Rock

The whole story of rock, told by subgenre through the performances, music videos and moments that made it. From the blues and rockabilly roots and the British Invasion to psychedelia and prog, from Led Zeppelin and Queen to the Ramones and the Clash, from Black Sabbath and Metallica to Nirvana and the Strokes — plus the moments that changed everything, from Woodstock to Live Aid.

A chronological documentary of 303 moments spanning 1951–2022 on Loreline.

last updated 2026-07-16

1. 1951-03-05 — Jackie Brenston — Rocket 88. Often called the first rock 'n' roll record, cut at Sam Phillips's Memphis studio in 1951.
2. 1953-02-01 — Big Mama Thornton — Hound Dog. The blues shouter's 1953 original that Elvis would later make a phenomenon.
3. 1954-01-01 — Muddy Waters — Hoochie Coochie Man. Chicago blues, and Muddy Waters, gave rock its electric backbone.
4. 1954-05-20 — Bill Haley — Rock Around the Clock. The song that took rock 'n' roll to number one and into the movies in 1955.
5. 1955-03-02 — Bo Diddley — Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley's signature beat became one of rock's foundational rhythms in 1955.
6. 1955-07-30 — Chuck Berry — Maybellene. Chuck Berry's 1955 debut fused country and blues into the blueprint for rock guitar.
7. 1955-11-01 — Little Richard — Tutti Frutti. Little Richard's explosive 1955 single announced rock 'n' roll at full volume.
8. 1956-01-01 — Carl Perkins — Blue Suede Shoes. Carl Perkins wrote and first cut the rockabilly classic before Elvis made it famous.
9. 1956-01-27 — Elvis Presley — Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis's first RCA single made him a national sensation in 1956.
10. 1956-05-01 — Chuck Berry — Roll Over Beethoven. Chuck Berry's call to arms against the classical canon became a rock 'n' roll manifesto.
11. 1956-05-01 — Gene Vincent — Be-Bop-A-Lula. Gene Vincent's 1956 rockabilly classic was pure early rock 'n' roll swagger.
12. 1956-07-01 — Fats Domino — Blueberry Hill. Fats Domino carried New Orleans R&B into the rock 'n' roll mainstream.
13. 1956-09-01 — Little Richard — Long Tall Sally. Little Richard's frantic 1956 shouter is one of rock's foundational recordings.
14. 1956-09-09 — Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis's 1956 TV appearances, filmed from the waist up, scandalized and electrified America.
15. 1957-01-01 — Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The 'Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll' brought gospel and electric guitar together years ahead of everyone.
16. 1957-05-01 — The Everly Brothers — Bye Bye Love. The Everly Brothers' close harmonies shaped everyone from the Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel.
17. 1957-05-27 — Buddy Holly — Peggy Sue. Buddy Holly and the Crickets shaped the template of the self-contained rock band.
18. 1957-09-24 — Elvis Presley — Jailhouse Rock. The 1957 film number cemented Elvis as rock 'n' roll's first true icon.
19. 1957-11-01 — Jerry Lee Lewis — Great Balls of Fire. Jerry Lee Lewis pounded the piano into rock 'n' roll history in 1957.
20. 1958-01-01 — Chuck Berry — Sweet Little Sixteen. Another Chuck Berry blueprint that the Beach Boys would borrow for Surfin' USA.
21. 1958-01-01 — Duane Eddy — Rebel-Rouser. Duane Eddy's twangy guitar instrumentals shaped the sound of the electric guitar.
22. 1958-03-31 — Chuck Berry — Johnny B. Goode. The definitive rock 'n' roll song and guitar intro, released in 1958.
23. 1958-04-01 — Link Wray — Rumble. Link Wray's 1958 instrumental invented the power chord and the distorted guitar.
24. 1958-08-11 — Eddie Cochran — Summertime Blues. Eddie Cochran's 1958 teen anthem influenced a generation of rockers.
25. 1958-10-01 — Ritchie Valens — La Bamba. Ritchie Valens fused rock 'n' roll with Mexican folk before his death at 17.
26. 1960-07-01 — The Ventures — Walk, Don't Run. The Ventures made instrumental surf-rock a global phenomenon.
27. 1962-01-01 — Dick Dale — Misirlou. Dick Dale's reverb-drenched surf guitar reverberated all the way to Pulp Fiction.
28. 1962-10-05 — The Beatles — Love Me Do. The Beatles' first single, in October 1962, opened the door to everything.
29. 1964-02-09 — The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. 73 million Americans watched the Beatles' 1964 Sullivan debut — the British Invasion had landed.
30. 1964-06-19 — The Animals — The House of the Rising Sun. The Animals' 1964 folk-rock reworking became a transatlantic number one.
31. 1964-07-10 — The Beatles — A Hard Day's Night. The 1964 film and title track showed the Beatles at the peak of Beatlemania.
32. 1964-08-01 — Roy Orbison — Oh, Pretty Woman. Roy Orbison's operatic voice gave early rock some of its most dramatic songs.
33. 1964-08-04 — The Kinks — You Really Got Me. The Kinks' 1964 power chords are often called the first hard-rock, even proto-metal, riff.
