Most influential rock bands of all time?

What do you guys think are the most influential rock bands out there? I'd love to hear your takes.

Honestly, I bet this thread gets locked pretty soon.👍

But since you asked, my favorites are Green Day, Jonas Brothers, Linkin Park, Blink-182, Simple Plan, and Tokio Hotel.

Honestly, I don't think you're catching my drift at all. You really think Green Day influenced bands like Linkin Park?? Or Tokio Hotel???😕 ...

In my estimation, Rage Against the Machine stands out as undeniably one of the most influential rock bands of the more recent, modern era.

The Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Dylan, Elvis—and let’s not forget how much Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Elvis himself shaped those 60s icons—they all seem to have this universal, untouchable influence. Then you look at the 70s, where you see bands heavily inspired by that 60s era, which in turn paved the way for the evolution of hard rock and metal through acts like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, Uriah Heep, and Lynyrd Skynyrd...

gg allin & the jabbers

Mark Cook said:Which bands actually took a page out of Green Day's book??

The Angelika Film Center

goldentrucker11 said:at The Angelika Film Center

Man.😂

Some old school punk bands and maybe some classic rock.😍

Just kidding—it would definitely be Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and stuff like that.

The classics: The Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin.

Then you've got The Velvet Underground, the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash.

As for those who might actually make an impact... maybe Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, or Lady Gaga... -.-

Depeche Mode 😁

Morgan Brown4 said:If you ask me, this thread isn't going to last very long before they shut it down.👍

Look, since you’re asking, I’ll give you my take on Green Day, the Jonas Brothers, Linkin Park, Blink-182, Simple Plan, and Tokio Hotel.

If people like you keep posting this kind of "expert" nonsense, they’re going to end up behind bars. 😂 That actually cracked me up.

Since you're actually asking—you've got The Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Can on the list.

Man, you can't go wrong with Sabbath, Maiden, the Ramones, and the Clash!!
🙂
🤣

Jack Morgan2 said:You've got legends like The Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Dylan, and Elvis—plus the 60s icons who paved the way like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly—who just feel universally influential. Then you move into the 70s with bands shaped by that 60s sound that ended up driving the evolution of hard rock and metal, think Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, Uriah Heep, or Lizzy...

Exactly what I was looking for. 😁

Nickelback, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Guns N' Roses

Alright, I’m actually going to get serious for a second here

The Velvet Underground
Talk Talk
The Clash
Uncle Tupelo
Joy Division
Fugazi
And just like that, I’ve started listing all these non-rock bands—but hey, you’re only looking for pure rock, so I guess I’m already getting ahead of myself!

Morgan Brown4 said:Honestly, if you ask me, this whole thread is probably going to get shut down before we even have a chance to finish our coffee.👍

Honestly, if you ask me, we’re finally going to see a massive wave of bans coming down the hammer for all those people who spend their entire lives just trolling everyone. 🥳

So, if we’re going to expand this list—and I think we really should, especially if we're pivoting toward the heavier side of things like hard rock and metal—here is what I’d add to the mix:
It’s actually wild that nobody has even brought up Jimi Hendrix yet. 😕You know, I was sitting around thinking about how much music history actually matters when you look at the lineage of certain sounds. You’ve got the foundational stuff like The Yardbirds, which basically set the stage for everything else, then you move into that heavy, psychedelic power trio energy with Cream, and suddenly you’re looking at the sheer, unadulterated chaos and brilliance of The Who. It’s such a massive leap from the surf-pop perfection of The Beach Boys to that kind of raw, stadium-filling rock. It makes you wonder if we'll ever see that kind of evolution again, or if we're just stuck recycling the same three chords forever.
Man, just thinking about that lineup... it’s like looking at a heavy-hitting roster of absolute legends. You’ve got Rush and King Crimson bringing that complex, brainy prog energy, then you pivot hard into the pure, unadulterated power of AC/DC and Judas Priest, and suddenly you're sliding right into the high-octane shredding of Van Halen before landing perfectly in the sheer, transformative brilliance of David Bowie. It’s a wild ride through different eras and styles, honestly.
Man, if you’re looking at that lineup—Def Leppard, R.E.M., The Pixies, and The Cult—you aren't just listening to music; you're basically taking a high-speed tour through every single corner of the alternative and rock spectrum. It's like being handed a playlist that can't decide if it wants to be a massive stadium anthem, a moody college radio staple, or some gritty, underground indie masterpiece. You've got the polished, heavy-hitting production of Def Leppard hitting you one second, and then suddenly you're pivoting into that kind of jangly, soulful intellectualism you get from R.E.M. It’s a total whiplash experience, honestly. One minute you're ready to air-guitar in a parking lot, and the next you're staring out a rainy window in Seattle feeling deeply introspective. Toss in the raw, jagged edges of The Pixies and that dark, driving energy from The Cult, and you've basically got the ultimate sonic roller coaster. It's all over the place, but somehow, it just works.

feraltrucker5 said:-60 bucks: Jimi Hendrix (can you believe nobody has brought him up yet? 😕)

😁

I'm so glad you brought up R.E.M. 🙂—they are seriously underrated around here! :/
And then you've got Pavement 😍, who feel so similar to them yet totally unique at the same time...

The Fall, The Stone Roses ☕

driftingbear29 said:Depeche Mode 😁

That's the truth, even in the rock scene.

The impact of Krautrock bands like Can and Faust was massive—honestly, they likely had a deeper influence than most British or American groups from the 60s and 70s.

Just take a look at the influences on Can here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_(band)#Influence

The '60s: You've got the Velvet Underground and The Beatles—I mean, talk about legends, they basically rewrote the rulebook for everyone else—plus Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin
The '70s: Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and King Crimson
The '80s: The Smiths, The Cure, and The Pixies—who, honestly, just blended everything together so perfectly that they became one of the most vital acts of the decade, if not the whole damn century. Then you have The Stone Roses, who, alongside Happy Mondays and La's, really started laying the groundwork for what would eventually turn into Britpop, plus Melvins
The '90s: La's, who managed to shake up the entire scene with just a single album, and then of course there's Oasis