PW'S Top 75 Musical Acts of All Time! 

75. Neil Diamond 

74. Beyonce

73. Creedence Clearwater Revival

72. Madonna 

71. Nas

70. Motley Crue

69. Sufjan Stevens 

 68. Pearl Jam 

67. Outkast 

66. Lady Gaga 

65. Jimi Hendrix

64. My Chemical Romance

63. Ozzy Osbourne

62. Blink 182 

61. Green Day

60. N.W.A.

59. Jay-Z

58. Coldplay 

57. Elvis Presley 

56. Halestorm 

55. Frank Zappa 

54. Meat Loaf

53. System of a Down

52. George Strait 

51. Aerosmith

50. Peter Gabriel

49. Bon Jovi

48. Reba McEntire 

47. Smashing Pumpkins 

46. U2

45. Tupac Shakur 

44. Bon Iver

43. Interpol 

42. TOOL 

41. Eagles

40. Linkin Park 

39. Muse 

38. The Rolling Stones

37. Notorious BIG

36. Def Leppard 

35. Dr. Dre 

34. The Beach Boys 

33. Red Hot Chili Peppers

32. "Weird Al" Yankovic

31. Billy Joel 

30. Judas Priest 

29. Artic Monkeys 

28. Led Zeppelin

27. Johnny Cash

26. Nirvana 

25. The Killers

24. Kanye West 

23. Eminem

22. Heart 

21. Pink Floyd 

20. Black Sabbath

19. Rage Against the Machine 

18. Journey

17. Arcade Fire 

16. Bruce Springsteen 

15. Michael Jackson

14. Van Halen

13. David Bowie

12. Radiohead 

11. Garth Brooks 

10. Prince

09. Fleetwood Mac 

08. AC/DC 

07. Foo Fighters 

06. Iron Maiden

05. Guns N' Roses

04. The Beatles

03. Metallica 

02. RUSH 

 01. Queen 

75. Neil Diamond 
"One, touching one, reaching out ,Touching me, touching you..."

Genre 

Pop Rock & Folk 

Total Singles 

98 

Studio Albums 

32 

Live Albums 

8 

Greatest Hits 

Sweet Caroline 

I Am... I Said 

Forever in Blue Jeans 

Play Me 

You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Notable Albums

Stones (1971)

Moods (1972)

Beautiful Noise (1976)

Tap Root Manuscript (1970)

Serenade (1974)

Awards 

13x Grammy Nominee 

1x Grammy Winner 

74. Beyonce 

"All the single ladies, all the single ladies"

Genre(s)

R&B 
Pop 
Hip-Hop

Notable Albums 

Lemonade 

Beyonce`

4 

Dangerously In Love 

I Am... Sasha Fierce 

Greatest Hits 

Formation 

Crazy in Love 

Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Sorry 

Get Me Bodied 

Awards 

79x Grammy Nominee 

28x Grammy Winner 

73. Creedence Clearwater Revival 

"Down on the corner.."

Members 

Tom Fogerty 

John Fogerty 

Stu Cook 

Doug Clifford 

Genre

Blues Rock 

Southern Rock 

Notable Albums 

Cosmo's Factory (1970)

Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)

Green River (1969)

Bayou Country (1969)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

Play the Hits! 

Down on the Corner

Proud Mary 

Have You Ever Seen the Rain 

Bad Moon Rising 

Green River 

By the Numbers 

Studio Albums: 7 

Singles: 29 

Live Albums: 3 

Awards and Accolades 

- 1993 Inductee into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

- #82 on Rolling Stones Greatest Artists of All Time 

72. Madonna 

"'Cause we are living in a material world 
And I am a material girl"

Studio Albums 

14

Genre 

Pop 

Dance 

Notable Albums 

Like a Virgin (1984)

True Blue (1986)

Like a Prayer (1989)

Erotica (1992)

Music (2000)

Play the Hits 

Like a Virgin 

Like a Prayer 

Papa Don't Preach 

Vogue 

Material Girl 

Ray of Light 

Awards Season 

- 28x Grammy Nominee 

- 7x Grammy Winner 

71. Nas 

"Inhale deep like the words of my breath. I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death. I lay puzzle as I backtrack to earlier times. Nothing's equivalent, to the New York State of Mind."