34. 1964-11-06 — Them — Gloria. Van Morrison's Them cut the garage-rock standard Gloria in 1964.
35. 1965-03-01 — The Yardbirds — For Your Love. The Yardbirds — school for Clapton, Beck and Page — bridged blues and psychedelia.
36. 1965-04-12 — The Byrds — Mr. Tambourine Man. The Byrds' 1965 jangle invented folk-rock and lit up American radio.
37. 1965-05-06 — The Rolling Stones — (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Keith Richards's fuzz riff made Satisfaction the Stones' 1965 breakthrough.
38. 1965-07-20 — Bob Dylan — Like a Rolling Stone. Dylan's six-minute 1965 single tore up the rules of the pop song.
39. 1965-07-25 — Bob Dylan goes electric at Newport. Dylan plugging in at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival split the folk world and remade rock.
40. 1965-08-15 — The Beatles at Shea Stadium. The Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium show pioneered the stadium rock concert.
41. 1965-10-29 — The Who — My Generation. The Who's 1965 anthem of youth and its stuttered defiance became a manifesto.
42. 1966-01-01 — The Hollies — Bus Stop. The Hollies brought jangling harmony pop to the British Invasion.
43. 1966-04-01 — The Troggs — Wild Thing. The Troggs' 1966 riff became one of garage rock's defining songs.
44. 1966-05-06 — The Rolling Stones — Paint It Black. The Stones' dark, sitar-laced 1966 number one pushed rock into new textures.
45. 1966-10-10 — The Beach Boys — Good Vibrations. Brian Wilson's 1966 'pocket symphony' pushed the pop single into art.
46. 1967-02-01 — Jefferson Airplane — White Rabbit. Grace Slick's 1967 anthem became psychedelia's calling card.
47. 1967-02-13 — The Beatles — Strawberry Fields Forever. The Beatles' 1967 single announced the studio as an instrument and psychedelia's arrival.
48. 1967-03-17 — Jimi Hendrix — Purple Haze. Hendrix's 1967 single rewired what an electric guitar could do.
49. 1967-04-24 — The Doors — Light My Fire. The Doors' 1967 breakthrough married rock, jazz and Jim Morrison's dark poetry.
50. 1967-05-05 — The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset. Ray Davies's 1967 portrait of London is one of rock's most beloved songs.
51. 1967-06-01 — The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The 1967 album that made rock a serious art form and defined the Summer of Love.
52. 1967-06-16 — The Monterey Pop Festival. The 1967 festival launched Hendrix and Janis Joplin and inaugurated the rock-festival era.
53. 1967-06-18 — Hendrix burns his guitar at Monterey. Hendrix set his Stratocaster alight at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
54. 1967-06-18 — The Who destroy their gear at Monterey. The Who's instrument-smashing Monterey set announced rock's theatrical violence.
55. 1967-08-01 — Small Faces — Itchycoo Park. Small Faces brought mod energy and psychedelia together in 1967.
56. 1967-08-05 — Pink Floyd — The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd defined British psychedelia in 1967.
57. 1967-11-01 — Cream — Sunshine of Your Love. Clapton, Bruce and Baker's power trio pushed blues-rock toward heavy in 1967.
58. 1967-11-10 — The Moody Blues — Nights in White Satin. The Moody Blues fused rock and orchestra ahead of prog in 1967.
59. 1968-01-01 — Steppenwolf — Born to Be Wild. Steppenwolf's 1968 anthem coined 'heavy metal thunder' and soundtracked Easy Rider.
60. 1968-01-01 — The Velvet Underground & the underground. The Velvet Underground's 1967 debut sold poorly but shaped everything to come.
61. 1968-01-01 — Cream — Crossroads. Clapton's blistering live 1968 Crossroads is a hard-rock guitar landmark.
62. 1968-04-01 — The Zombies — Time of the Season. The Zombies' baroque-pop classic capped the British Invasion.
63. 1968-05-24 — The Rolling Stones — Jumpin' Jack Flash. The Stones' 1968 comeback single restored their raw blues-rock power.
64. 1968-08-01 — Cream — White Room. Cream's 1968 psych-blues epic showcased Clapton's wah-wah guitar.
65. 1968-08-12 — Janis Joplin — Piece of My Heart. Janis Joplin brought raw blues power to the psychedelic era with Big Brother.
66. 1968-08-26 — The Beatles — Hey Jude. The Beatles' seven-minute 1968 anthem topped charts worldwide.
67. 1968-10-16 — Jimi Hendrix — Voodoo Child (Slight Return). From Electric Ladyland, Hendrix's guitar reached its outer limits in 1968.
68. 1969-01-01 — The Band — The Weight. The Band's 1968 Americana redefined rock's roots and roused Dylan's circle.
69. 1969-01-05 — Creedence Clearwater Revival — Proud Mary. CCR's swamp-rock made them one of the biggest bands of the late '60s.
70. 1969-05-23 — The Who — Pinball Wizard. From the 1969 rock opera Tommy, the Who expanded what an album could be.
