List of alternative rock artists
Appearance
This is a list of alternative rock artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as in the case of one that has been on a major label, but not limited to such). This list does not include little-known local bands. Bands are listed by the first letter in their name (not including the words "a", "an", or "the"), and individuals are listed by last name.
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A
- The Academy Is...
- Adorable
- The Afghan Whigs
- AFI
- Age of Chance
- Alice in Chains
- Alien Ant Farm
- ALPHA 60
- American Analog Set
- American Music Club
- American Hi-Fi
- Tori Amos
- Amp
- The Amps
- …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
- Anberlin
- Angels & Airwaves
- Fiona Apple
- The Apples in Stereo
- Arcade Fire
- Archers of Loaf
- Architecture in Helsinki
- Arctic Monkeys
- Army of Anyone
- Ash
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation
- Richard Ashcroft
- The Ataris
- Audioslave
- Melissa Auf der Maur
- Augie March
- Autolux
B
- Babes in Toyland
- Babyshambles
- Badly Drawn Boy
- Band of Susans
- Barenaked Ladies
- Lou Barlow
- Baskervils
- Bauhaus
- Beat Happening
- Beck
- Belle & Sebastian
- The Belltower
- Belly
- Ben Folds Five
- Better Than Ezra
- Biffy Clyro
- Big Audio Dynamite
- Big Black
- Bikini Kill
- Billy Talent
- Björk
- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
- Blind Melon
- Blink-182
- Bloc Party
- Blonde Redhead
- Blur
- The Boo Radleys
- Billy Bragg
- The Bravery
- The Breeders
- Breaking Benjamin
- Brian Jonestown Massacre
- Bright Eyes
- Broken Social Scene
- Ian Brown
- Jeff Buckley
- Buffalo Tom
- Built to Spill
- Bush
- Kate Bush
- Butthole Surfers
- Bullet for my valentine
C
- Caesars
- Cake
- The Call
- Bill Callahan
- Camper Van Beethoven
- Candlebox
- Jerry Cantrell
- The Cardigans
- Carter USM
- Catatonia
- Catherine Wheel
- Cat Power
- The Charlatans
- Billy Childish
- The Church
- Cibo Matto
- Jarvis Cocker
- Cocteau Twins
- Cold
- Coldplay
- Collective Soul
- Concrete Blonde
- The Constantines
- Julian Cope
- Billy Corgan
- Cornershop
- Counting Crows
- Cowboy Junkies
- Cracker
- The Cramps
- The Cranberries
- The Creatures
- Creed
- Crooked Fingers
- The Cure
- Cobra Starship
- The Cab
- Cute is What We Aim For
D
- The Dandy Warhols
- The Darling Buds
- Dashboard Confessional
- The Datsuns
- The dB's
- Dead Can Dance
- The Dead Milkmen
- Death Cab for Cutie
- The Decemberists
- Deerhoof
- Deftones
- The Delgados
- Depeche Mode
- Die Kreuzen
- Dinosaur Jr.
