Top 15 Greatest Ever Hair Bands

#15: Quiet Riot

The heavy metal history books will never forget Quiet Riot, since it was this band’s third album, “Metal Health,” that was the first from this genre to top the Billboard 200 Chart. And sure, a lot of ink has been spilled concerning Quiet Riot’s successful cover song ventures, like their take on “Cum On Feel the Noize” by Slade. That said, Quiet Riot originals, such as the album’s title track and the super underrated “Breathless,” prove that their success didn’t occur in a vacuum. This was a band that was exploring heavier territory at just the right time and at the right place. And Quiet Riot had the mettle (pun intended) to get the job done.

#14: Hanoi Rocks

This Finnish group could be considered something like a “proto-hair metal” outfit; a progenitor whose skill and style would influence a lot of bands in their wake. Hanoi Rocks combined a glam sound that was still rooted in the 1970s with a more aggressive and metallic edge. Michael Monroe was a powerful and dynamic frontman, while Hanoi Rocks’ songwriting also wasn’t afraid to be melodic. Unfortunately, a fatal car accident in 1984 claimed the life of Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, while the latter was riding in a car driven by Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil. Hanoi Rocks broke up after, essentially missing their window for hair metal superstardom.

#13: Ratt

The discography of Ratt is one chock full of bangers, from their 1984 debut full length, “Out of the Cellar” to 1990’s “Detonator” and their 2018 reunion effort, “Infestation.” Simply stated: their one of the best to ever do it, exemplifying a Sunset Strip metal sound that was sleazy, slick and in no deficit of sick riffs. Guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby ripped it up with aplomb, while bassist Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer laid down an aggressive rhythm section that always kept things moving with killer grooves. Finally, frontman Stephen Pearcy possessed a voice that was immediately distinct and easily recognizable. Ratt Rules, and we’ll hear no argument to the contrary!

#12: Twisted Sister

Hey, even heavy metal has its fair share of one hit wonders, right? Twisted Sister fans may balk at that assertion, but this really isn’t intended as a slight. That’s because Dee Snider and the boys actually had plenty of deep cuts that could rock right along their biggest selling-single, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Twisted Sister jams like “Hot Love,” “Burn in Hell,” “The Price” or “Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)” all sounded different from one another, and this served as part of their appeal. Snider is an underrated singer, too, possessing a lot of power and range, in addition to his massive personality and charisma.

#11: Whitesnake

Hair metal was big business during the 1980s, and this meant that even established rock bands like Whitesnake could pivot their heavy roots into something more polished. Actually, make that extremely polished in this case, since former Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale’s natural good looks made him a perfect glam rock poster boy. This, combined with Coverdale’s murderer’s row of musicians backing him up, meant that Whitesnake had it made in the shade. Albums like “Slide It In,” “1987” and “Slip of the Tongue” still retained Coverdale’s bluesy pedigree, but added in heaps of slick speed and preening style in order to compete with the younger acts out there on the street. And it worked.

#10: Cinderella

Philadelphia’s Cinderella only really released one complete glam metal record during the course of their recorded existence…but it was a darn good one. “Night Songs” had the compositional chops. It had the riffs. It also had songwriter Tom Keifer’s paint-peeling voice, and big-time hits like “Somebody Save Me” and “Nobody’s Fool.” The group’s solid follow-up, “Long Cold Winter,” still retained vestiges of this sound, but the blues-rock writing was already on the wall. Keifer would steer Cinderella further into this direction on both “Heartbreak Station” and “Still Climbing,” but glam fans will probably never forget how “Night Songs” rocked their heads off back in ‘86.

#9: Def Leppard

Def Leppard isn’t just a rock band, or a metal band. They’re basically an institution at this point, hitting at ground zero of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal before graduating to full-fledged stadium superstars. Melody has always been the name of the game when it comes to Def Leppard, with influences as diverse as Sweet, Queen and Thin Lizzy all being stirred into the group’s creative pot. Def Lep has evolved through it all, from their hungry headbanging days to embarking upon world-conquering tours in support of LPs like “Pyromania” and “Hysteria.” So yeah, Def Leppard isn’t “just” a hair metal band, but instead a group with a wealth of respectable history and killer tunes.

#8: KISS

The act of slipping into something a little more comfortable (like hair metal ) seemed to fit like a well-oiled glove for the members of KISS back in the ‘80s. This was an era where the band’s make-up was coming off and Paul Stanley’s vocals were taking more of a lead role. Gene Simmons was indulging in acting, so it was time for The Star Child to take center stage on songs like “Tears Are Falling,” “King of the Mountain,” “Thrills in the Night” or “I’ll Fight Hell to Hold You.” KISS would eventually temper this extreme shift in aggression and speed, but fans will likely never forget how, for a little while at least, “The Hottest Band in the World” was also The Hairiest.

