Famous Rock Bands from the 80s

Long hair, makeup, ripped clothes, punk attitude, girls and for many, endless drugs were what made up the life of the rockstar. The 80s was the decade of the Young Generation X, the age of the rebellion against their parents, rules and the laws of society. Rock n’ Roll was an escape from the real world, a time to be free of the confines of everyday life. For millions of young fans, they clung to this music as a way to be free and away from their parents. Women wore heavy makeup, jewelry and soaked their hair in Aqua Net while the guys loved being bad boys with their mullets, leather jackets and Nike sneakers. There would never be another time where the rockstar life was more popular.

To simply name all the rock bands that gave life to the golden age of rock would be nearly impossible; there are way too many to count. But the legends, and of course my favorites that shaped this decade and made it into one of the in the history of man will be making the list. This is not in any order of importance as everyone has their own opinion of who is the best. But if I missed any along with their story, please don’t hesitate to mention in the comments section below!

1. Billy Idol

For those of you who stay updated on my posts, you probably know by now that Billy Idol is simply the best rockstar in my book. Apart from his looks, his upbringing in rock n’ roll is very typical of the rebellious teenager – bad grades with a passion for music, specifically rock and roll. According to his autobiography, Dancing with Myself, his chemistry teacher said that “Billy is Idle” in the margin of his paper and it stuck with him. His spiky white hair also came from a mistake by his hair stylist; when he went to get it colored, she accidentally used bleach instead of coloring. After a negative reaction from one of his bandmates, he decided to keep it!

As for Billy’s music, “Rebel Yell” and “White Wedding” remain his top two songs to date. Apart from their upbeat rhythm, “Rebel Yell” literally has the name of what the young Gen X felt at the  time in the title of the song. They simply identified with it. As for “White Wedding”, the song was dedicated to his younger sister just before she got married. If you ask me, it sounded a bit intimidating to her husband, especially hearing this from his new wife’s brother.

2. Van Halen

Van Halen will always make the top of my list when it comes to the 80s rockstars. While they did come together in 1974 and released their first best-selling album in 1978, they were considered to be one of the most successful rock acts of the early 80s. With 1984 being their highest grossing album with over 10 million copies sold just in the U.S., “Jump” was their top single.

Sadly in 1985, David Lee Roth chose to leave the band to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Sammy Hagar, who used to be the lead vocalist of Montrose. With Hagar, they released four more No. 1, multi-platinum albums over 11 years, including 5150 in 1986, OU812 in 1988, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in 1991 and Balance in 1995. In 1996, Hagar left and was replaced by Gary Cherone before they released Van Valen III that was largely unsuccessful. It wasn’t until 2006 when Roth came back, but their bassist Michael Anthony was already replaced by Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen. They released their final studio album in 2012 called A Different Kind of Truth which was both commercially and critically successful as well as their only album to feature Wolfgang.

3. Bon Jovi

With “Livin’ On a Prayer”, “Wanted Dead or Alive” or “You Give Love a Bad Name”, Bon Jovi has to make the top of the list. Bon Jovi’s first big hit was “Runaway” after visiting his local radio station WAPP 103.5 FM “The Big Apple” in Lake Success, NY to write and sing songs for the station. At first he was shy and didn’t want to release it, but after he was convinced by his boss, it didn’t take long before word got out and he was a rockstar.

In 1983, he formed his band Bon Jovi with himself as lead singer, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torrest, guitarist Phil X and bassist Hugh McDonald. They released their first two albums and debut single “Runaway” which managed to make the Top 40. In 1986, they became worldly successful with their third album, Slippery When Wet, which sold over 20 million copies and contained three Top 10 singles and two that hit No. 1: “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”. Their fourth album, called New Jersey, was released in 1988 and was also a big success, selling over 10 million copies with five Top 10 singles, two of which reached No. 1: “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You”.

with 16 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums, Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling rock bands. They also performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for over 34 million fans. How about that for a rockstar?

4. Def Leppard

Another 80s top favorite, Def Leppard is another band that reached its peak success during the 80s before things got boring during the 90s. Forming in 1977 in Sheffield, England, the band started out with Joe Elliot on lead vocals, Rick Savage on bass, Rick Allen on drums, and both Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell on guitar. They were known as the new wave of British heavy metal movement of the early 90s.

