Criteria: These Alternative Music Artists are ranked by their influence, impact, and popularity. List includes alternative rock, post-punk and new wave artists, as well as artists in the various alternative sub-genres (including - but not limited to - Britpop, post-grunge, shoegazing, Lo-fi, emo, indie folk, alternative dance, goth rock, dream pop, neo-psychdelia, Christian alternative rock, alternative metal, trip-hop, and more).
Edited by forum members: Tim, Bones, Ryan
Last Updated: 2017-11-14
Greatest Alternative Rock Sub-genre Artists
Jangle Pop 1. R.E.M. 2. Smiths 3. Go-Betweens 4. Feelies 5. Felt 6. Soft Boys 7. Teenage Fanclub 8. The dB's 9. Let's Active 10. Church
Alt Dance / Dance Punk / Indietronica 1. New Order 2. Depeche Mode 3. Björk 4. Primal Scream 5. Happy Mondays 6. LCD Soundsystem 7. MIA 8. Big Audio Dynamite 9. Saint Etienne 10. Stereo MCs
R.E.M.
Faith No More
Cocteau Twins
Pavement
Elliot Smith
Sonic Youth
Alternative Metal 1. Rage Against the Machine 2. Alice in Chains 3. Soundgarden 4. Faith No More 5. Tool 6. Korn 7. System of a Down 8. Deftones 9. Primus 10. Helmet
Britpop 1. Oasis 2. Blur 3. Pulp 4. Suede 5. Manic Street Preachers 6. The Verve 7. Supergrass 8. Ash 9. Ocean Color Scene 10. Elastica
Dream Pop 1. Cocteau Twins 2. Slowdive 3. This Mortal Coil 4. Church 5. My Bloody Valentine 6. Mazzy Star 7. Ride 8. Beach House 9. Galaxie 500 10. The Sundays
Goth Rock 1. The Cure 2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 3. Siouxsie and the Banshees 4. Bauhaus 5. Sisters of Mercy 6. Peter Murphy 7. The Mission 8. Fields of the Nephilim 9. Chelsea Wolfe 10. Clan of Xymox
Lo-fi 1. Beck 2. Pavement 3. Guided By Voices 4. Liz Phair 5. Modest Mouse 6. Elliot Smith 7. Beat Happening 8. Ween 9. Dan Johnston 10. The Mountain Goats
Neo-Psychdelia 1. Flaming Lips 2. Echo and the Bunnymen 3. Soft Boys/Robyn Hitchcock 4. Animal Collective 5. Julian Cope/Teardrop Explodes 6. Spiritualized 7. Mercury Rev 8. The Verve 9. Spacemen 3 10. Tame Impala
Indie Folk 1. Elliot Smith 2. Neutral Milk Hotel 3. Sufjan Stevens 4. Will Oldham / Bonnie 'Prince' Billy 5. Mountain Goats 6. Bright Eyes 7. Fleet Foxes 8. Microphones 9. Bon Iver 10. Iron and Wine
Slowcore 1. Red House Painters 2. Low 3. Galaxie 500 4. American Music Club 5. Cat Power 6. Smog 7. Lisa Germano 8. Codeine 9. Matt Elliot 10. Sun Kil Moon
Noise Rock 1. Sonic Youth 2. Dinosaur Jr 3. Birthday Party 4. Butthole Surfers 5. Big Black 6. Swans 7. Jesus Lizard 8. Boredoms 9. Glenn Branca 10. Boris
Post-Grunge 1. Foo Fighters 2. Nickelback 3. Matchbox Twenty 4. Live 5. Creed 6. Collective Soul 7. 3 Doors Down 8. Bush 9. Candlebox 10. Alanis Morissette
Post Punk 1. Joy Division 2. Talking Heads 3. The Cure 4. Siouxsie and the Banshees 5. Gang of Four 6. Pere Ubu 7. Echo and the Bunnymen 8. Public Image Ltd. 9. Wire 10. The Fall
Post-Rock 1. Talk Talk 2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor 3. Sigur Rós 4. Slint 5. Mogwai 6. Tortoise 7. Bark Psychosis 8. Explosions in the Sky 9. Do Make Say Think 10. A Silver Mt. Zion
Christian Alternative Rock 1. Daniel Amos 2. Steve Taylor 3. The 77's 4. The Choir 5. Adam Again 6. Jars of Clay 7. Starflyer 59 8. Leslie Phillips 9. Relient K 10. Switchfoot
Emo 1. Sunny Day Real Estate 2. Rites of Spring 3. Brand New 4. Cap'n Jazz 5. Jimmy Eat World 6. Jawbreaker 7. The Get Up Kids 8. The Promise Ring 9. American Football 10. Dashboard Confessional
Math Rock 1. Slint 2. Drive Like Jehu 3. Shellac 4. Battles 5. Don Caballero 6. Foals 7. 65daysofstatic 8. Minus the Bears 9. Polvo 10. Chavez
Post-Hardcore 1. Fugazi 2. Hüsker Dü 3. Minutemen 4. At The Drive-In 5. Big Black 6. Refused 7. Jesus Lizard 8. Jawbox 9. Unwound 10. NoMeansNo
Post Punk Revival 1. Interpol 2. The National 3. Franz Ferdinand 4. The Walkmen 5. British Sea Power 6. Les Savy Fav 7. Bloc Party 8. The Rapture 9. Editors 10. The Sounds
Garage Rock Revival 1. The White Stripes 2. The Strokes 3. Franz Ferdinand 4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 5. Arctic Monkeys 6. The Libertines 7. The Black Keys 8. The Fuzztones 9. Kings of Leon 10. The Hives
Noise Pop 1. The Jesus and Mary Chain 2. My Bloody Valentine 3. Yo La Tengo 4. Stereolab 5. Swirlies 6. Quickspace 7. The Raveonettes 8. Superchunk 9. Medicine 10. Deerhoof
Chamber Pop 1. Belle and Sebastian 2. Arcade Fire 3. Sufjan Stevens 4. Tindersticks 5. The Decemberists 6. Anthony and the Johnsons 7. Rufus Wainwright 8. The Divine Comedy 9. The National 10. Lambchop
Sophisti-Pop 1. Prefab Sprout 2. Sade 3. The Blue Nile 4. Everything but the Girl 5. Level 42 6. Aztec Camera 7. Scritti Politti 8. Bryan Ferry 9. Swing Out Sister 10. Matt Bianco
