10 Most Iconic Alternative Rock Albums

10. Demon Days - Gorillaz

By the time the music world reached the '00s, the term alternative had become much too spread out for anyone to take seriously anymore. Since most of the greatest artists at the time were coming from the alternative end of the spectrum, what was there even to be contrary to anymore? Though it might have been fashionable to throw some alt-rock stylings into your sound, Damon Albarn hit upon the next best thing: don't even use the band.

While Gorillaz had already been a fun idea during Blur's hiatus with their first self-titled record, Demon Days was proof that the cartoon based aesthetic wasn't a fluke, with Albarn hooking up with Danger Mouse to create one of the most thoughtful records of the post 9/11 era. Given how much fear was in the air at the time, this long journey through the night gave you some perspective while moving your body, from the manufactured happiness of Feel Good Inc. to the club anthem DARE.

What's even more impressive are the guest stars that Albarn brought into the mix, from De La Soul providing just the right amount of levity to MF Doom laying down some of his most underrated bars on November Has Come. For a genre that was starting to get really stale, Demon Days is the blueprint of how to screw with your audience's expectations.