Top 10 Alternative Bands of the 1980s
Find links below to buy the music Featured in this video!
This decade saw bands come out of the underground, add electronic elements to their sound and pave the way for the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 alternative bands of the 1980s.
New Order/ iTunes Amazon
The Cure/ iTunes Amazon
INXS/ iTunes Amazon
Simple Minds/ iTunes Amazon
Hüsker Dü/ iTunes Amazon
Pixies/ iTunes Amazon
Cutting Crew/ iTunes Amazon
Eurythmics/ iTunes Amazon
The Replacements/ iTunes Amazon
Talking Heads/ iTunes Amazon
The Go-Go’s/ iTunes Amazon
Depeche Mode/ iTunes Amazon
The Smiths/ iTunes Amazon
R.E.M./ iTunes Amazon
Tears for Fears/ iTunes Amazon
This is part of a series of videos spanning the decades of alternative rock music from the 1970s to the 2000s, and includes our lists of the Top 10 Alternative Bands of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s as well as the Top 10 Punk Bands and Top 10 Grunge Bands. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 alternative bands of the 1980s. Special thanks to our users akt, scsvlogs and ninjakittycat1423 for submitting the idea on our Suggest Page at WatchMojo.com/suggest!
If you want to suggest an idea for a WatchMojo video, check out our interactive Suggestion Tool at 🙂
Check us out at Twitter.com/WatchMojo and Facebook.com/WatchMojo
We have T-Shirts! Be sure to check out for more info.
I fucking LOATHE morressy, the pretentious scum-fuck. He cant sing worth a fuck and his shit is WAY too esoteric for anyone that isnt in their little cult. His gargantuan ego doesnt help either. No sir, the smiths and morressy are NOT on my Ipod.
I exploded when i heard the cure is no#1 on the list. Of course I knew they would be on the list cause…it's THE CURE! My favorite band of all time ,about 5 years since i was 11.
R.E.M. would’ve been my number 1.
I think Husker Du should have been on the solid list but all in all pretty solid
Top 10 the cure songs
Tears for fears❤❤❤
All these songs save me from the songs of today!
Here's how I would do it:
1. The Cure
2. R.E.M.
3. The Smiths
4. Depeche Mode
5. New Order
6. Hüsker Dü
7. Siouxsie and the Banshees
8. The Replacements
9. U2
10. Pixies
Honourable mentions:
Sonic Youth
Talking Heads
Violent Femmes
Joy Division
The Jesus and Mary Chain
What? No Oingo Boingo?
Beastie Boys where are they and is tears for fears is the worst band ever
Why the Pixies are so low?
1-U2 (They were very alternative for the mainstream
2-The Clash
3-Talking Heads
4-Smiths
5-Pixies
6-Depeche Mode
7-New Order
8-R.E.M
9-The Cure
10-Eurythmics
I stopped watching when Tears for Fears appeared AFTER THE SMITHS, ridiculous
R.E.M ? is a joke right?
Tears For Fears! Yes!
I'm surprised they included Pixies on their list. They're absolutely correct that the grunge movement basically owed itself to the Boston band, but they never had much commercial success.
Cutting Crew?
Seriously???
Talk about ‘one hit wonder’
Sheeesh
Lots of things that are much more like synth pop than 1990s and 2000s alternative music
Depeche Mode is the only mode
My personal list
#10: Joy Division
#9: Siouxsie and the Banshees
#8: Echo and the Bunnymen
#7: Tears for Fears
#6: Duran Duran
#5: Gary Numan
#4: The Cure
#3: The Smiths
#2: New Order
#1: Depeche Mode