71. 1969-07-01 — The festival explosion of '69. After Monterey, festivals multiplied — Newport, Atlanta Pop and the road to Woodstock.
72. 1969-07-05 — The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. The Stones' free 1969 Hyde Park concert drew a quarter-million mourners for Brian Jones.
73. 1969-07-11 — David Bowie — Space Oddity. Bowie's 1969 breakthrough launched one of rock's greatest careers.
74. 1969-08-15 — Woodstock. Half a million gathered on a New York farm in 1969 for the defining festival of the counterculture.
75. 1969-08-16 — Santana — Soul Sacrifice. Santana's blazing Woodstock set fused Latin rhythm and psychedelic rock.
76. 1969-08-26 — Elvis Presley — Suspicious Minds. Elvis's 1969 comeback single proved rock 'n' roll's first king could still reign.
77. 1969-09-26 — The Beatles — Come Together. From Abbey Road, the Beatles' final masterpiece in 1969.
78. 1969-10-10 — King Crimson — In the Court of the Crimson King. The 1969 album widely credited with launching progressive rock.
79. 1969-11-07 — Led Zeppelin — Whole Lotta Love. Led Zeppelin's 1969 riff monster helped invent hard rock.
80. 1969-12-06 — Altamont. The Stones' free 1969 concert, marred by a killing, is often called the death of the '60s dream.
81. 1970-01-01 — The Grateful Dead. The Dead built a whole improvisational world and the template for the jam band.
82. 1970-01-01 — Free — All Right Now. Free's 1970 riff-rock anthem is one of hard rock's most enduring.
83. 1970-02-13 — Black Sabbath — Iron Man. The doom-laden 1970 riff that helped define the whole genre.
84. 1970-08-26 — The Isle of Wight Festival 1970. Six hundred thousand gathered for one of the largest gatherings in rock history.
85. 1970-09-18 — Black Sabbath — Paranoid. Black Sabbath's 1970 riffs are widely regarded as the birth of heavy metal.
86. 1970-09-18 — Black Sabbath — War Pigs. Sabbath's anti-war epic is one of metal's foundational statements.
87. 1971-01-01 — Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP's keyboard-driven bombast defined prog's virtuoso wing.
88. 1971-01-01 — Can and krautrock. Germany's Can, Neu! and Kraftwerk built a hypnotic, motorik rock that shaped decades to come.
89. 1971-03-19 — Jethro Tull — Aqualung. Jethro Tull's flute-led hard prog gave 1971 one of its defining albums.
90. 1971-06-25 — The Who — Won't Get Fooled Again. The Who's synth-and-power 1971 epic is one of rock's great statements.
91. 1971-07-01 — The Allman Brothers Band — Whipping Post. The Allmans' improvisational blues-rock defined Southern rock at the Fillmore.
92. 1971-07-02 — T. Rex — Get It On. Marc Bolan's T. Rex kicked off the glam-rock era in 1971.
93. 1971-08-01 — The Concert for Bangladesh. George Harrison's 1971 benefit invented the all-star charity rock concert.
94. 1971-11-08 — Led Zeppelin — Stairway to Heaven. The 1971 epic that became rock radio's most requested song.
95. 1971-11-08 — Yes — Roundabout. Yes brought virtuosity and epic ambition to prog with Roundabout in 1971.
96. 1972-01-01 — Deep Purple — Highway Star. Deep Purple's speed and virtuosity helped lay the groundwork for metal.
97. 1972-03-25 — Deep Purple — Smoke on the Water. One of the most famous riffs ever, from Deep Purple's 1972 Machine Head.
98. 1972-06-06 — David Bowie — Ziggy Stardust. Bowie's 1972 alien rock star invented glam and changed rock's relationship with identity.
99. 1972-07-28 — Mott the Hoople — All the Young Dudes. Bowie's gift to Mott the Hoople became glam's great anthem.
100. 1972-08-01 — Roxy Music — Virginia Plain. Roxy Music and Brian Eno brought art-rock sophistication to glam.
101. 1972-10-06 — Genesis — Watcher of the Skies. Peter Gabriel-era Genesis pushed theatrical prog to new heights.
102. 1972-11-08 — Lou Reed — Walk on the Wild Side. Lou Reed's 1972 solo hit brought the Velvet Underground's edge to the charts.
103. 1973-01-01 — ZZ Top — La Grange. ZZ Top brought Texas boogie to hard rock with La Grange in 1973.
104. 1973-02-07 — The Stooges — Search and Destroy. Iggy Pop and the Stooges pre-invented punk's raw nihilism in Detroit.
105. 1973-03-01 — Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon. The 1973 album, one of the best-selling of all time, is prog's crowning achievement.
106. 1973-06-01 — Lynyrd Skynyrd — Free Bird. Southern rock's grand statement, and the ultimate concert encore, from 1973.
107. 1973-08-01 — Neu! and the motorik pulse. Neu!'s hypnotic 'motorik' beat shaped post-punk, ambient and beyond.
108. 1974-01-01 — Tangerine Dream. Germany's Tangerine Dream turned synthesizers into vast sonic landscapes.
109. 1974-01-01 — Frank Zappa. Zappa's genre-shredding invention made him rock's great iconoclast.