Genre

Rap 

Albums 

13 

Notable Records 

Illmatic 

Stillmatic 

It Was Written 

Life is Good 

God's Son 

Notable Songs

NY State of Mind 

The World is Yours 

The Message (It was Written)

I Gave You Power 

One Mic 

Awards 

1x Grammy Winner 

70. Motley Crue 

"Friday night and I need a fight , My motorcycle and a switchblade knife!"

Members 

Nikki Six

Mick Mars 

Vince Neil 

Tommy Lee 

John Carabi 

Randy Castillo 

Genre 

Heavy Metal 

Glam Metal 

Notable Albums 

Shout at the Devil (1983)

Too Fast for Love (1981)

Dr. Feelgood (1989)

Girls , Girls , Girls (1987)

Theatre of Pain (1985)

Play the Hits~!

Shout at the Devil 

Home Sweet Home 

Kickstart My Heart 

Girls Girls Girls 

Wild Side 

69. Sufjan Stevens 

Did you get enough love, my little dove? Why do you cry?

Genre 

Indie Folk 

Notable Albums 

Carrie & Lowell (2015)

Illinois (2005)

The Ascension (2020)

The Age of Adz (2010)

Seven Swans (2004)

Play the Hits? 

We Are What You Say 

Casimir Pulaski Day

To Be Alone With You

That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!

John Wayne Gacy Jr

By the Numbers 

Singles: 15 

Studio Albums: 10 

Compilation Albums: 3 

Live Albums: 1 

68. Pearl Jam

Genre

Grunge 

Alternative Rock

Members 

Eddie Vedder

Mike McCready

Stone Gossard

Jeff Ament

Matt Cameron

Jack Irons

Dave Krusen

Matt Chamberlain

Dave Abbruzzese

Play the Hits!

Jeremy 

Daughter 

Black 

Better Man 

Yellow Ledbetter 

Notable Records 

Ten 

Vitalogy 

Vs 

Yield 

No Code 

By the Numbers 

- 11 Studio Albums 

- 38 Singles 

- 15 Live Albums 

Awards Season 

12x Grammy Nominee 

1x Grammy Winner 

7x MTV VMA Nominee 

4x MTV VMA Winner 

67 Outkast 

I'm sorry Ms. Jackson (oh), I am for real! 

Genre 

Rap 

Hip-Hop 

Members 

Andre 3000 

Big Boi 

Play the Hits~! 

Ms. Jackson 

Rosa Parks 

B.O.B. 

So Fresh So Clean 

Players Ball 

The Albums 

Aquemin (1998)

Stankonia (2000)

ATLiens (1996)

Speakboxx/The Love Below (2003)

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzic (1994)

Awards 

- 16x Grammy Nominee 

- 6x Grammy Winner 

- 8x MTV VMA Nominee 

- 5x MTV VMA Winner 

66. Lady Gaga 

I'm beautiful in my way ,'Cause God makes no mistakes , I'm on the right track, baby , I was born this way~!

Genre 

Pop 

Dance 

Play the Hits~! 

Shallow 

Born This Way 

Poker Face 

Bad Romance 

Just Dance 

The Albums 

The Fame (2008)

Born This Way (2011)

Chromatica (2020)

Art Pop (2013)

A Star is Born Soundtrack (2018)

The Grammy's! 

- 29x Nominee 

- 12x Winner 

65. Jimi Hendrix 

There must be some kind of way outta here...

Genre 

Rock 

Play the Hits~!

All Along the Watchtower 

Hey Joe 

Voodoo Child 

The Wind Cries Mary 

Hear My Train A Comin' 

The Albums 

Are you Experienced? 

Axis: Bold As Love 

Electric Ladyland 

Band of Gypsys 

BBC Sessions 

Awards 

- Grammy Hall of Fame 

- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 

64. My Chemical Romance 

When I was a young boy .. My father took me into the city .. To see a marching band!

Genre 

Emo 

Alternative Rock 

Members 

Gerard Way

Ray Toro

Mikey Way

Frank Iero

Matt PelisI 

Bob Bryar

James Dewees

Play the Hits~!

Welcome to the Black Parade 

Famous Last Words 

Helena 

I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

I Don't Love You 

The Albums 

The Black Parade 

Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge 

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love 

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

63. Ozzy Osbourne 

Crazy, but that's how it goes...

