10 Best Rock Bands Of The 2000s
7. The White Stripes
After the grunge and alternative fads started to die out at the end of the '90s, rock was starting to look pretty artificial. Despite still having some amazing bands making their way across MTV, a lot of the hangers on felt like nothing more than just faded copies of much better acts looking for a quick paycheck. Even though the bottom line served pretty well, the White Stripes woke us up and made us look at the big picture again.
Looking for nu metal edginess or pop punk hooks? This ain't your band. Formed with just Jack and Meg White on guitar and drums respectively, each of the Stripes' albums was a masterclass in doing the most that you could with the least you had to work with. Across albums like Elephant and Icky Thump, you could practically feel Jack's drive to push himself that much forward, all while Meg brought the thunder from behind the kit.
Though the actual sound of the music was typically garage rock and blues influenced, the attitude was entirely different. This was the new version of punk rock, by taking the DIY aesthetic to the nth degree and actually making it fit on the charts like on Seven Nation Army. While the duo blues act ran rampant after the White Stripes hit it big, you're only going to ever get this kind of magic once in a lifetime.