110. 1974-06-01 — Bad Company — Can't Get Enough. Bad Company distilled hard rock to its swaggering essence in 1974.
111. 1974-11-01 — Kraftwerk — Autobahn. Germany's Kraftwerk turned the motorik pulse into the future of electronic music.
112. 1974-11-18 — Genesis — The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Peter Gabriel's theatrical 1974 concept album pushed prog to its limits.
113. 1975-01-01 — CBGB and the New York scene. The grimy Bowery club CBGB birthed punk and new wave — Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads.
114. 1975-02-24 — Led Zeppelin — Kashmir. Zeppelin's towering 1975 epic married hard rock to orchestral grandeur.
115. 1975-03-19 — Kiss — Rock and Roll All Nite. Kiss turned hard rock into a fire-breathing spectacle.
116. 1975-04-01 — Nazareth — Hair of the Dog. Scotland's Nazareth gave hard rock one of its grittiest riffs.
117. 1975-08-01 — Aerosmith — Walk This Way. Aerosmith's 1975 swagger would later spark the hip-hop crossover with Run-DMC.
118. 1975-08-25 — Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run. Springsteen's 1975 anthem made him rock's great American storyteller.
119. 1975-09-12 — Pink Floyd — Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Floyd's 1975 tribute to Syd Barrett is prog's most moving statement.
120. 1975-10-31 — Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody. Queen's 1975 six-minute opera-rock and its pioneering promo video changed everything.
121. 1975-11-10 — Patti Smith — Gloria. Patti Smith's 1975 Horses fused poetry and punk in New York.
122. 1976-01-01 — Rainbow — Stargazer. Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio built epic, mystical hard rock.
123. 1976-03-01 — Thin Lizzy — The Boys Are Back in Town. Thin Lizzy's twin-guitar 1976 anthem is hard rock at its most joyous.
124. 1976-04-01 — Rush — 2112. Canada's Rush made prog's ambition muscular and enduring with 2112.
125. 1976-04-23 — Ramones — Blitzkrieg Bop. The Ramones' 1976 debut fired the starting gun for punk.
126. 1976-05-01 — Blue Öyster Cult — (Don't Fear) The Reaper. Blue Öyster Cult's 1976 classic married hard rock and eerie melody.
127. 1976-08-25 — Boston — More Than a Feeling. Boston's layered 1976 sound defined American album-oriented rock.
128. 1976-11-25 — The Last Waltz. The Band's 1976 farewell, filmed by Scorsese, is one of rock's great concert films.
129. 1976-11-26 — Sex Pistols — Anarchy in the U.K.. The Sex Pistols' 1976 single detonated British punk.
130. 1976-12-08 — Eagles — Hotel California. The Eagles' 1976 title track became one of the best-known songs in rock.
131. 1977-01-01 — The arena rock explosion. By the late '70s, hard rock filled arenas — Kiss, Ted Nugent, Foreigner and Journey.
132. 1977-02-04 — Fleetwood Mac — Dreams. From Rumours, one of the best-selling albums ever, in 1977.
133. 1977-02-08 — Television — Marquee Moon. Television's 1977 guitar interplay made art-punk at CBGB.
134. 1977-02-14 — Heart — Barracuda. Ann and Nancy Wilson made Heart one of the '70s' fiercest hard-rock bands.
135. 1977-03-08 — Foreigner — Feels Like the First Time. Foreigner perfected melodic arena rock in the late '70s.
136. 1977-03-18 — The Clash — White Riot. The Clash brought politics and fury to punk in 1977.
137. 1977-09-16 — Talking Heads — Psycho Killer. Talking Heads brought art-school nerve to new wave with Psycho Killer in 1977.
138. 1977-10-01 — X-Ray Spex — Oh Bondage Up Yours!. Poly Styrene's X-Ray Spex brought fierce feminist energy to British punk.
139. 1977-10-07 — Queen — We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions. Queen's 1977 double-anthem became the sound of stadiums everywhere.
140. 1978-02-10 — Van Halen — Eruption. Eddie Van Halen's 1978 solo reinvented rock guitar overnight.
141. 1978-04-07 — The Police — Roxanne. The Police fused punk energy, reggae and pop into a new-wave breakthrough.
142. 1978-08-01 — Siouxsie and the Banshees — Hong Kong Garden. Siouxsie helped invent goth out of punk's ashes.
143. 1978-08-25 — Devo — (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Devo's jerky 1978 deconstruction announced new wave's art-school wing.
144. 1978-09-08 — Buzzcocks — Ever Fallen in Love. The Buzzcocks married punk speed to perfect pop melody in 1978.
145. 1978-09-23 — Blondie — Heart of Glass. Blondie fused punk, disco and pop into a 1978 new-wave landmark.
146. 1979-06-01 — The B-52's — Rock Lobster. The B-52's brought kitsch, surf and party to new wave in 1979.
147. 1979-06-15 — Joy Division — Love Will Tear Us Apart. Joy Division's bleak, beautiful 1980 single defined post-punk.
