What are some 80's music bands?

What were/are the bands that defined the music of the 80s?

  • Breakdowns based on genres would be great. I'm looking more for bands with consistently great music than one-hit wonders. Related:

  • Answer:

    Here are the main categories of 80's music as I remember them (with a special thanks to for suggesting some good edits): New Wave i.e. Blondie, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, Madness, English Beat, The Cure, Human League, The Knack, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Yazoo, Thompson Twins, Echo and the Bunnymen, Erasure, Howard Jones Hair Metal ie. Bon Jovi, Poison, Def Leppard Heavy Metal ie. Metallica, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament RnB SynthPop ie. Michael Jackson, Prince, DeBarge, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, Chaka Khan 80's Rap ie. LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Run-DMC, NWA, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Afrika Bambaataa 80's Alternative ie. The Smiths, U2, New Order, Depeche Mode College Rock, Jangle-Pop ie. REM, B-52's, Crowded House Americana Rock ie. Bruce Springsteen, John Cougar Mellencamp Pop ie. Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Tears for Fears, the Go-Go's, David Bowie Rock ie. The Police, Men At Work, Heart, Psychedelic Furs 80's Punk ie. Black Flag, Minutemen, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Social Distortion

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Given that the NY Times declared country music "dead" in the 1980s, music acts during that decade had very different roles. In the early 1980s, defining bands would include the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama. In the late 1980s, you had the emergence of such performers as Randy Travis, Clint Black and Garth Brooks.

Matthew Daneman

They brought back the badass hard rock from the jaws of glam. And how.

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Punk - Bad Religion Pop - Depeche Mode Rock - U2 Rockabilly - Stray Cats Garage Punk - The Cramps Hard Rock - Scorpions

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