- Dirty Pretty Things
- Dirty Three
- Dishwalla
- The Distillers
- Donna the Buffalo
- Dramarama
- Dream Syndicate
- The Dresden Dolls
E
- Echo & the Bunnymen
- Echobelly
- Editors
- Eels
- Elastica
- Elbow
- Electrasy
- Electronic
- Embrace
- EMF
- Erase Errata
- Ethyl Meatplow
- Everclear
- Evermore
- Explosions in the Sky
F
- Faith No More
- The Fall
- Fall Out Boy
- Fastbacks
- Fastball
- Feeder
- The Feelies
- The Fiery Furnaces
- Filter
- Finger Eleven
- Firehose
- Fishbone
- Flobots
- The Flaming Lips
- Folk Implosion
- Foo Fighters
- Fountains of Wayne
- The Frames
- Frank Black and the Catholics
- Franz Ferdinand
- The Fratellis
- The Fray
- Frou Frou
- Fuel
- Fugazi
- The Futureheads
G
- Gackt
- Eric Gaffney
- Galaxie 500
- Garbage
- Gas Huffer
- Gene Loves Jezebel
- Gin Blossoms
- Glasvegas
- The Go-Betweens
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- Gomez
- Goo Goo Dolls
- The Good, the Bad and the Queen
- Matthew Good
- Gorillaz
- Green Day
- Green River
- Grinderman
- Guadalcanal Diary
- Guided by Voices
- Gumball
- Guster
H
- Half Japanese
- Half Man Half Biscuit
- Happy Mondays
- Hard-Fi
- Ben Harper
- P.J. Harvey
- Imogen Heap
- Hed PE
- Helium
- Helmet
- His Name Is Alive
- The Hives
- Robyn Hitchcock
- Hole
- Hoobastank
- Hoodoo Gurus
- Hootie and the Blowfish
- Hot Hot Heat
- Hot Snakes
- The House of Love
- The Housemartins
- Hum
- Hüsker Dü
I
J
- James
- James Iha
- Jane's Addiction
- Jawbox
- The Jesus and Mary Chain
- Jesus Jones
- The Jesus Lizard
- Jet
- Jimmy Chamberlin Complex
- Jimmy Eat World
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
- Juliette and the Licks
- Jimmy Robbins
- Jamestown story
- Jeffree Star
K
- Kaiser Chiefs
- Kasabian
- Keane
- Kent
- Kill Hannah
- Killdozer
- The Killers
- Killing Joke
- The Kills
- King Missile
- Kings of Convenience
- Kings of Leon
- Kitchens of Distinction
- Klaxons
- The Kooks
- Kula Shaker
- Kyuss
L
- L7
- The La's
- The Lemonheads
- Let's Active
- Letters to Cleo
- Letzte Instanz
- The Levellers
- Liars
- The Libertines
- Lifehouse
- The Lilac Time
- Lit
- The Little Thieves (band)
- Live
- Local H
- Jason Loewenstein
- Louis XIV
- Love and Rockets
- Love Spit Love
- Low
- Luna
- Luscious Jackson
- Lush
- L.i.E.
M
- Mad Season
- Madrugada
- The Maine (band)
- Magic Dirt
- Malfunkshun
- Man or Astro-man?
- Mando Diao
- Manic Street Preachers
- Mansun
- The Mars Volta
- Matchbox Twenty
- Maxïmo Park
- Mazzy Star
- McLusky
- Metro Station
- Meat Puppets
- The Mekons
- The Melvins
- Mercury Rev
- Metric
- Midnight Oil
- Ministry
- The Minutemen
- Mission of Burma
- Mission U.K.
- Modest Mouse
- Mogwai
- Moist
- Monaco
- Moonbabies
- Morcheeba
- Morningwood
- Morphine
- Alanis Morissette
- Morrissey
- Mother Love Bone
- Motion City Soundtrack
- Bob Mould
- The Mountain Goats
- Mudhoney
- Shawn Mullins
- Peter Murphy
- Muse
- Mute Math
- The Music
- My Bloody Valentine
- My Chemical Romance
- My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
- My Morning Jacket
- My Sister's Machine
- Myslovitz
N
- Nada Surf
- The National
- Kitchie Nadal
- Ned's Atomic Dustbin
- Nerf Herder
- Neutral Milk Hotel
- New Model Army
- New Order
- The New Pornographers
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Nickelback
- Nine Days
- Nine Inch Nails
- Nirvana
- No Doubt
O
- Oasis
- O.A.R.
