10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of The 1980s

10. Sonic Youth

As the '80s wore on, the alternative scene was starting to spread out a bit more. Since college rock stations were still going strong, there were tons of bands that were a bit left of the dial that somehow managed to get exposure across MTV every now and again. Although acts like Motley Crue may have had the big guitars for the mainstream fans, Sonic Youth seemed almost anti commercial in the way they promoted themselves.

Being more of a descendent of the final wave of punk music, these scruffy musicians out of New York had a much more art rock approach to what they did. Off of records like Goo and Daydream Nation, the goal was almost about using their instruments as means to make strange sounds instead of actual songs, with Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo almost being at war with each other in a barrage of noise. Combined with the smoky vocals of Kim Gordon, these were albums that set the stage for the post punk leaning music that would become a bigger deal once the '90s rolled around.

If there's one thing we have to thank the band for, it's discovering a little band called Nirvana, with Gordon in particular pushing Geffen Records to get them signed after their album Bleach started to take off. Though they may not have lit up the charts in the '80s or anything, the '90s would have looked entirely different without their music to start everything off.