Top 10 80s Bands Everyone Loved to Hate

#10: Warrant

Warrant can pretty comfortably be filed into the category of bands that are almost like a caricature of themselves. The excess of the 1980s is very much at the centre of everything they do. And if you don’t like your music delivered with a huge side-serving of innuendos, this band will not be for you. They wanted their listeners to know exactly what type of lifestyle they led, which, for a time, was fine. But as the times changed, people started to find Warrant’s gimmick more and more off-putting. A classic example of a band that could only have existed in the ‘80s.

#9: Tesla

Tesla certainly would have liked to single themselves out from their peers, but even their blues-tinged take on glam metal wasn’t enough to save them. Their haters would be quick to lump them in with any other old band from the era – and in reality, their biggest crime is a simple one. They didn’t really do enough to stand out. Any conversation about 1980s bands that haven’t aged well is going to start with some bigger names. But eventually, Tesla’s music will get a mention, too. They leaned on familiar rock and roll tropes a little too much, and people seemed to simply get bored after a while.

#8: U2

U2 spent many, many years as one of the biggest bands in the world, but it never truly got any better for them in terms of commercial and critical acclaim than the ‘80s. Through albums like “Boy,” “The Joshua Tree,” and “Achtung Baby,” Bono and the boys redefined the sounds of rock music. But the over-the-top persona of their frontman definitely hindered them over the years. People really don’t seem to like Bono, seeing him as incredibly pretentious and self-righteous. Sure, the songs have stood the test of time for the most part, but it can be difficult to even mention U2 without immediately hearing someone complain about their image, attitude, or just the guy out front.

#7: Mötley Crüe

Was there a band that embodied the debauchery of 1980s hair metal quite like Mötley Crüe? These guys didn’t earn their reputation by accident either. No, they actively wanted every last drop of notoriety they could get, so they tended to act as outrageously as possible. Their songs, by today’s standards, could be considered sleazy as can be. But at their core, these guys are provocateurs. The fact that they seemed to commercialize controversy earned them quite a lot of money in the ‘80s, but it also helped to make them almost unpalatable when the decade finally came to its end.

#6: Spandau Ballet

The “new romantic” era certainly was not for everyone. Bands like Spandau Ballet burst onto the scene with their super-suave style and made it very clear that the ‘80s were going to be different from the ‘70s. They scored a few enduring hits with songs like “Gold” and “True,” but it’s easy to see why people may have dismissed them as artificial-sounding or shallow. The mission statement of the band was clear: look cool and lean into melodrama. But for as much as they had their loyal fans, their approach to synth-pop was bound to leave more than a few people totally unimpressed.

#5: Foreigner

Fans of ultra-polished anthemic stadium rock probably enjoy Foreigner just as much as any of their contemporaries. But to many music purists, their incredibly safe approach to music just doesn’t cut the mustard. Everyone loves a good hook, but Foreigner have been accused of writing music that leans far too heavily into the overdramatic side of things. Hit singles like “I Wanna Know What Love Is” are about as ‘80s as it gets. And if you left that decade trying to move on from that kinda thing, chances are, you’re not a Foreigner fan.

#4: Guns N’ Roses

No-one can deny that Guns N’ Roses have talent, and that their early albums proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. But people certainly became tired of Axl Rose’s egocentric behaviour. The lack of end product from that point onwards didn’t help. Showing up late to gigs, several public feuds, and an extremely long wait for the disappointing “Chinese Democracy” changed many fans’ opinions of GNR. The songs themselves are legendary, but it seemed as though the band, and Rose in particular, let their egos define them way too much. A great band, for sure, but one that did themselves no favours.

#3: Poison

Excess was at the core of everything that a lot of ‘80s bands stood for. Poison were not unique in that sense, but boy, did they push things to the limit. Their stage shows, music videos, costumes and overall vibe were seen as “style over substance.” And to their credit, that’s what they were gunning for. But Poison’s haters would be quick to point out that the music, while sometimes fun, was incredibly formulaic and a little bland when you start to peel back the layers. When the grunge era of the 1990s landed, bands like Poison were constantly pointed to as a prime example of why music needed bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

#2: Kiss

Kiss were a party-rock band with a capital “P,” scoring plenty of big-selling hits throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. But for every person who was enthralled by their theatrical edge and fun, catchy hooks, there was another who considered them cheap and gimmicky. Kiss were definitely not reinventing the wheel with their music, but many of their detractors believe that their makeup is by far and away the most interesting thing about them. Strip it away, and you’re just left with generic ‘80s filler. Oh, and it doesn’t help that Gene Simmons has a reputation for being a bit of a pain.

#1: Starship

Starship is one of those bands that you either love or hate. But if their brand of extremely slick, corporatised stadium rock isn’t for you, you are likely to absolutely despise them. Songs like “We Built This City” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” might have been smash hits, but they most certainly split people right down the middle. In fact, they are often cited as one of the prime examples of bad ‘80s music. To this day, they’ve retained a very special position in the pantheon of bands from that era, as a group whose music has aged like milk to a lot of people.

What ‘80s bands can’t help but get under your skin? Let us know in the comments below.