- The Ocean Blue
- Odds
- Of Montreal
- The Offspring
- OK Go
- One Republic
- Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
- Orange and Lemons
- Beth Orton
- Ostava
- Our Lady Peace
P
- P
- Pale Saints
- Panic at the Disco
- Paramore
- Parokya ni Edgar
- The Pastels
- Pavement
- Pearl Jam
- Pennywise
- Pere Ubu
- A Perfect Circle
- Peter Bjorn and John
- Liz Phair
- Phantom Planet
- Phish
- Pinback
- Pixies
- Placebo
- Pluto (Portuguese)
- Poets of the Fall
- The Pogues
- Polvo
- The Polyphonic Spree
- Pop Will Eat Itself
- Porcupine Tree
- Porno for Pyros
- Portishead
- The Posies
- The Postal Service
- Poster Children
- Powderfinger
- The Presidents of the United States of America
- Primal Scream
- The Primitives
- Primus
- The Prodigy
- The Psychedelic Furs
- Public Image Ltd.
- Pulp
- Pussy Galore
Q
R
- The Raconteurs
- Radiohead
- Rage Against the Machine
- The Railway Children
- Rancid
- Rapeman
- The Rasmus
- Rasputina
- Raveonettes
- Razorlight
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Red House Painters
- Redd Kross
- Reef
- Reel Big Fish
- R.E.M.
- Rediscover
- Remy Zero
- Relient K
- The Rentals
- The Replacements
- Republica
- Revenge
- Ride
- Rise Against
- Rivermaya
- Rocket from the Crypt
- The Rockfords
- Rollins Band
- Royal Trux
S
- Sahara Hotnights
- School of Fish
- Scratch Acid
- Screaming Jets
- Screaming Trees
- Sebadoh
- Seether
- Semisonic
- The Shamen
- Shellac
- Sherwood (UK band)
- The Shins
- Shout Out Louds
- Shudder to Think
- Signs In The Sky
- Sigur Rós
- Silverchair
- Silversun Pickups
- The Silver Jews
- Siouxsie & the Banshees
- Sister Hazel
- Sisters of Mercy
- Six Finger Satellite
- Skin Yard
- Skunk Anansie
- Sleater-Kinney
- Slint
- Sloan
- Slowdive
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Smoking Popes
- Elliott Smith
- The Smiths
- The Smithereens
- Snow Patrol
- Social Distortion
- Sonic Youth
- Soul Asylum
- Soul Coughing
- The Sounds
- Soundgarden
- Spacehog
- Spacemen 3
- Spiritualized
- Spoon
- Stabbing Westward
- The Starlings
- Stars
- Starsailor
- Stereolab
- Stereophonics
- The Stone Roses
- Stone Temple Pilots
- The Strokes
- The Subways
- Sublime
- Suede
- Sugar
- Sugar Ray
- The Sugarcubes
- Sum 41
- The Sundays
- Sunny Day Real Estate
- Superchunk
- Superdrag
- Super Furry Animals
- Supergrass
- Surrounded
- Matthew Sweet
- Swervedriver
- Switchfoot
- Silverstein
- Secondhand Serenade
- Serj Tankian
T
- TAD
- Tangerine Dream
- Tapes 'n Tapes
- Tappi Tíkarrass
- The Tea Party
- Team Sleep
- Teenage Fanclub
- Tegan and Sara
- Temple of the Dog
- Th' Faith Healers
- Theory of a Deadman
- Therapy?
- They Might Be Giants
- Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
- Third Eye Blind
- This Mortal Coil
- Thom Yorke
- Throwing Muses
- Three Fish
- TISM
- Toad the Wet Sprocket
- Tones on Tail
- Tonic
- Tool
- Tokio Hotel
- Trashcan Sinatras
- Travis
- TV on the Radio
U
V
- The Vaselines
- Versus
- Vertical Horizon
- Veruca Salt
- The Verve
- The Verve Pipe
- The Vines
- Violent Femmes
- Volcano Suns
- The Von Bondies
- Voxtrot
W
- The Wallflowers
- Wannadies
- We Are Scientists
- The Wedding Present
- Ween
- Weezer
- Wellwater Conspiracy
- Paul Westerberg
- White Magic
- The White Stripes
- The White Tie Affair
- Wilco
- Wintersleep
- Wolf Parade
- The Wonder Stuff
X
The Wombats