Public Image LTD　

Public Image Ltd. (PiL) were originally a quartet led by singer John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten, born January 31, 1956) and guitarist Keith Levene, who had been a member of the Cla ..more

THE DAMNED　

With punk’s history having entered a new millennium, the impact of the band initially judged the least likely to seems to grow ever more each day. The Ramones hold deserved pride of place for kic ..more

Smashing Pumpkins　

Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early ’90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fas ..more

The Jam　

The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the most impact ..more

NOFX　

Formed in Berkeley, California, in 1983 and relocating to Los Angeles not long afterwards, NOFX steered clear of major labels and commercial exposure over the course of their career, recording an i ..more

Sonic Youth　

Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the ’80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Husker Du were fairly conventional in terms of song structu ..more

Jack Johnson　

Before Jack Johnson became the 21st century kingpin of beachside pop/rock, he was a champion surfer on the professional circuit. The sport was second nature to the Hawaiian native, who began chasin ..more

Steven Wilson　

DEVO　

One of new wave’s most innovative and (for a time) successful bands, Devo was also perhaps one of its most misunderstood. Formed in Akron, Ohio, in 1972 by Kent State art students Jerry Casale a ..more

Rage Against The Machine　

Rage Against the Machine earned acclaim from disenfranchised fans (and not insignificant derision from critics) for their bombastic, fiercely polemical music, which brewed sloganeering leftist rant ..more

Pixies　

Combining jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwining male-female harmonies, and evocative, cryptic lyrics, the Pixies were one of the most influential Amer ..more

Madness　

Along with the Specials, Madness were one of the leading bands of the ska revival of the late ’70s and early ’80s. As their career progressed, Madness branched away from their trademark nutt ..more

Joy Division　

Formed in the wake of the punk explosion in England, Joy Division became the first band in the post-punk movement by later emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing a ..more

Melvins　

The Melvins were the first post-punk band to revel in the slow, sludgy sounds of Black Sabbath, picking up where Black Flag left off with My War. Their music is oppressively slow and heavy ..more

Dinosaur Jr.　

Dinosaur Jr. were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-’80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guit ..more

Japan　

Erasure　

Following the disbandment of the short-lived synth pop group Yazoo, former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke formed Erasure in 1985 with singer Andy Bell. Like Yaz and Depeche Mode ..more

A Certain Ratio　

A Certain Ratio were key to their native Manchester scene and consequently post-punk. The band debuted near the end of the ’70s with a single as astringent as anything else out at the time, then se ..more

Ultravox　

Rejecting the abrasive guitars of their punk-era contemporaries in favor of lushly romantic synthesizers, Ultravox emerged as one of the primary influences on the British electro-pop movement of th ..more

Incubus　

Incubus became one of the most popular alt-metal bands of the new millennium, setting themselves apart from a crowded field with a tireless touring ethic and a broad musical palette. Formed in 1991 ..more