29 Most Overrated Rock Bands of All Time

By Edwin Thomas.

29. AC/DC

AC/DC are regarded by many as the greatest hard rock band of them all, but for all their great work up to the hugely successful Back In Black album, the band became stale, somewhat. You'd be hard pushed to make a decent album from all their songs post-1980.


via GIPHY

28. Slipknot

How this noise even made it big is beyond many people. This Slipknot thing was a fad - and it's a fad that just doesn't seem to want to go away...

27. Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin's inclusion on this list may upset a few classic rock purists, and that's perfectly understandable. But, if we're being honest, Zeppelin were done and dusted by Physical Graffiti, and their work was just never the same after that.

26. The Sex Pistols

Punk rock's most famous band only needed one album to make the big time, and stay there permanently. Heck, sometimes that's all it takes. But, can a band with just one album seriously be regarded as one of the greatest of all time? We think not.

25. The Beatles

Are they rock, or are they pop? We've all got our opinions about the Beatles, but one thing is definitely for sure - They're soooo overrated.


via GIPHY

24. Metallica

As an '80s thrash metal band, Metallica were simply untouchable - the very best in the business. But since their Black album, it's been downhill. Credit to the band for trying to change and evolve with the times, but if we're being really honest, you' be hard pushed to make a decent album from all their songs after the Black album. 


via GIPHY

23. Radiohead

Only true Radiohead fans will understand why this band is so highly rated. We haven't a clue. Care to enlighten us?

22. Linkin Park

Much like grunge, the nu-metal fad came in the late '90s and then disappeared shortly after. But the leading album of the nu-metal phase, you could argue, was Hybrid Theory, and the most famous song was probably "Numb."  The problem is, Linkin Park were genuinely relevant game-changers, but, as time went on, they seemed to just blend in with all the other bands.


via GIPHY

21. Guns N' Roses

The 15-year wait for an album, the storming off stage, the titanic ego, and THAT hair... Guns N' Roses have blown it over the last two decades,and what a pity - they could have been one of the true all-time greats. 


via GIPHY

20. Nickleback

Nickleback seem to be one of those vastly overrated bands that we often see hogging the charts. The the thing is, they don't actually have much talent, and most of their songs are painfully (and predictably) wet!


via GIPHY

19. Oasis

The '90s was a varied decade for rock music, and the explosion of the Brit-pop sound all started with Oasis. Two fantastic albums, and then, well, some very average material at best. Even the Gallagher brothers' solo careers left a lot to be desired.


via GIPHY

18. The Doors

Psychedelic rock outfit The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. The Doors are very much like Marmite - you either love them or hate them!


via GIPHY

17. Dio

Often hailed as one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time, there was much anticipation about Ronnie James Dio's new supergroup, Dio. With the possible exception of Holy Diver and The Last in Line, the rest of the band's work was quite underwhelming, to say the least.


via GIPHY

16. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Funk rockers, Red Hot Chili Peppers cracked the big time with their hugely popular 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but, they've been very hit or miss since. In fact, it's probably safe to say they've been on a steady decline since theirbig moment in the spotlight.


via GIPHY

15. Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi hit an absolute golden period between the years of 1986-1995. They rode through the grunge fad with ease, but then, for whatever reason, it seemed they just ran out of ideas. The music since 2000 has been bang average, at best, and they've been sliding down that slippery slope since.


via GIPHY

14. Motley Crue

If you're not into that hair metal thing, then there's every chance a band like Motley Crue would rank high on your list of overrated bands. What an absolute mess of a band. Seriously, was this stuff ever actually popular?


via GIPHY

13. The Rolling Stones

You either love them or you hate them. The Rolling Stones have had a long-standing status as one of rock music's greatest bands, but if you strip down their catalog of songs, you really won't find much there. Sloppy guitar playing coupled with an overindulgent singer, pretty much sums this band up.


via GIPHY

12. Journey

Journey have had a handful of decent songs, but surely not enough to warrant their status as one of the most highly-rated classic rock bands. Yes, they were good, but not that good.

11. Van Halen

Ok, so, credit where it's due, hair rockers Van Halen did release one of the best debut rock albums of all time, but, you could argue that that was their downfall. They never quite backed it up, and some of their material in the '80s was as cheesy as it gets.


via GIPHY

10. Iron Maiden

The greatest British heavy metal band of the lot? Possibly. But, that doesn't make them immune from this list. Yes, Iron Maiden are a great band, there's no doubting that, but they've not actually released anything of real significance since the late '80s. Living off past success comes to mind...


via GIPHY

9. Aerosmith

Ok, so Aerosmith were a pretty decent outfit back in the '70s, but what we've seen since is a gradual decline. The '80s wasn't overly bad, but they sold out to the mainstream in the '90s, and it's been seriously downhill since.

8. Coldplay

Coldplay have sold significantly more albums (some 50 million) than most of the bands on this list, but the quality of music is pretty poor in comparison. How they sold so many albums is beyond most people. 


via GIPHY

7. Extreme

Has there ever been a bigger one-hit-wonder that Extreme's "More Than Words?" We think not, and it still amazes most people how much success they managed to milk from that one single.


via GIPHY

6. The White Stripes

THAT famous riff is what set The White Stripes on their merry way, and, although they've released some good material since, it's hard to imagine the band being anywhere near as successful without that song.

5. Green Day

It seems Green Day have as many detractors as they have legions of fans. Modern punk rock, or whatever you want to call it, Green Day seems little more than a fad that just won't go away. 


via GIPHY

4. Soundgarden 

In Chris Cornell, it could be argued that Soundgarden have one of the best rock vocalists, certainly of the grunge era, but that's not to say the band were necessarily that good. Soundgarden did release two very good albums, granted, but the rest? Hmm, not so much.

3. U2

Great in the '80s, Ok in the '90s, but godawful since. It's a struggle to even call U2 a rock band these days, because they've sounded like a pop group for years.


via GIPHY

2. Nirvana

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" changed the rock landscape, but that doesn't mean the band were actually that good. Musically, Nirvana were Ok, but it was always about them, the band, and what they represented, that made them so popular, rather than the actual quality of their music.


via GIPHY

1. Kiss

Well, the most overrated rock band in history just had to be Kiss, didn't it! Lots of hair, makeup, and lights, but that's really about it. You'd be pushed to find a decent track after their '70s material. All action, but such little substance.

via GIPHY