Genre 

Heavy Metal 

Hard Rock 

Play the Hits~! 

Crazy Train 

Mama, I'm Coming Home 

No More Tears 

Flying High Again 

Suicide Solution 

The Albums 

Diary of a Madman (1981)

Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

No More Tears (1991)

Bark at the Moon (1983)

The Ultimate Sin (1986)

At the Grammys~! 

- 1x Winner for Best Metal Performance 

62. Blink 182 

Say it ain't so , I will not go , turn the lights off , carry me home~!

Members 

Tom DeLonge 

Mark Hoppus 

Travis Barker 

Genre 

Pop Punk 

Alt. Rock 

Play the Hits~! 

All the Small Things 

What's My Age Again? 

Adam's Song 

The Rock Show 

I Miss You 

The Albums 

Enema of the State (1999)

Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)

blink-182 (2003)

Neighborhoods (2011)

Dude Ranch (1997)

Awards 

- 3x VMA Winners 

61. Green Day 

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road"

Genre 

Punk Rock 

Members 

Billie Joe Armstrong

Mike Dirnt

Tré Cool

Sean Hughes

Raj Punjabi

John Kiffmeyer

Jason White

Play the Hits~! 

Basket Case 

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Boulevard of Broken Dreams 

When I Come Around 

American Idiot 

The Records 

Dookie (1994)

Nimrod (1997)

American Idiot (2004)

Insomniac (1995)

21st Century Breakdown (2009)

At the Grammys 

17x Nominee 

4x Winner 

60. N.W.A. 

"Fuck the police comin' straight from the underground!"

Genre 

Rap 

Members 

Eazy-E 

Dr. Dre 

Ice Cube 

MC Ren 

DJ Yella 

Play the Hits~! 

Fuck tha Police 

Gangsta Gangsta 

Express Yourself 

Straight Outta Compton 

100 Miles and Runnin' 

The Albums 

Straight Outta Compton 

Niggaz4Life 

59. Jay-Z 

"If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son..."

Genre 

Hip-Hop 

Play the Hits~! 

Big Pimpin' (Feat. UGK)

99 Problems 

Dirt Off Your Shoulder 

Can I Get A... 

Hard Knock Life 

The Albums 

Blueprint (2001)

Reasonable Doubt (1996)

The Black Album (2003)

Vol 2. ... Hard Knock Life (1998)

American Gangster (2007)

At the Grammy's 

80x Nominee 

23x Winner 

58. Coldplay 

'When you try your best, but you don't succeed..'

Genre 

Alternative Rock 

Members 

Chris Martin

Jonny Buckland

Guy Berryman

Will Champion

Phil Harvey

Play the Hits~!

Fix You 

Yellow 

Charlie Brown 

The Scientist 

In My Place 

The Albums 

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)

X&Y (2005)

A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)

Mylo Xyloto (2011)

Parachutes (2000)

At the Grammy's 

30x Nominee 

7x Grammy 

57. Elvis Presley 

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, Cryin' all the time!

Genre 

Rock & Roll 

Play the Hits~!

Suspicious Minds 

Don't Be Cruel 

All Shook Up 

Blue Suede Shoes 

Hound Dog 

The Albums 

Elvis Presley (1956)

Elvis Golden Records (1958)

TV Special (1968)

A Date With Elvis (1959)

Elvis Christmas Album (1956)

Awards 

1986 Inductee into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 

14x Grammy Nominee 

3x Grammy Winner 

56. Halestorm 

Genre 

Hard Rock 

Members 

Lzzy Hale

Arejay Hale

Joe Hottinger

Josh Smith

Leo Nessinger

Roger Hale

Play the Hits~!

Love Bites (So Do I)

I Get Off 

Freak Like Me 

Apocalyptic 

I Miss the Misery 

Spin the Records 

The Strange Case Of.... (2012)

Into the Wild Life (2015)

Vicious (2018)

Halestorm (2009)

Reanimate 3.0: The Covers EP (2017)

55. Frank Zappa 

Genre 

Rock 

Blues 

Play the Hits~!