148. 1979-07-27 — AC/DC — Highway to Hell. AC/DC's 1979 anthem, Bon Scott's last album, is hard rock distilled.
149. 1979-09-01 — Gang of Four — At Home He's a Tourist. Gang of Four's angular funk-punk shaped decades of alternative rock.
150. 1979-11-01 — The Cure — Boys Don't Cry. The Cure turned post-punk melancholy into enduring art.
151. 1979-11-25 — Yellow Magic Orchestra. Japan's Yellow Magic Orchestra pioneered synth-rock and electronica in the late '70s.
152. 1979-11-30 — Pink Floyd — Another Brick in the Wall. Floyd's 1979 rock opera The Wall closed the prog era with a number one.
153. 1979-12-01 — The Pretenders — Brass in Pocket. Chrissie Hynde led the Pretenders to the top of new wave.
154. 1979-12-14 — The Clash — London Calling. The Clash's 1979 masterpiece burst punk wide open into reggae, rockabilly and more.
155. 1980-01-01 — Diamond Head — Am I Evil?. Diamond Head's NWOBHM classic became a Metallica staple.
156. 1980-01-01 — The German rock underground. From the Scorpions to Rammstein, and krautrock's long shadow, Germany shaped world rock.
157. 1980-01-01 — Dead Kennedys — California Über Alles. Jello Biafra's Dead Kennedys made American hardcore punk sharp and satirical.
158. 1980-01-01 — Australia conquers rock. From AC/DC to INXS and Midnight Oil, Australia became a rock superpower.
159. 1980-04-14 — Judas Priest — Breaking the Law. Judas Priest gave metal its leather-and-studs look and twin-guitar attack.
160. 1980-05-25 — Black Sabbath (with Dio) — Heaven and Hell. Ronnie James Dio reinvented Sabbath and gave metal one of its great voices.
161. 1980-07-25 — AC/DC — Back in Black. AC/DC's tribute to Bon Scott became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
162. 1980-08-16 — Monsters of Rock at Donington. Britain's Donington became the spiritual home of the metal festival.
163. 1980-10-08 — Talking Heads — Once in a Lifetime. Talking Heads' 1980 Brian Eno collaboration expanded new wave's horizons.
164. 1980-10-27 — Motörhead — Ace of Spades. Motörhead's 1980 anthem bridged metal and punk at full speed.
165. 1981-06-01 — Minor Threat — Straight Edge. Ian MacKaye's Minor Threat launched hardcore's straight-edge movement.
166. 1981-08-01 — MTV launches. MTV went on air in 1981 with 'Video Killed the Radio Star', changing how rock was made and sold.
167. 1981-11-01 — Venom — Black Metal. Venom's raw 1981 album named and pointed the way to black metal.
168. 1981-12-01 — Black Flag — Rise Above. Black Flag built the template for American hardcore and the DIY touring circuit.
169. 1982-01-01 — The Misfits — Astro Zombies. Glenn Danzig's Misfits invented horror punk.
170. 1982-03-29 — Iron Maiden — Run to the Hills. Iron Maiden led the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into the '80s.
171. 1982-05-01 — Iron Maiden — The Number of the Beast. Iron Maiden's 1982 album made them metal's flagship band.
172. 1983-03-07 — New Order — Blue Monday. Out of Joy Division, New Order fused post-punk and dance into the best-selling 12-inch ever.
173. 1983-05-28 — The US Festival. The 1983 US Festival, and the festival era it helped launch — from Glastonbury to Coachella, the festival became rock's cathedral.
174. 1983-07-01 — Talking Heads — Burning Down the House. Talking Heads reached their commercial peak with this 1983 hit.
175. 1984-03-24 — Scorpions — Rock You Like a Hurricane. Germany's Scorpions became global hard-rock stars in the '80s.
176. 1984-07-01 — Hüsker Dü — New Day Rising. Hüsker Dü fused hardcore speed and melody, pointing toward alt-rock.
177. 1984-10-01 — The Replacements — I Will Dare. The Replacements' ragged heart made them college rock's beloved underdogs.
178. 1984-11-25 — Band Aid — Do They Know It's Christmas?. Bob Geldof's 1984 charity single set the stage for Live Aid.
179. 1985-01-11 — Rock in Rio. Brazil's Rock in Rio, first held in 1985, became one of the world's biggest festivals.
180. 1985-01-28 — We Are the World. The 1985 charity single gathered a generation of stars in one room.
181. 1985-07-13 — Live Aid. The 1985 global charity concert, and Queen's legendary set, was rock's biggest day.
182. 1985-11-01 — The Jesus and Mary Chain — Just Like Honey. The Mary Chain buried pop melody in feedback and inspired a movement.
183. 1986-01-01 — Soda Stereo and Latin rock. Argentina's Soda Stereo led a wave of rock en español across Latin America.
184. 1986-01-23 — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Founded in 1983 and first inducting in 1986, the Hall enshrined rock's canon.
185. 1986-03-03 — Metallica — Master of Puppets. Metallica's 1986 thrash landmark is one of metal's most revered albums.
186. 1986-07-12 — Queen at Wembley 1986. Queen's Magic Tour peak at Wembley is one of the great live rock documents.
