100 Essential rock Albums Everyone Should Own

Creating a definitive list of 100 essential rock albums is challenging, given rock’s many subgenres, influences, and evolution over the decades. Below is a wide-ranging selection that covers classic rock, punk, alternative, grunge, metal, progressive rock, and more. These albums not only shaped the genre but remain must-haves for any music lover.

1960s: The Foundations of Rock

1. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
2. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969)
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced (1967)
4. The Doors – The Doors (1967)
5. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)
6. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
7. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
8. The Who – Tommy (1969)
9. Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)
10. The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

1970s: The Golden Age of Rock

11. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
12. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
13. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
14. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
15. The Clash – London Calling (1979)
16. The Ramones – Ramones (1976)
17. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
18. The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St. (1972)
19. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
20. Queen – A Night at the Opera (1975)
21. The Eagles – Hotel California (1976)
22. Deep Purple – Machine Head (1972)
23. AC/DC – Highway to Hell (1979)
24. Rush – 2112 (1976)
25. Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
26. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd (1973)
27. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East (1971)
28. T. Rex – Electric Warrior (1971)
29. Yes – Close to the Edge (1972)
30. Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
31. The Stooges – Fun House (1970)
32. The Who – Who’s Next (1971)
33. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush (1970)
34. Jethro Tull – Aqualung (1971)
35. Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)
36. Boston – Boston (1976)
37. ZZ Top – Tres Hombres (1973)
38. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
39. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
40. Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure (1973)

1980s: Punk, New Wave, and the Rise of Alternative

41. The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead (1986)
42. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)
43. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
44. R.E.M. – Murmur (1983)
45. Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)
46. Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)
47. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
48. Pixies – Doolittle (1989)
49. Prince – Purple Rain (1984)
50. The Police – Synchronicity (1983)
51. AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)
52. The Replacements – Let It Be (1984)
53. Joy Division – Closer (1980)
54. Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (1982)
55. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
56. Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)
57. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation (1988)
58. Public Image Ltd – Metal Box (1979)
59. Motörhead – Ace of Spades (1980)
60. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy (1985)

1990s: The Grunge Era and Alternative Rock Explosion

61. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
62. Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)
63. Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
64. Soundgarden – Superunknown (1994)
65. Alice in Chains – Dirt (1992)
66. Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)
67. Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
68. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
69. Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album) (1994)
70. Green Day – Dookie (1994)
71. Blur – Parklife (1994)
72. Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (1992)
73. Beck – Odelay (1996)
74. Hole – Live Through This (1994)
75. Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape (1997)
76. Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible (1994)
77. Deftones – Around the Fur (1997)
78. Stone Temple Pilots – Core (1992)
79. Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
80. Portishead – Dummy (1994)

2000s: Indie, Garage Rock, and Post-Rock Resurgence

81. The White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
82. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
83. The Strokes – Is This It (2001)
84. Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights (2002)
85. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002)
86. The Killers – Hot Fuss (2004)
87. Muse – Absolution (2003)
88. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell (2003)
89. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (2004)
90. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

2010s and Beyond: The Evolution of Rock

91. Tame Impala – Currents (2015)
92. Arctic Monkeys – AM (2013)
93. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) (while not purely rock, it’s one of the most experimental and boundary-pushing albums of the 2010s)
94. War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding (2017)
95. Royal Blood – Royal Blood (2014)
96. The Black Keys – El Camino (2011)
97. St. Vincent – Masseduction (2017)
98. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity (2016)
99. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City (2013)
100. Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018)

This list spans six decades of rock music, showcasing its ever-evolving landscape. Each album has left a lasting mark on music, shaping genres, inspiring generations of musicians, and defining the rock sound.