Their first album, On Through the Night, was released in 1980 which reached the Top 15 in the UK, but nowhere else. The second album released in 1981, High ’n’ Dry, was produced by Mutt Lange, who helped them define themselves as a melodic hard rock band. The album’s biggest hit was “Bringing’ On the Heartbreak” whose music video was also one of the first rock videos that played on MTV in 1982. Although the album itself only reached the Top 30 and 40 in the UK and US.

Their next album was Pyromania which was released in January 1983 with “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages” both topping the US Rock Tracks chart and reaching the Top 20 of the Hot 100. It reached No. 2 on the US album chart, was certified Diamond in the US and 7x platinum in Canada and reached the Top 20 in the UK.

Their fourth album, Hysteria, was released in 1987 and was more pop-oriented, which topped the UK, US, New Zealand, Canadian, Australian and Norway charts. This was when Def Leppard became known as one of the world’s best-selling music artists, selling over 100 million records worldwide.

5. Mötley Crüe

Is it bad to say that what I love most about this band is how insane they were? I mean they were known for their psychotic lifestyles and extreme performances. It blended well with their style of hard rock music, using flamethrower guitars, roller coaster drum kits and use of pyrotechnics. They even lit Sixx on fire!

Much of this was learned after watching The Dirt on Netflix that was based on their New York Times best-selling autobiography. With millions of dollars made each year, they blew through it just as quickly with the amount of damage they caused at hotels and venues, most of which to blame was drugs.

In fact, the song “Kickstart My Heart” was referring to Sixx’s overdose after he was saved by a paramedic after several injections of adrenaline. Their debut album, Too Fast For Love, was supposedly recorded in just three days while all the band members were drunk. They would urinate in public and their bedroom floors, throw beds and furniture out of hotel windows. Nikki Sixx was also arrested for the first time while selling “chocolate” mescaline at a Rolling Stones concert in 1973. 

But despite these antics, they became widely successful through the States after playing at the US Festival in September 1983 as well as having their videos air on MTV. Their second album, Shout at the Devil, was also released in September 1983 and represented their mainstream breakthrough, eventually becoming certified as a 4x platinum album.

6. Guns N’ Roses

While Guns N’ Roses isn’t exactly my all-time favorite band, they are one of the most successful bands of the 80s. Their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released in 1987 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 one year later. The songs “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” were the only ones to reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But the album sold about 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million in the US alone, making it the country’s best-selling debut album and eleventh best-selling album. 

Their next studio album, G N’ R Lies, was released in 1988 and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold 10 million copies around the world with the single “Patience” reaching the top 5. 

The following albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, were recorded at the same time and released in 1991, debuting at number two and one on the Billboard 200 and selling a combined 35 million copies worldwide. The albums included the lead single “You Could Be Mine”, covers of “Live and Let Die” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” as well as a trilogy of ballads that included “Don’t Cry”, “November Rain” and “Estranged”, which had high budgets for the music videos. 

Their last studio album The Spaghetti Incident was their last to feature Slash and McKagan in 1993 before their first departure.

7. Journey

Some might argue that Journey is more popish than rock because of their heavy use of keyboard in their songs. But they’ve incorporated a wide variety of styles into their music, which makes them one of the more diverse bands in my opinion. This of course could also be the result of the everchanging band members. In fact, Journey is still together to this day in 2022, but the only member who remained loyal throughout all the years is guitarist Neal Schon.

Sadly, their golden years were between 1978 and 1987 when Steve Perry was lead vocalist, with “Don’t Stop Believin” (1981) as their best song, which also became the top-selling track in iTunes history of songs not released in the 21st century in 2009.

Journey’s most successful album was Escape, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and yielded another of their most popular singles. But their next and eighth album was Frontiers, which is my personal favorite because of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” of course, but it gave them more exposure in the UK, where it reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. Although if you ask me, their music video wasn’t too hot. Steve Perry was actually ashamed of it, saying that “we’re musicians, not actors”. But whenever I hear this song, I always think of Jim Carrey riding that crotch rocket down the street in nothing but a hospital gown with his butt showing in the movie Yes Man. Such a good movie!