#7: Warrant

It’s a crying shame that Warrant’s main songwriter Jani Lane didn’t get the respect he deserved prior to his untimely passing in 2011. The musician struggled to get out of the huge shadow cast by the international success of “Cherry Pie,” a song Lane was said to have detested. That tune certainly wasn’t indicative of Warrant’s other, heavier and frankly better songs, such as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” or “Mr. Rainmaker.” Elsewhere, Warrant’s defiant thumb-in-the-eye of grunge, “Dog Eat Dog” was released in 1992 and featured some of Lane’s best songwriting up until that point. Tracks like “April 2031,” “The Bitter Pill” and particularly “All My Bridges Are Burning” proved that Warrant wasn't just about edible fruit or matching white suits: they were the real deal.

#6: Guns N’ Roses

There will probably always be a marginal line dividing those that label Guns N’ Roses a hair band versus those that would consider this legendary rock band “above” that sort of label. Regardless, we feel that the “Appetite For Destruction” album alone merits GnR for inclusion on this list. The hair spray force was strong on that release, lending a certain shine to certified album bangers like “It’s So Easy,” “Nighttrain,” and “Mr. Brownstone.” Elsewhere, deep cuts like “My Michelle” and particularly “Think About You” would set the stage for a full-blown Guns N’ Roses domination on the epic, two-part “Use Your Illusion” album cycle during the early nineties.

#5: Skid Row

The self-titled debut from New Jersey’s Skid Row went quintuple platinum in the United States on the strength of four amazing singles. It was the follow-up, however, 1991’s “Slave to the Grind,” that made history, doubling the success of Quiet Riot as being the first metal effort to reach the Billboard 200 chart during the era of SoundScan. Both albums featured Skid Row’s generationally talented singer, Sebastian Bach, whose voice assisted the heavier, grittier sound of “Slave to the Grind” on songs like “Quicksand Jesus,” “Wasted Time” and the epic title track. Elsewhere, tunes like “Riot Act” bucked hair metal trends of the day by adopting a punk sensibility, significantly increasing Skid Row’s stock as a genre all-timer.

#4: Poison

So, was Poison the most talented band from the hair metal era? Well…no, but that didn’t really matter, because that was never really the assignment. Poison understood their role as a link between glam’s ‘70s past and how rock ‘n roll was progressing into the ‘80s. Their sound was all about looks as well as hooks, keeping things simple and anthemic with hits like “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and “Fallen Angel.” Elsewhere, cuts like the title track to their smash LP, “Look What the Cat Dragged In” were a smidge heavier, enabling Poison to appeal to a wide demographic with their multi-platinum stadium rock sound.

#3: Alice Cooper

The career of Alice Cooper is one that’s always had a finger on the pulse of pop culture, influencing shock rock in the seventies before experimenting with new wave and, yes, hair metal during the 1980s. This latter genre actually served as a revitalizing force for The Coop throughout that decade with multiple lineups of musicians. The Kane Roberts era would see horror hits like “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask),” while hit LPs like “Trash” and “Hey Stoopid” were even more successful. This period saw Alice Cooper emerging from the troubling shadows of substance use disorder, utilizing a muscular hair metal sound to earn certified hits like “Feed My Frankenstein” as well as deep cut ballads like “Might As Well Be on Mars.”

#2: Bon Jovi

They set the template, and then broke the mold. Bon Jovi were, quite frankly, THE sound of pop metal throughout the 1980s. Yet, it was the spirit of working class rock ‘n roll, a la Bruce Springsteen and Thin Lizzy, that helped anchor Jon and The Boys to their ever-expanding fan base. This allowed for early hits like “Only Lonely” and “Runaway” to sit alongside multi-platinum smashes like “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ On a Prayer” or “Born to Be My Baby” as exemplary tunes from the hair metal era. Bon Jovi would eventually conquer the world, of course, while continuing to do things their way.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Dokken

Grit Meets Glam With George Lynch’s Guitar and Don Dokken’s Voice

W.A.S.P.

Shock Rock Sleaze For the Eighties

Scorpions

Germany’s Finest Conquer Krautrock…then the World

Vixen

Smashing Through the Glam Metal Boys’ Club

Europe

Much More Than Just “The Final Countdown”

#1: Mötley Crüe

They’re the group that’s synonymous with the 1980s glam metal sound, while also being responsible for one of the genre’s all-time, top 10, no-skip releases. Mötley Crüe’s “Shout at the Devil” had all the tools to prove their genre’s legitimacy during its period of cultural dominance. It combined heavy riffs with slick production, energetic drumming and Vince Neil’s snarling, charismatic vocals. Mötley Crüe were also a group that felt dangerous, walking it like they talked it by living the ultimate rock ‘n roll fantasy…which eventually turned into a nightmare of substance use disorder. Yet, it would be The Crüe as an entity that would ultimately emerge victorious from the shadows, dominating the scene as its biggest and most recognizable name.

Were you there for the glory days of hair metal? Or wish you were? Sound off in the comments!