187. 1986-09-01 — Slayer — Angel of Death. Slayer's 1986 Reign in Blood defined thrash's extreme edge.
188. 1986-09-29 — Bon Jovi — Livin' on a Prayer. Bon Jovi's 1986 anthem became the sound of stadium rock.
189. 1987-01-01 — Dinosaur Jr. — Freak Scene. J Mascis's Dinosaur Jr. helped invent '90s indie guitar rock.
190. 1987-03-21 — Anthrax — Indians. Anthrax brought New York energy and crossover thrash to the Big Four.
191. 1987-04-07 — Whitesnake — Here I Go Again. David Coverdale's Whitesnake topped the charts in the '80s hard-rock boom.
192. 1987-08-03 — Def Leppard — Pour Some Sugar on Me. Def Leppard perfected the polished 1980s arena-rock sound.
193. 1987-08-17 — Guns N' Roses — Welcome to the Jungle. Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut brought danger back to hard rock.
194. 1988-03-21 — Pixies — Where Is My Mind?. The Pixies' loud-quiet-loud dynamic shaped Nirvana and all of alt-rock.
195. 1988-08-01 — Jane's Addiction — Jane Says. Jane's Addiction bridged '80s underground and '90s alternative.
196. 1988-08-01 — Mudhoney — Touch Me I'm Sick. Mudhoney's 1988 single crystallized the Seattle grunge sound.
197. 1988-08-15 — Guns N' Roses — Sweet Child o' Mine. Slash's riff made Sweet Child o' Mine GN'R's only US number one.
198. 1988-10-18 — Sonic Youth — Teen Age Riot. Sonic Youth's noise-rock art shaped the entire alternative movement.
199. 1988-11-10 — Metallica — One. Metallica's 1988 anti-war epic and its first video broadened thrash's reach.
200. 1989-01-01 — X Japan and visual kei. X Japan pioneered the flamboyant 'visual kei' movement and made Japan a metal power.
201. 1989-09-01 — Aerosmith — Janie's Got a Gun. Aerosmith's 1989 comeback proved hard rock could tackle serious themes.
202. 1989-10-20 — Nine Inch Nails — Head Like a Hole. Trent Reznor brought industrial rock into the alternative mainstream.
203. 1990-06-01 — Fugazi — Waiting Room. Fugazi built a fierce, principled post-hardcore and a DIY ethic to match.
204. 1990-09-03 — Judas Priest — Painkiller. Judas Priest's 1990 speed-metal onslaught raised the genre's bar.
205. 1990-09-24 — Megadeth — Holy Wars. Dave Mustaine's Megadeth pushed thrash's technical edge on Rust in Peace.
206. 1990-10-09 — Slayer — Seasons in the Abyss. Slayer's dark precision made them thrash's most extreme of the Big Four.
207. 1991-01-01 — Death and the birth of death metal. Chuck Schuldiner's Death pioneered the death-metal genre in Florida.
208. 1991-02-19 — R.E.M. — Losing My Religion. R.E.M.'s 1991 breakthrough brought college rock to the mainstream.
209. 1991-07-07 — Pearl Jam — Alive. Pearl Jam's 1991 debut single made them grunge's other giants.
210. 1991-08-12 — Metallica — Enter Sandman. The 1991 single that took thrash's leaders to global stadiums.
211. 1991-09-10 — Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana's 1991 single ended the hair-metal era and made grunge the sound of a generation.
212. 1991-09-24 — Red Hot Chili Peppers — Under the Bridge. The Chili Peppers' 1991 ballad broke funk-rock into the mainstream.
213. 1991-09-24 — Nevermind knocks off Michael Jackson. When Nirvana's Nevermind hit number one in 1992, the rock landscape changed overnight.
214. 1991-09-28 — Metallica at Monsters of Rock, Moscow. Over a million saw Metallica and others in post-Soviet Moscow in 1991.
215. 1991-11-04 — My Bloody Valentine — Only Shallow. My Bloody Valentine's Loveless defined shoegaze and reshaped guitar rock.
216. 1992-02-25 — Pantera — Walk. Pantera's 1992 groove metal reset the genre for the '90s.
217. 1992-03-02 — Nirvana — Come as You Are. Another single from Nevermind that made Nirvana a generational voice.
218. 1992-04-20 — The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Wembley 1992 united rock's biggest names to honor Queen's late singer.
219. 1992-05-11 — Iron Maiden — Fear of the Dark. Iron Maiden's title track became a live anthem for a generation.
220. 1992-07-13 — Nirvana — Lithium. Another Nevermind single that captured grunge's quiet-loud dynamics.
221. 1992-08-30 — Nirvana at Reading 1992. Nirvana's 1992 Reading headline set became instant legend.
222. 1992-09-21 — Radiohead — Creep. Radiohead's 1992 debut single hinted at the ambition to come.
223. 1992-09-29 — Alice in Chains — Would?. Alice in Chains brought a darker, heavier edge to the Seattle sound.
224. 1992-09-29 — Stone Temple Pilots — Plush. Stone Temple Pilots carried grunge's melody into the mainstream.
