10 Amazing Rock Bands That Went Pop

In the wake of the indie rock boom, Imagine Dragons actually seemed like a breath of fresh air from the Fun.s and Neon Trees of the world. While not exactly setting the world on fire, the conviction behind Dan Reynolds' voice was enough to give it somewhat of a rock edge amid the electronics. Once the electronics became the calling card though, Imagine Dragons got swallowed whole by their own gimmick.

Alongside acts like Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons drove their point across with implementing synths into their new sound, which was then beaten into the ground about halfway through their sophomore album Smoke and Mirrors. Much like the title would imply, this was a bad case of style over substance, which managed to go over so well that they doubled down on the trend with Evolve.

Aside from songs like Thunder and Believer being played over and over again in mall speakers, the actual allure of the band's beginnings are nowhere to be seen anymore, replaced with the same mid tempo schlock that seems destined to be playing in the background of car commercials for many years to come. They may have been able to pull off the beat like nobody's business, but that kind of punch is not the same when being generated through a MIDI speaker.