in terms of influence and popularity are The Beatles, but Zep gets the nod because they had the greatest talent ever assembled in one rock band and it is evidenced by their enduringly brilliant music.
The Beatles are number 1.
The Lennon/McCartney partnership is irreplaceable.
Led Zeppelin is phenomenal, a close second to the Beatles, I see them as musically and chronologically taking over the reins after the Beatles, building upon what they had forged. Still waiting for anything to challenge these two greats, however, I doubt they will.
Steppenwolf, no question. John Kay’s voice is timeless and instantly recognizable. Their background instrumentals were fabulous (remember “Straight Shootin’ Woman”??) If ever a group was able to blend rock, jazz, and hard-driving thunder, it was Steppenwolf.
TOOL!!!! Has anyone even heard of them? Gees, at least one of the top 15 greatest rock/metal bands ever!!!!!!
Guns N’ Roses,
Poison,
metallica,
led zeppelin,
Motley crue,
Def leppard
Jim morrison with the doors
led zeppelin
jimi hendrix
aerosmith
billy joel
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
Eric Clapton
herbie handcock
John Mayer
James Taylor
Johnny Cash
Miles Davis
Pearl Jam
U2
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
Beatles
Simon and Garfunkel
The Who
The Doors
Def Leppard
Stevie Wonder
Tom Petty
Grateful Dead
of the greatest of all of those..
Will Smith
The Dear Hunter is the best band ever
However, i can only say so since recently.
So I would say it’s a tie between
The Dear Hunter and Incubus
THE BEST ROCK BAND IS QUEEN!!!!!!
Led Zeppelin
AC/DC
Bon Jovi
Jimi Hendrix
Bob Marley
i could go on for awhile…
my top 10
1. KISS
2. ZZtop
3. Motley crue
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. Ozzy Osbounre
6. Boston
7. Heart
8. Bon Jovi
9. Journey
10. Poison
Queen is definitely the best:
Record Sales: Have sold at least 300 million records. Best-selling band in England.
Songwriting: The only band in which all members have written a chart-topper. The only band in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Technical Skill: One of the best guitarists ever. Freddie Mercury usually voted best singer and showman ever.
Queen at Live Aid consistently voted best rock show ever.
The Beatles, in my opinion are by far the best band ever. Under them they’ve got Led Zepplin. Under that they have Pink Floyd. That’s the top 3 bands
1. The Beatles
2. Pink Floyd (my fav)
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Crosby Stills Nash and Young
5. Steve Miller Band
6. tie between so many bands
1.Scorpions
2.Pink Floyd
easily without question top 3 bands ever… The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Ramones
Led Zeppelin
Beatles
Rolling Stones
Queen
Doors
Who
(in no particular order)
system of a down
black sabbath
metallica
iron maiden
judas priest
aerosmith
led zepplin
rush
and of course: DRAGONFORCE
they all kick ass… who can put them in any order?
Avenged Sevenfold is definately HARDCORE… and they are also the best…
Avenged Sevenfold
My Chemical Romance
Atreyu
Three Days Grace
people like that are the best!!
Okay… People say Zeppelin the beatles or other good bands…ill give u a top three and reasons…
1. Pink floyd - not hard rock but every song can be listened to and enjoyed… not many bands can say that.
2. Rush - led by the greatest drummer of all time in neil peirt, the most talented musical group of all time falls to number two.
3. Led Zeppelin - Everyone thinks of Stairway to Heaven as the greatest song ever but that is only the last two minutes of it…THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!!!!!!!!
I am with you conner….Nirvana 4 ever
Where is Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers??? They not only write their own songs they have sold over 50 million records!
Led zeppelin is on here wayyyyy too much. Def leppard pwns them, end of story
#1 hawthorne heights
the world will never be the same without casey calvert’s screams!r.i.p case
tool
scorpions
Avenged Sevenfold
My Chemical Romance
Atreyu
flyleaf defitnitly
THE BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND are definately the greatest band ever.
311. No one has a tighter sound.
my favorite bands of all time:
1.) SMASHING PUMPKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2.) arctic monkeys
3.) the shins
4.) death cab for cutie
5.) motion city soundtrack
6.) the killers
7.) cartel
8.) fall out boy
9.) panic @ the disco
10.) the matches
my favorite bands:
SMASHING PUMPKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the shins, arctic monkeys, the killers, motion city soundtrack, the matches, death cab for cutie, cartel, fall out boy, panic at the disco.