225. 1992-11-01 — R.E.M. — Man on the Moon. R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People made them the world's biggest alt band.
226. 1992-11-03 — Rage Against the Machine — Killing in the Name. Rage fused metal, rap and revolt on their incendiary 1992 debut.
227. 1993-05-04 — PJ Harvey — 50ft Queenie. PJ Harvey's raw, fierce rock made her one of the '90s' most vital artists.
228. 1993-09-21 — Nirvana — Heart-Shaped Box. From In Utero, Nirvana's darker, final studio statement.
229. 1993-10-25 — Sepultura — Refuse/Resist. Brazil's Sepultura carried metal's fury to the whole world.
230. 1993-11-18 — Nirvana MTV Unplugged. Nirvana's haunting 1993 acoustic set became one of rock's most beloved performances.
231. 1994-02-01 — Green Day — Basket Case. Green Day's 1994 Dookie brought punk back to the mainstream and launched pop-punk.
232. 1994-02-08 — Soundgarden — Black Hole Sun. Soundgarden's surreal 1994 hit and video defined alt-rock's peak.
233. 1994-03-01 — Beck — Loser. Beck's genre-collapsing 1994 hit captured the slacker era.
234. 1994-04-01 — The Offspring — Self Esteem. The Offspring rode the '90s punk revival to huge success.
235. 1994-04-12 — Hole — Doll Parts. Courtney Love's Hole gave the '90s one of its rawest records.
236. 1994-06-11 — Kyuss and the birth of stoner rock. Josh Homme's Kyuss forged the heavy, fuzzy desert sound of stoner rock.
237. 1994-08-01 — Manic Street Preachers. The Manics carried Welsh fury and intellect into '90s alt-rock.
238. 1994-09-10 — Weezer — Buddy Holly. Weezer and its Spike Jonze video became alt-rock's power-pop peak.
239. 1995-06-19 — Foo Fighters — This Is a Call. Dave Grohl's debut as a frontman launched the Foo Fighters in 1995.
240. 1995-08-14 — Blur — Country House. Blur's 1995 Britpop chart battle with Oasis gripped Britain.
241. 1995-09-01 — Garbage — Only Happy When It Rains. Garbage fused grunge, electronica and pop with Shirley Manson up front.
242. 1995-10-01 — Pulp — Common People. Jarvis Cocker's Pulp gave Britpop its sharpest class anthem.
243. 1995-10-23 — The Smashing Pumpkins — 1979. The Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 nostalgia anthem defined mid-'90s alt-rock.
244. 1995-10-30 — Oasis — Wonderwall. Oasis led Britpop's 1990s charge with Wonderwall.
245. 1996-08-10 — Oasis at Knebworth. A quarter of a million saw Oasis at Knebworth in 1996, Britpop's zenith.
246. 1997-01-01 — Radiohead — Karma Police. Another OK Computer landmark that made Radiohead alt-rock's leaders.
247. 1997-05-21 — Radiohead — Paranoid Android. From OK Computer, Radiohead reinvented what alt-rock could be in 1997.
248. 1997-06-28 — Radiohead at Glastonbury 1997. Radiohead's 1997 headline set is often called the greatest festival performance ever.
249. 1997-07-26 — Fuji Rock Festival. Japan's Fuji Rock, launched in 1997, became Asia's premier rock festival.
250. 1997-08-04 — Foo Fighters — Everlong. Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana band became the standard-bearer of modern rock.
251. 1997-08-25 — Rammstein — Du Hast. Germany's Rammstein made industrial metal a global spectacle.
252. 1999-01-01 — Sleep — Dopesmoker. Sleep's monolithic doom took stoner metal to its slow, heavy extreme.
253. 1999-06-01 — Blink-182 — What's My Age Again?. Blink-182 made pop-punk the sound of the millennial suburbs.
254. 1999-07-23 — Woodstock '99. The 1999 revival descended into fire and chaos — a dark bookend to the festival dream.
255. 2000-06-25 — Bowie at Glastonbury 2000. David Bowie's 2000 Glastonbury headline set is remembered as one of the festival's greatest.
256. 2001-01-01 — Rock am Ring. Germany's Rock am Ring became one of Europe's biggest rock festivals.
257. 2001-05-15 — Tool — Schism. Tool brought art-prog complexity to modern metal.
258. 2001-07-29 — The Strokes — Last Nite. The Strokes' 2001 debut sparked the garage-rock revival of the 2000s.
259. 2001-08-07 — Slipknot — Wait and Bleed. Slipknot brought masked, brutal nu-metal to the mainstream.
260. 2001-08-14 — System of a Down — Chop Suey!. System of a Down fused metal, politics and Armenian melody in 2001.
261. 2001-08-27 — Opeth — The Drapery Falls. Sweden's Opeth fused death metal and prog into something wholly new.
262. 2002-08-19 — Interpol — Obstacle 1. Interpol led the post-punk revival out of New York in the early 2000s.
263. 2002-08-27 — Queens of the Stone Age — No One Knows. Josh Homme's band carried the heavy-rock torch into the new century.
