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~13.0M artists · ~39.4M recordings indexed
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The Groove

The greatest artists of the 1980s

333 artists ranked by the Groove — music.nw’s own measure of renown. Not an opinion, a fact computed from the record. Why?

No. 1

Metallica

United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1981– · heavy metal
251.080
Why this number?
The full board
2 Iron Maiden United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1975– · heavy metal 204.050
3 U2 Ireland flagIreland · 1976– · rock 133.550
4 The Cure United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1977– · new wave 120.200
5 Rush Canada flagCanada · 1968– · progressive rock 105.670
6 Queen United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1970– · rock 94.100
7 AC/DC Australia flagAustralia · 1973– · hard rock 93.130
8 Depeche Mode United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1980– · electronic 84.800
9 Pink Floyd United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1965–2014 · progressive rock 69.370
10 The Smiths United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1982–1987 · indie pop 64.320
11 Slayer United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1981– · thrash metal 64.150
12 R.E.M. United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1980–2011 · alternative rock 63.920
13 Dire Straits United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1977–1995 · rock 63.560
14 Prince United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1958–2016 · funk 63.040
15 Talking Heads United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1974–1991 · new wave 59.800
16 Michael Jackson United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1958–2009 · pop 58.140
17 Genesis United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1967–2022 · progressive rock 58.020
18 Judas Priest United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1969– · heavy metal 56.970
19 Black Sabbath United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1968–2025 · heavy metal 51.010
20 Peter Gabriel United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1950– · rock 48.028
21 The Alan Parsons Project United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1975–1987 · progressive rock 47.810
22 Bruce Springsteen United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1949– · rock 46.120
23 Kate Bush United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1958– · art rock 44.750
24 Ozzy Osbourne United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1948–2025 · heavy metal 43.920
25 Guns N’ Roses United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1985– · hard rock 43.260
26 Madonna United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1958– · pop 41.040
27 Bob Dylan United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1941– · folk rock 40.390
28 Aerosmith United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1970– · hard rock 40.330
29 New Order United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1980– · electronic 39.760
30 Accept Germany flagGermany · 1971– · heavy metal 39.080
31 David Bowie United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1947–2016 · rock 38.840
32 Scorpions Germany flagGermany · 1965– · hard rock 38.430
33 Def Leppard United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1977– · hard rock 38.280
34 Dead Can Dance Australia flagAustralia · 1981– · electronic 38.140
35 Motörhead United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1975–2015 · heavy metal 37.690
36 Van Halen United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1972–2019 · hard rock 36.000
37 Helloween Germany flagGermany · 1984– · power metal 35.830
38 Megadeth United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1983– · heavy metal 34.860
39 Marillion United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1979– · rock 33.630
40 Sonic Youth United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1981–2011 · alternative rock 33.330
41 Swans United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1982– · experimental rock 33.150
42 Bauhaus United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1978–2008 · rock 33.000
43 Beastie Boys United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1979–2014 · hip hop 32.770
44 The Police United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1977–2008 · rock 32.580
45 Phil Collins United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1951– · pop rock 32.430
46 Alice Cooper United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1948– · hard rock 32.400
47 Pixies United States of America flagUnited States of America · 1986– · alternative rock 31.810
48 Yes United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom · 1968– · progressive rock 30.800