Everyone of you who didn’t include Thin Lizzy needs to go listen to some of their songs! Definitly the most kick-butt band to ever walk the planet!
its gotta be zeppelin or sublime
most musicians will tell you that ‘THE WHO’ had a huge influence on their music ,they were/are indeed a cornerstone in what we hear today.
well the top 5 rock bands in the world in my opinion are
1.the beatles *british*
2.rolling stones *british*
3.noir desir *french*
4.the eels *american*
5.tool *american*
the best rock music comes from england
DIO is the best
Modern:
1 Muse
2 Killers
3 Audioslave
4 Strokes
5 U2
6 Linkin Park
7 Vines
8 Hives
9 Switchfoot
10 My Chemical Romance(I do not really like them, I just like Teenages and the beginning of Black Parade
Back Then:
1 Beatles
2 Ramones
3 Tough one, but I have to go with the Clash
4 Sex Pistols
5 Led Zepplin
6 Pink Floyd
7 Who
8 Queen
9 Rolling Stones
10 Nirvana
Hi,
You know why all these rock groups are reuniting? Well I’ll tell you. I am in the music business and they are reuniting because John Lennon has a secret daughter that will be getting her inheritance from Michael Jackson because he has the Beatle catalogue. Lennon fought hard to see this daughter in 1973 but the mother forbid him to. Thats why he was in a depression. Yoko hid this inheritance but now copyrights have come due she must fork it over. The whole music business will celebrate the fact that the daughter and lennon’s wish will come true. The probably will give her salute on tv and join in name of Lennon their rock idol of all time. It is very touching.
Any list that doesn’t include the Foo Fighters isn’t a complete list. This band somehow flies underneath the modern-day radars… with critical reviews saying things like “not catchy enough toons”, etc… How many songs on “Houses of the Holy” would you say were “catchy”? Hardly a criteria for arguably the BEST band of all time - Zeppelin. In ten years, or twenty, the Foos will be recognized for what they are - an ORIGINAL band that can only be compared to themselves - sorta like LZ.
Guns N’ Roses
Slash kicks ass
oh and Kiss
IRON MAIDEN …
is the best band of ALL time!!!!!!!!!!
1.Led Zeppelin
2.Pink Floyd
3.U2
4.Nirvana
5.Bruce Springsteen
1.The Beatles
2.Led Zeppelin
3.The Rolling Stones
The absolute best band of ALL TIME, with the baddest (as in AWESOMEST!) drummer and the coolest lyrics is: TOOL! You just can’t beat Schism or Sober!
1.Nirvana
2.G & R
3.RATM
4.AC/DC
MUSE
30 Seconds to Mars? hahahahaha wowwww
Red Jumpsuit apparatus!
Five Finger Death Punch….\m/
for the following idiots:
1. nirvana sucks
2. panic! at the disco and fall out boy and anything “mondern day..ish” sucks.
3. journey, ac/dc, kiss, metallica, black sabbith and led zep are the best.
4. you’ve just been told off by a 14 yr old….girl.
afi is the best
Well i dunno if they are the best or not who knows lol
But i gotta say my all time FAVOURITE band is HIM.
My list of bands would be-
1. HIM
2. Nightwish
3. Guns n Roses
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Tokio Hotel
6. The 69 Eyes
7. The Rasmus
8. Bon Jovi
9. Cradle Of Filth
10. My Chemical Romance
=] xox
im only putting down a few
1.Beatles
2.Incubus
3.Beck
4.Red Hot Chili Peppers
5.White Stripes
4got sum
fallout boy
led zepplin
Led Zeppelin by far!!! Plant-best voice range of all time, bonham-so good it doesn’t even seem real, john paul jones-amazing bassist and organist, and page-my personal hero, by far best guitarist of all time, along with hendrix.
TRIVIUM ARE AND WILL ALLWAYS BE THE GREATEST
THEN BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
THEN AVEENGED SEVENFOLD
THEN BRING ME THE HORIZON
THEN IRON MAIDEN
blink-182
taking back sunday
red hot chili peppers
the ramones
the beatles are the best no doubt about it.
the Beatlse are kick-ass. freakin awesome. do not defy the Beatles.get their journal and read. they lit a freakin condom on fire! they are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Vanished is the best band EVER………
These “greatest” lists are ridiculous. There’s no such thing. Just look at the artists listed. Each one based on their own favorites, whatever their age or personal taste. No way in hell can you compare Elvis to Led Zeppelin to the Foo Fighters. Totally separate, distinctive styles. The same goes for the Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Each generation has their “greatest”; be it 1958 or 2008. Can you compare the guitar of Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix? No. The voice of Brad Delp to say, Mick Jagger? Who gives a damn who’s greatest, just as long as there’s great new music to be heard.
For Me
1. IRON MAIDEN (definatly)
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Metallica
4. Rush
5. Taking Back Sunday
6. Deep Purple
7. Boston
8. Black Sabbath
9. The Who
10. 30 Seconds To Mars