Sadly, the departure of Steve Perry led to the end of Journey’s most successful time, despite the success it has today.

8. Skid Row

If you were around during the 80s, you definitely have heard of Skid Row. while much of their success was during the late 90s, they formed in 1986 in Toms River, NJ with bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill, drummer Rob Hammersmith and vocalist ZP Theart. Their first two albums, Skid Row (1989) and Slave to the Grind (1991) were most popular and certified multi-platinum, the latter of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. 

Top hits like “18 and Life” and “I Remember You” had peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as other singles like:

• Youth Gone Wild
• Monkey Business
• Slave to the Grind
• Wasted Time
• In a Darkened Room

While they had a great start upon the release of their first two albums, it only went down from there. Their third album Subhuman Race (1995) was critically acclaimed, although it didn’t get the same response from their fans as their first two albums. This was most likely because some band members had left and were replaced, including Hammersmith on the drums and ZP Theart as the vocalist.

After selling 20 million albums worldwide at the end of 1996, rising tensions amongst the bandmates led to the departures of Bach and Affuso at the end of a three-year break.

Despite these comings and goings, the band is still together today and was expected to release their sixth studio album around this time of March 2022, but they don’t have a website and there is no news of its new name. But hopefully the rumors will be confirmed soon!

9. AC/DC

Not one of my particularly favorite bands, but AC/DC does make up a big part of the 80s. The group started in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by only Malcolm and Angus Young. They’ve been described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal amongst their fans, but they just like to refer to themselves a rock and roll.

They released their first album in 1975 called High Voltage with singer Bon Scott, drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Mark Evans, just before he was fired and replaced by Cliff Williams, who has appeared on every album since their 1978 album Powerage. 

Sadly, singer Bon Scott had died of alcohol poisoning after the release of their breakthrough album Highway to Hell. The group decided to disband but still stay together, hiring on Brian Johnson as Scott’s replacement, where they came out with Back in Black later that year, which was dedicated to Scott’s memory. This later become one of the bestselling albums of all time and would lead the band to worldwide success.

AC/DC’s eighth studio album released in 1981, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach No. 1 in the US. Before the release of their following album, Flick of the Switch in 1983, Rudd left the band and was replaced by Simon Wright who was then also replaced by Chris Slade in 1989, who contributed to their next five albums. But it wasn’t long before Rudd returned in 1994 replacing Slade and contributed to the making of their fifteenth studio album Black Ice, their second bestselling album of 2008 and their biggest hit since For Those About to Rock, which reached No. 1 worldwide.

Sadly, the lineup remained the same until 2014 when Malcolm Young was forced to take an early retirement due to dementia from which he passed in 2017. Although Angus is 66 years young and still going strong after the release of his new album Power Up with him, Stevie Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams and Phill Rudd.

10. Aerosmith

Although rank doesn’t matter here, I still think of Aerosmith as number 10 because they weren’t just popular during the 80s. They’ve been widely successful since the 70s until today! They are one of the world’s most successful rock bands, but I wouldn’t say they reached the height of their success in the 80s.

Aerosmith formed in Boston in 1970 with Steven Tyler on lead vocals, Joe Perry on the guitar, Tom Hamilton on the bass, Joey Kramer on drums and Brad Whitford on guitar. They’re considered to be more of a blues-based hard rock band with some mixed elements of pop rock, heavy metal, glam metal and rhythm and blues. They’ve also inspired many up-and-coming bands at the time, often referred to as “the Bad Boys from Boston” and “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”. Tyler and Perry are also known as the “Toxic Twins” for their songwriting abilities.

Aerosmith’s best year during the 80s was 1987 when they released their multi-platinum album Permanent Vacation which regained them their previous level of popularity. They went on to win numerous awards for music for each of their multi-platinums albums including Pump (1989), Get a Grip (1993) and Nine Lives (1997) as they went on their most extensive concert tours. Some of their biggest songs from this time included:

• “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”
• “Angel”
• “Rag Doll”
• “Love in an Elevator”
• “Janie’s Got a Gun”
• “What it Takes”
• “Livin’ on the Edge”
• “Cryin’”
• “Crazy”

In addition to their popular hits, they also released some widely successful music videos and made a number of guest appearances on TV shows, movies and video games. 

