10 Greatest Classic Rock Albums of the '80s, Ranked

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Master of Puppets - Metallica - album cover - 1986

Published Jan 27, 2026, 11:46 PM EST

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If you're okay to stretch the term “classic rock” a bit, then there are quite a few albums from the 1980s worth shouting out. Classic rock is recognized as having begun in the back half of the 1960s, and then it was dominant throughout the 1970s, to the point where that’s the decade that has the most by way of notable rock albums. One banger after another, really.

Then, in the 1980s, classic rock was winding down. There were rock albums released throughout the decade for sure, but they tended to be a little different from that real “classic” sort of classic rock. You get some more experimental, artsy, and slower-paced ones below, compared to how a comparable ranking of 1970s classic rock albums might look, but that’s just a reality of the times back then changing, and rock music also evolving. Also, as usual, one album per artist, for variety’s sake.

10 'Appetite for Destruction' (1987)

Guns N' Roses

Of all the albums mentioned here, Appetite for Destruction, by Guns N’ Roses, might well lean closest to that “classic rock” sound in the, you know, classic sense. It’s got loud and in-your-face guitarwork, the vocals are bombastic, there’s a high level of passion and energy throughout, and it’s also quite simple, for better or worse. There are definitely ways to go about criticizing this one, if you feel so inclined.

That’s if you want to focus on the worse, but if you're more keen on focusing on the better, then Appetite for Destruction can indeed be enjoyed for how blunt/straightforward it is. There are some clunkier songs here, compared to the highlights at least, but never too long a stretch here that sags or feels like it lacks energy. It’s an album that just slaps you around your face and shovels the musical equivalent of potato chips into your mouth (or ears?) for almost an hour, and that’s worth something. Probably.

9 'Murmur' (1983)

R.E.M.

If you're to count R.E.M.’s debut album, Murmur, as a rock one, then it’s definitely not hard rock or anything. It’s got just enough of an alternative rock/pop feel to count here, and it’s being counted here also because it’s great. Automatic for the People, from 1992, is the better-known R.E.M. album, and has some of their biggest hits on it, but Murmur is just so consistent, not to mention remarkably confident, for a debut.

There’s nothing even close to a weak track on here. The whole album is a string of good to great ones, and they're all of the same kind of sound, but not exactly the same; you don’t get any one song sounding too similar to another, or anything. It’s also hard to put into words what’s so good about Murmur, but it just is good. It sounds good. It’s plain to hear.

8 'Violent Femmes' (1983)

Violent Femmes

It’s easier to talk about and highlight suspenseful movies than it is suspenseful music, but the self-titled album by Violent Femmes is the sort of thing that might put you on edge. The anxiety here is high, and lyrically, it’s introspective in a way that’s quite uncomfortable. Some might scoff at this comparison, because it involves Weezer, but Violent Femmes does hit some similar beats to Pinkerton.

The sometimes alarming lyrics and the way it looks inwardly with such self-loathing are matched in intensity by the sound of Violent Femmes, which is a tiny bit folky, punk, and rock, all rolled into one. Most people will be familiar with “Blister in the Sun,” which is easily the band’s most recognizable song, and it’s the first track on here… but by no means should “Blister in the Sun” be where your knowledge of this band ends, since the nine tracks that follow it here are also great.

7 'The Joshua Tree' (1987)

U2

There are some pretty negative things that can – and have – been said about U2, particularly as it relates to ego, with Rattle and Hum being a documentary that showcases this pretty well (having shades of This Is Spinal Tap at times, but it’s not supposed to be funny). But when it comes down to it, U2 have made some phenomenal music, and much of their output from the 1980s and early ‘90s overshadows the misfires and more awkward stages of the band’s career.

And The Joshua Tree might well be U2’s most well-balanced, ambitious, and influential album, even if 1983’s War might have a bit more punch and energy to it. The Joshua Tree did something quite different with its sound and scope, with the only real misstep of this album being that it puts what are easily the best three songs as the first three songs tracklist-wise: "Where the Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "With or Without You." What comes after is still good, but nothing’s quite on the same level as those three.

6 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' (1980)

David Bowie

Not many artists explode in popularity right away; not even David Bowie. It took him a few years to put out a genuinely great album, but he was doing so by the early 1970s, and that decade did end up being his most fruitful. The 1980s were a decade when he was at his most popular, although the quality of his output was a bit less consistent. Still, at least the 1980s kicked off with an album as good as Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) is Bowie doing art rock about as well as he did glam rock around the start of the 1970s.