264. 2003-04-01 — Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Maps. Karen O's band gave the 2000s garage revival its most tender moment.
265. 2003-04-01 — The White Stripes — Seven Nation Army. Jack White's 2003 riff became the most chanted in modern sport and rock alike.
266. 2003-05-31 — The Download Festival era. Donington reborn as Download in 2003 anchored the 2000s rock-festival circuit.
267. 2003-08-01 — Explosions in the Sky and post-rock. Explosions in the Sky made instrumental post-rock soar for the 2000s.
268. 2003-09-15 — Muse — Time Is Running Out. Muse fused prog, glam and stadium rock for the new century.
269. 2004-01-12 — Franz Ferdinand — Take Me Out. Franz Ferdinand's angular 2004 hit made indie rock dance.
270. 2004-03-15 — Modest Mouse — Float On. Modest Mouse's 2004 breakout brought indie rock to radio.
271. 2004-08-30 — The Killers — Mr. Brightside. The Killers' 2004 anthem became one of the most enduring rock songs of the century.
272. 2004-08-31 — Lamb of God — Laid to Rest. Lamb of God led the American 'new wave' of heavy metal in the 2000s.
273. 2004-09-14 — Arcade Fire — Wake Up. Arcade Fire's anthemic 2004 debut made indie rock feel vast.
274. 2004-09-20 — Green Day — American Idiot. Green Day's 2004 punk-rock opera made them a stadium act with something to say.
275. 2005-06-01 — Avenged Sevenfold — Bat Country. Avenged Sevenfold carried metal to a huge new-millennium audience.
276. 2005-07-02 — Live 8. The 2005 global concerts, and Pink Floyd's reunion, revived Live Aid's spirit.
277. 2005-10-17 — Arctic Monkeys — I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. Arctic Monkeys rode the internet to become 2000s indie's biggest band.
278. 2006-10-24 — My Chemical Romance — Welcome to the Black Parade. My Chemical Romance made emo a stadium-sized rock opera.
279. 2007-03-12 — LCD Soundsystem — All My Friends. James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem fused post-punk and dance for the 2000s.
280. 2007-06-19 — Paramore — Misery Business. Hayley Williams's Paramore carried pop-punk and emo into the late 2000s.
281. 2008-01-01 — Vampire Weekend — A-Punk. Vampire Weekend brought bright, literate indie to a new decade.
282. 2008-03-04 — MGMT — Kids. MGMT's psych-pop became one of the defining indie songs of the 2000s.
283. 2008-09-22 — Kings of Leon — Sex on Fire. Kings of Leon turned Southern rock into 2000s stadium indie.
284. 2009-03-24 — Mastodon — Oblivion. Mastodon carried progressive metal into the 2000s.
285. 2010-01-01 — Foals — Spanish Sahara. Foals brought math-rock precision to expansive modern indie.
286. 2010-05-11 — The National — Bloodbuzz Ohio. The National made brooding, grown-up indie rock an art form.
287. 2011-12-06 — The Black Keys — Lonely Boy. The Black Keys carried blues-rock to a new generation.
288. 2012-04-24 — Jack White carries the torch. From the White Stripes to a solo career, Jack White became modern rock's foremost guitar evangelist.
289. 2012-10-05 — Tame Impala — Feels Like We Only Go Backwards. Kevin Parker's psych-pop reached a wide audience with Lonerism.
290. 2013-09-09 — Arctic Monkeys — Do I Wanna Know?. Arctic Monkeys reinvented themselves as a global stadium band with AM.
291. 2013-10-01 — Cage the Elephant — Come a Little Closer. Cage the Elephant carried garage-rock energy into the 2010s.
292. 2014-08-22 — Royal Blood — Figure It Out. Royal Blood proved a two-piece could carry heavy rock into the 2010s.
293. 2015-04-21 — Alabama Shakes — Don't Wanna Fight. Brittany Howard's Alabama Shakes revived soul-rock for the 2010s.
294. 2015-07-17 — Tame Impala — Let It Happen. Kevin Parker updated psychedelic rock for the streaming age.
295. 2015-08-01 — Ghost — Cirice. Sweden's theatrical Ghost won a Grammy and made metal a pop spectacle again.
296. 2016-04-01 — Gojira — Silvera. France's Gojira made technical, ecological metal a global force.
297. 2018-08-31 — IDLES — Danny Nedelko. Britain's IDLES revived post-punk with fury and heart.
298. 2019-01-01 — Greta Van Fleet. carried the flame of classic '70s hard rock into the present.
299. 2019-04-01 — Fontaines D.C. — Boys in the Better Land. Ireland's Fontaines D.C. led a new wave of post-punk into the 2020s.
300. 2020-01-01 — The new post-punk wave. Idles, Shame, Squid and Black Midi led a raw British post-punk revival into the 2020s.
301. 2021-01-01 — Black Country, New Road. pushed post-rock and chamber-rock into new territory.
302. 2021-08-27 — Turnstile — Blackout. Turnstile made hardcore joyful and huge for a new generation.
303. 2022-06-01 — Wet Leg — Chaise Longue. Wet Leg's deadpan 2022 debut became indie's viral breakout.

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