Montana 

Joe's Garage 

Cosmik Debris 

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow 

Brown Shoes Don't Make It 

The Albums 

We’re Only In It for the Money (1968)

Cruising with Ruben and The Jets (1968)

You Are What You Is (1981)

Freak Out! (1966)

Over-Nite Sensation (1973)

The Grammy's 

- 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award 

- 9x Nominee 

- 2x Winner 

54. Meat Loaf 

Thought it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night...

Genre 

Rock 

Play the Hits~!

Paradise by the Dashboard Light 

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad 

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)

Rock and Roll Dreams Come True 

Objects in the Rearview Mirror 

The Records 

Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell (1993)

Deadringer (1981)

Bad Attitude (1984)

Grammy's!

1x Winner 

53. System of a Down 

Wake up! Grab a brush and put a little make-up!

Genre 

Alternative Metal 

Members 

Serj Tankian

Daron Malakian

Shavo Odadjian

John Dolmayan

Play the Hits~! 

Chop Suey! 

Lost in Hollywood 

Aerials 

BYOB

ATWA 

The Albums 

Toxicity (2001)

System of a Down (1998)

Mezmerize (2005)

Hypnotize (2005)

Steal This Album (2002)

At the Grammy's!

4x Nominee 

1x Winner 

52. George Strait

"Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend? 

Genre 

Country 

Play the Hits~!

Check Yes or No 

Amarillo By Morning 

I Cross My Heart 

Write This Down 

Give It Away 

The Records

Strait from the Heart (1982)

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (1984)

Ocean Front Property (1987)

Blue Clear Sky (1996)

Pure Country (1992)

The Grammy's

16x Nominee 

1x Winner 

51. Aerosmith 
"Every time when I look in the mirror"

Genre 

Hard Rock 

Members 

Steven Tyler

Tom Hamilton

Joe Perry

Brad Whitford

Joey Kramer

Ray Tabano

Jimmy Crespo

Rick Dufay

Play the Hits~!

Dream On 

Sweet Emotion 

Cryin' 

I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing 

Janie's Got a Gun 

The Albums 

Toys in the Attic (1975)

Rocks (1976)

Get Your Wings (1974)

Pump (1989)

Permanent Vacation (1987)

The Grammy's 

14x Nominee 

4x Winner 

50. Peter Gabriel 

I want to be your... sledgehammer!

Genre 

Progressive Rock 

Play the Hits~! 

Red Rain 

Sledgehammer 

Games Without Frontiers 

Shock the Monkey 

In Your Eyes

Spin the Records 

So (1986)

Peter Gabriel III (1980)

Peter Gabriel IV (1982)

Us 

Up 

Awards & Accolades 

- 2x Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee 

- 21x Grammy Nominee 

- 4x Grammy Winner 

49. Bon Jovi 

Tommy used to work on the docks!

Genre 

Rock 

Members 

Jon Bon Jovi

David Bryan

Tico Torres

Phil X

Hugh McDonald

Alec John Such

Dave Sabo

Richie Sambora

Play the Hits~!

Livin' On a Prayer 

Wanted Dead or Alive 

You Give Love a Bad Name 

Bed of Rose 

I'll Be There For You 

Spin the Records 

Slippery When Wet (1986)

These Days (1995)

New Jersey (1988)

Keep the Faith (1992)

Crush (2000)

Awards 

2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee 

9x Grammy Nominee 

1x Grammy Winner 

48. Reba McEntire 

"Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down"

Genre 

Country 

Play the Hits~! 

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia 

Fancy 

Does He Love You 

Is There Life Out There 

Consider Me Gone 

Spin the Records 

Read My Mind (1994)

Whoever's In New England (1986)

My Kind of Country (1984)

For My Broken Heart (1991)

Rumor Has It (1990)

The Grammy's 

16x Nominee 

3x Winner 

47. Smashing Pumpkins

"With the headlights pointed at the dawn, we were sure we'd never see an end to it all"

Genre 

Alternative Rock 

Members 

Billy Corgan

James Iha

Jimmy Chamberlin

Jeff Schroeder

D'arcy Wretzky

Melissa Auf der Maur

Mike Byrne

Nicole Fiorentino

Play the Hits~!

1979

Mayonnaise 

Cherub Rock 

Soma 

Disarm 

Spin the Records 

Siamese Dream (1993)

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995)

Adore (1998)

Gish (1991)

Oceania (2012)

The Grammy's 

- 12x Nominee 

- 2x Winner