List of hard rock bands, sorted by date - oldest first (all time)

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band.

MC5 was an American rock band from Lincoln Park, Michigan, formed in 1964. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thomps...

The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They sold over 100 million records world...

Scorpions are a German rock band founded in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker.

Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-sellin...

Buffalo Springfield was an American-Canadian rock band formed in 1966 whose members included Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer, Jim Messina, Ken Koblun, and Jim Fielder...

Jethro Tull were a British rock group, formed in Luton, Bedfordshire, in December 1967. The band was led by vocalist/flautist/guitarist Ian Anderson, and have included other significant members such as guitarist Martin Barre, keyb...

The Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, are an American proto-punk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003. The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i...

Santana is a Latin rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1967 by Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana.

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968.

Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee; guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Lifeson; and dr...

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band that was formed in 1969.

ZZ Top is an American rock band that formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band comprises guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons (the band's leader, main lyricist, and musical arranger), bassist and co-lead vocalist Dusty Hill,...

Grand Funk Railroad (also known as Grand Funk) is an American blues rock band.

Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist and vocalist Phil Lynott, met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them...

Aerosmith is an American rock band. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with vocalist/pianist/harmonicist St...

New York Dolls are an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1971.

Van Halen is an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band comprised guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony...

Styx is an American rock band formed in 1970 from Chicago. Styx is best known for the hit songs "Lady" (#6, 1973), "Come Sail Away" (#8, 1977), "Babe" (#1, 1979), "The Best of Times" (#3, 1981), "Too Much Time on My Hands" (#9, 19...

Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island, New York. Twisted Sister's most well-known hits include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band whose 1975 debut album included the hit single "White Punks on Dope".

Heart is an American rock band. Over the group's four-decade history it has had three primary lineups, with the constant center of the group since 1974 being sisters Ann Wilson (lead singer) and Nancy Wilson (guitarist)...

Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band, best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum on Feel the Noize". The band was founded in 1973, by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1. They t...

Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1973, composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between 19...

Bad Company are an English hard rock supergroup formed in Westminster, London, in 1973 by two former Free band members—singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke—as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson b...

Kiss (often styled as KISS) is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

AC/DC are an Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014.

Motörhead are an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser Kilmister, professionally known by his stage name Lemmy, who has remained the sole constant member.

Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, that achieved their most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of cl...

Ratt is an American heavy metal band. Their albums have been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA.

Foreigner is a British-American hard rock band, originally formed in New York City in 1976 by Mick Jones and fellow Briton and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Savage (bassist, backing vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, bac...

Whitesnake are a rock band, formed in England in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's 1987 self-titled album was their most commercially successful worldwide, and contained tw...

Europe is a Swedish hard rock/heavy metal band formed in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno.

Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles include "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend".

Mötley Crüe is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California on January 17, 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by guitarist Mick Mars, and vocalist Vince Neil...

W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 by Blackie Lawless, who is the only remaining original member of the band. They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Dokken, Ratt, Qui...

Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.), pianist and keyboard player David Bryan, and drummer Tico...

The Cult are a British hard rock band formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in the UK in the mid-1980s as a post-punk/gothic rock band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the US in...

Cinderella is an American glam metal and hard rock band from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV...

Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great commercial success in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Poison has sold over 45 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone...

Stone Temple Pilots (often abbreviated as STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that consists of brothers Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals) and Dean DeLeo (guitar), Eric Kretz (drums, percussion), and formerl...

Guns N' Roses are an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist D...

Tin Machine were an English-American hard rock band formed in 1988, famous for being fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of David Bowie on lead vocals and guitar, Reeves Gabrels on guitar, Tony Sal...

B'z is a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Tak Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba. B'z is one of the best-selling music artists in the world and the best-selling in their native Japan,...

Live ( often typeset as LĪVE) is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), Chad Gracey (drums), and Chris Shinn (vocals). Live's original lead singer Ed Kowalc...

4 Non Blondes was an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1989. The group was formed by bassist Christa Hillhouse, guitarist Shaunna Hall, drummer Wanda Day, and vocalist and guitarist Linda Perry. Prior to...

Marilyn Manson are an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by frontman Marilyn Manson and Daisy Berkowitz, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in the early 1990s. The band's...

The Black Crowes were an American rock band formed in 1989.