This one is wild for something as old as it is, being ahead of its time by who knows how long, all the while also being ahead of most of the other ahead-of-their-time artists by at least a few years. It’s Bowie doing art rock about as well as he did glam rock around the start of the 1970s, and it’s worth listening to for “Ashes to Ashes” alone, which is easily one of the prolific artist’s best-ever songs.

5 'Let It Be' (1984)

The Replacements

The Replacements were never afraid to do their own thing, even if it meant always being just a tad too weird or alienating to blow up in the way they otherwise deserved. When the band was at their peak, they made the decision to give their two best albums questionable titles: Let It Be, so that it’ll forever be confused with the last-released Beatles album of the same name (no relation otherwise, nor any Beatles covers on the album), and then the follow-up was called Tim. Just Tim. It’s like that gag in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

They didn’t know what to call their albums, but they did make some phenomenal alternative rock music that was grand enough in sound to scratch that classic rock itch, too. Let It Be is likely their most consistent album, but Tim might well have the higher highs. They're both worth listening to, in case The Replacements still aren’t on your radar.

4 'Master of Puppets' (1986)

Metallica

A little like with The Replacements, it’s a bit hard to single out the greatest Metallica album, and it also probably comes down to two main contenders: Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets. The latter is being picked here, but really, both scratch very similar itches, but without Master of Puppets feeling like it just does exactly the same thing as Ride the Lightning.

There’s a great flow here, focusing on Master of Puppets now, and it’s an album with some highlights for sure, but also no truly weak tracks while making for an experience that’s easy to listen to from front to back. It’s also more metal than rock in the traditional sense, but in a similar way to how it feels right to give a mention to Black Sabbath when you're talking about great rock from the 1970s, even if they're also technically heavy metal.

3 'Disintegration' (1989)

The Cure

As a band, The Cure formed in the 1970s, but the 1980s (and maybe some of the 1990s) were when they were at their peak. “They” is used here with some trepidation, because The Cure is mostly Robert Smith, as he’s the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, as well as the only member who’s been a part of the band for every year it’s been active. To compare it to a more modern example, he is to The Cure what Kevin Parker is to Tame Impala.

Anyway, the best album by The Cure is Disintegration. That can be said quite confidently, even though it’s by no means the only great album by The Cure. But it is an absolutely incredible epic of a gothic/alternative rock album, with another that’s punchy and immediate here (alongside the more drawn-out and atmospheric tracks) to make it qualify for this particular ranking.

2 'Doolittle' (1989)

Pixies

If classic rock, as a sub-genre, ended in the 1980s, then Doolittle by Pixies is one of the very last possibly “classic rock” albums. It came out the same year as Disintegration, sure, but Doolittle does rock a little harder and overall feels rawer, not to mention punchier, as it’s made up of 15 songs, but clocks in at about 38 minutes all up, meaning the average song length isn't much longer than two-and-a-half minutes.

Doolittle is effortlessly energetic and engaging, and you can also look back on it now and see how it was influential on the kind of indie/alternative rock that would become mainstream (or pretty close to it) over a decade later, throughout much of the 2000s. Pixies also had Surfer Rosa in the 1980s, which was another great album, and also home to “Where Is My Mind,” which is probably their most famous song… but Doolittle is Doolittle, and you just can’t really beat Doolittle.

1 'Remain in Light' (1980)

Talking Heads

In the 1970s, Talking Heads had “Psycho Killer” and a bunch of other memorable songs, and three pretty good (maybe even great) albums, but then 1980 was when they realized their full potential. Their fourth album, Remain in Light, is – and always has been – an astounding, alien, and endlessly engaging listen. Bowie was mentioned before as someone who was ahead of the game, and just about everyone playing it… but Talking Heads were right there with him. Hell, possibly the only popular act ahead of him, if you want to compare the great Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) to the absolutely untouchable Remain in Light.

The first half of this album is especially great, the way it keeps building in intensity with these long, somehow immediate, and unique songs, with the release in tension being “Once in a Lifetime,” which works great on its own, but it’s also phenomenal as the centerpiece of this album. Then, there are four slightly shorter songs that wind down in energy, being the inverse of how the album took off. It never stops feeling interesting to listen to, and there were good Talking Heads albums after this one, of course (plus Stop Making Sense, the live album and concert film), but Remain in Light does remain the band’s most important and overall strongest single album.