11. Tears for Fears

Even though the order doesn’t count, I only think of Tears for Fears as number 11 because of their pop twist. Considering “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, “Shout”, “Woman in Chains” and so many more songs, it’s hard to make the distinction between rock and pop here. But because of their rock mix, they still make my list.

Tears for Fears was part of the new wave of synthesizer bands that formed in the early 80s that gained worldwide success. They were also part of the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, which included various musicians from the UK that became popular in the US. They’re also responsible for bringing the synth pop wave to the US Charts. Although eventually this was replaced by glam metal and dance music.

Tears for Fears debut album was The Hurting, which was released in 1983 and immediately reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. Their second album was released in 1985, called Songs from the Big Chair, and was my personal favorite album because of “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to rule the World”, the latter of which won the Brit Award for Best British Single in 1986. The album also reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and multi-platinum status in both the UK and US.

Following the release of their platinum-selling third album The Seeds of Love in 1989, Smith and Orzabal decided to unexpectedly split in 1991. Orzabal kept the Tears for Fears name and worked on it as a solo project, releasing the albums Elemental (1993) and Raoul and the Kings of Spain (1995). But thankfully he reunited with Smith in 2000 and released the album Everbody Loves a Happy Ending in 2004.

Since then, they’ve been touring on a semi-regular basis. Their most current album, The Tipping Point, was released in February 2022, which took over a decade to complete. Although it was their sixth UK Top 5 album and their highest chart peak in 30 years, reaching the top 10 in other countries, including the US. 

12. Queen

I more so think of Queen as a 70s rock band, but they were surely popular during the 80s. They also transitioned to pop-rock at this time, however, it made them one of the most popular bands in the world at the time. 

During the early 80s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. “Another One Bites the Dust” from their 1980 album The Game was their best-selling single while their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the UK and is certified 9x platinum in the US. 

One of Queen’s biggest accomplishments during the 80s was their performance at Live Aid on July 13, 1985, considered to be one of the greatest live concerts ever staged. They were accompanied by Sting, U2, Dire Straits, The Who, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Elton John and George Michael.  The concert was aimed to benefit the Ethiopian famine relief with an attendance of 72,000 fans and 1.9 million viewers on TV from 130 countries from around the world. Elton John even joked to them, “You bastards, you stole the show.” The Live Aid organizer also commented “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day…They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full.”

But in August 1986, Freddie Mercury (lead vocalist) gave his last performance at Knebworth, England before passing away in 1991 from bronchopneumonia – a complication of AIDS.

Deacon (bass) had also retired in 1997. Now, Queen continues to tour under the name “Queen +” with pop star Adam Lamber and Paul Rodgers.

13. U2

U2 is another great band that rose to fame during the 80s. They started in the post-punk era, but their quality of music has grown through Bono’s (guitar and lead vocalist) expressive vocals and the Edge’s (lead guitar, keyboard and backing vocals) effects-based guitar sounds.

They’ve been most successful during their live performances, with some of the most elaborate and ambitious tours the world has seen.

Their debut album was Boy, released in 1980, followed by their first UK No. 1 album, War (1983). But it was their singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” that helped to establish their reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. 

By the mid-1980s, they had established themselves globally from their live acts, most specifically during the Live Aid concert in 1985. Their fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987) had launched them in to super stardom and was their greatest critical and commercial success. As it topped music charts around the world, it also included their only No. 1 singles in the US to date: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.

Unfortunately, their 1988 album, Rattle and Hum, received much backlash which had tarnished their reputation, until they reinvented themselves as more ironic and frivolous during the 1990s, influenced by alternative rock, EDM and industrial music.

14. The Police

Another great English rock band from the 80s, The Police had a number of amazing songs, including “Every Breath You Take”, “Roxanne”, Message In a Bottle” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”. Formed in 1977, it didn’t take long until they made their global presence during the late 70s and early 80s. They were part of the British new wave scene, playing a style of rock that was largely influenced by punk, reggae and jazz.

Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d’Amour, immediately reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, thanks to their singles “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You”. Their second album, Regatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia, with their first two singles “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon” hitting No. 1 UK’s top charts.

