10 Best Frontwomen In Rock Music History

Why She's Here: In an era of rock dominated by grunge, No Doubt brought some much-needed levity to the table, and Gwen Stefani was key to the band's upbeat ska-punk sound. Her spunky attitude and prominent midriff were only matched by a power pop voice that harkened back to the heyday of new wave. Her heartbroken songwriting on 1996's Tragic Kingdom granted her the emotional depth to back up her sex appeal on stage, which she flaunted in a naturalistic manner--no frilly enhancements, just an outpouring of sweat from her high voltage performances.

Stefani found success outside of the confines of No Doubt with a string of hit singles in the mid-2000s, but songs like "Hollaback Girl" and "The Sweet Escape" couldn't have existed without her rock background--particularly the former, one of the brashest and most fun female pop songs of the past fifteen years. Likewise, today's girl-fronted indie pop-rock bands must look back upon Stefani and No Doubt to find inspiration.

Highlight: "Don't Speak" might be outside of No Doubt's normal stylistic oeuvre, but it finds Stefani at her most gut-wrenching. You can hear the fragments of soul exploding from her mouth, and the effect only amplifies when you remember that the inspiration for the song--and all of Tragic Kingdom--was Stefani's split from Tony Kanal, who was still playing bass in the band.