The Police continued to grow with the release of their next two albums, Kenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981) with their singles “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”. These hit the UK No. 1 singles and Top 5 hits in various other countries, and Ghost in the Machine with “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” were their breakthrough into the US as both reached the Top 3 charts there.

Their last studio album, Synchronicity (1983), hit No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, and the US, selling 8 million copies in the US. The lead single “Every Breath You Take,” became their fifth UK No. 1 and only US No. 1, which led them to be one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US. Rolling Stone also labeled them as “the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world.”

But as all good things must come to an end, The Police disbanded in 1986 for a long while before reuniting once more in 2007 for one year-long world tour, which dubbed them the world’s highest-earning musicians in 2008. With over 75 million records sold around the world, they are considered to be one of the best-selling bands of all time.

15. Dire Straits

Of course, I could never leave out Dire Straits, one of the more bluesy rock and later hard rock bands of the 80s. They were also influenced by country, folk and jazz music, creating a mix of roots rock that emerged from pub rock. Their top songs include:

• “Sultans of Swing” (1978)
• “Romeo and Juliet” (1981)
• “Private Investigations” (1982)”
• “Twisting by the Pool” (1983)
• “Money for Nothing” (1985)
• “Walk of Life” (1985)

My absolute favorite song from Dire Straits is “Money for Nothing (I Want My MTV)” with which I was obsessed when I first heard it, playing it over and over when walking my dog after work. So by no surprise, their Brothers in Arms (1985) album, which includes “Money for Nothing,” sold over 30 million copies of both records and CDs and is the eighth best-selling album in UK history. Guinness Book of British Hit Albums also claims that Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart, the fifth most of all time. They also performed at Live Aid in 1985.

Dire Straits continued until 1988 when David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals) told Rolling Stone, “A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There’s not an accent on the music, there’s an accent on popularity. I needed a rest”. It surely isn’t easy being an international rockstar – there’s a lot of pressure!

They did get together once more from 1990-1995, which included their final world tour from 1991-92, selling 7.1 million tickets. They are also considered to be one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with over 120 million albums sold worldwide.

16. Whitesnake

After leaving the band Deep Purple to form Whitesnake, David Coverdale created one of the best British blues rock bands of all time. While they have been criticized for the heavy use of love and sex in their lyrics and innuendos, it’s a rock band – what do they expect? With success in the UK, Europe and Japan during their early years, their albums Ready an’ Willing, Come an’ Get It and Saints & Sinners all reached the Top 10 on the UK Albums Chart.

During the mid 1980s, Coverdale became focused on making a breakthrough in North America, where Whitesnake was still widely unknown. This led to their release of their eponymous, most successful album to date, which sold over eight million copies in the US and included “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love”. They also adopted more of a contemporary look, similar to the Los Angeles glam metal scene. But sadly, all this came to an end in 1989 after their release of Slip of the Tongue when Coverdale decided to put Whitesnake on hold.

The band remained mostly inactive until 2003, when Coverdale put together a new lineup to celebrate the band’s 15th anniversary. Since then, they released four more studio albums and went on various world tours.

While they haven’t won any major awards, Whitesnake has been nominated for several awards throughout their career, including Best British Group at the 1988 Brit Awards. They were also featured on lists of the greatest hard rock bands of all time by several media groups as well as had songs and albums that appeared on many “best of” lists by VH1 and Rolling Stone.

More 1980s Bands

Like I said, there are simply way too many 80s bands to even count. To go on and include just their major albums and accomplishments would take forever. But here’s a list of more popular 80s bands you’ll definitely want to check out:

• Duran Duran
• R.E.M.
• Poison
• The Cure
• The Smiths
• The Bangles
• Heart
• Iron Maiden
• Culture Club
• Huey Lewis and the News
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• The Pretenders
• REO Speedwagon
• Beastie Boys
• Depeche Mode
• New Order
• Men At Work
• Talking Heads
• The B-52’s
• David Bowie
• The Cars
• Kenny Logins
• Loverboy

Which are Your Favorite 1980s Rock Bands?

Surely everyone has at least one favorite 1980s rock band. If you don’t, you just haven’t found yours yet. But if you have, I’d love to hear it/them in the comments below! If you saw them in concert, met them in person or had a special moment that relates to them, feel free to add some pictures as well. We’d love to see!