80s Alternative
Dive into the best 80s post-punk, goth, and college rock songs in one free, non-stop playlist of dark atmospherics and jangly guitars. This is the sound that launched alternative rock, from Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees to The Smiths, R.E.M., and Echo & the Bunnymen. Hit play for a continuous stream of essential 1980s post-punk and indie hits, or build your own playlist from the tracks that defined the underground.
This 80s Alternative playlist features 276 songs you can stream free, with no sign-up required. Every track plays in order — or shuffle and skip to jump straight to the songs you want to hear.
#TitleArtistYear
| # | Title | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Forest | The Cure | 1980 |
| 2 | Primary | The Cure | 1981 |
| 3 | Faith | The Cure | 1981 |
| 4 | The Hanging Garden | The Cure | 1982 |
| 5 | One Hundred Years | The Cure | 1982 |
| 6 | Let's Go to Bed | The Cure | 1982 |
| 7 | The Walk | The Cure | 1983 |
| 8 | The Lovecats | The Cure | 1983 |
| 9 | The Caterpillar | The Cure | 1984 |
| 10 | In Between Days | The Cure | 1985 |
| 11 | Close to Me | The Cure | 1985 |
| 12 | A Night Like This | The Cure | 1985 |
| 13 | Boys Don't Cry (New Voice) | The Cure | 1986 |
| 14 | Catch | The Cure | 1987 |
| 15 | Just Like Heaven | The Cure | 1987 |
| 16 | Why Can't I Be You? | The Cure | 1987 |
| 17 | Hot Hot Hot!!! | The Cure | 1987 |
| 18 | Lullaby | The Cure | 1989 |
| 19 | Fascination Street | The Cure | 1989 |
| 20 | Lovesong | The Cure | 1989 |
| 21 | Pictures of You | The Cure | 1989 |
| 22 | Disintegration | The Cure | 1989 |
| 23 | Plainsong | The Cure | 1989 |
| 24 | Play for Today | The Cure | 1980 |
| 25 | Other Voices | The Cure | 1981 |
| 26 | Charlotte Sometimes | The Cure | 1981 |
| 27 | Christine | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1980 |
| 28 | Israel | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1980 |
| 29 | Spellbound | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1981 |
| 30 | Arabian Knights | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1981 |
| 31 | Fireworks | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1982 |
| 32 | Slowdive | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1982 |
| 33 | Melt! | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1982 |
| 34 | Dear Prudence | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1983 |
| 35 | Swimming Horses | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1984 |
| 36 | Dazzle | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1984 |
| 37 | Cities in Dust | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1985 |
| 38 | Candyman | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1986 |
| 39 | This Wheel's on Fire | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1987 |
| 40 | Peek-a-Boo | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1988 |
| 41 | The Killing Jar | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1988 |
| 42 | The Last Beat of My Heart | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1988 |
| 43 | Happy House | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1980 |
| 44 | Red Light | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1980 |
| 45 | Into the Light | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1981 |
| 46 | Night Shift | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 1981 |
| 47 | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 48 | Transmission | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 49 | Atmosphere | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 50 | Isolation | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 51 | Decades | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 52 | Dead Souls | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 53 | She's Lost Control | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 54 | Heart and Soul | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 55 | Passover | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 56 | Twenty Four Hours | Joy Division | 1980 |
| 57 | Hand in Glove | The Smiths | 1983 |
| 58 | This Charming Man | The Smiths | 1983 |
| 59 | What Difference Does It Make? | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 60 | Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 61 | William, It Was Really Nothing | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 62 | How Soon Is Now? | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 63 | Barbarism Begins at Home | The Smiths | 1985 |
| 64 | Shakespeare's Sister | The Smiths | 1985 |
| 65 | That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore | The Smiths | 1985 |
| 66 | The Boy with the Thorn in His Side | The Smiths | 1985 |
| 67 | Bigmouth Strikes Again | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 68 | Panic | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 69 | Ask | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 70 | Shoplifters of the World Unite | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 71 | Sheila Take a Bow | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 72 | Girlfriend in a Coma | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 73 | Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 74 | I Started Something I Couldn't Finish | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 75 | Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 76 | There Is a Light That Never Goes Out | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 77 | Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 78 | Still Ill | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 79 | Reel Around the Fountain | The Smiths | 1984 |
| 80 | The Headmaster Ritual | The Smiths | 1985 |
| 81 | Cemetry Gates | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 82 | I Know It's Over | The Smiths | 1986 |
| 83 | A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours | The Smiths | 1987 |
| 84 | Suedehead | Morrissey | 1988 |
| 85 | Everyday Is Like Sunday | Morrissey | 1988 |
| 86 | The Last of the Famous International Playboys | Morrissey | 1989 |
| 87 | Interesting Drug | Morrissey | 1989 |
| 88 | Ouija Board, Ouija Board | Morrissey | 1989 |
| 89 | Hairdresser on Fire | Morrissey | 1988 |
| 90 | Radio Free Europe | R.E.M. | 1981 |
| 91 | Talk About the Passion | R.E.M. | 1983 |
| 92 | So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) | R.E.M. | 1984 |
| 93 | (Don't Go Back To) Rockville | R.E.M. | 1984 |
| 94 | Driver 8 | R.E.M. | 1985 |
| 95 | Can't Get There from Here | R.E.M. | 1985 |
| 96 | Fall on Me | R.E.M. | 1986 |
| 97 | Superman | R.E.M. | 1986 |
| 98 | The One I Love | R.E.M. | 1987 |
| 99 | It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) | R.E.M. | 1987 |
| 100 | Finest Worksong | R.E.M. | 1987 |
| 101 | Orange Crush | R.E.M. | 1988 |
| 102 | Stand | R.E.M. | 1988 |
| 103 | Pop Song 89 | R.E.M. | 1989 |
| 104 | Get Up | R.E.M. | 1989 |
| 105 | Pretty Persuasion | R.E.M. | 1984 |
| 106 | Harborcoat | R.E.M. | 1984 |
| 107 | Cuyahoga | R.E.M. | 1986 |
| 108 | Begin the Begin | R.E.M. | 1986 |
| 109 | Welcome to the Occupation | R.E.M. | 1987 |
| 110 | I Will Follow | U2 | 1980 |
| 111 | Gloria | U2 | 1981 |
| 112 | New Year's Day | U2 | 1983 |
| 113 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | U2 | 1983 |
| 114 | Two Hearts Beat as One | U2 | 1983 |
| 115 | Pride (In the Name of Love) | U2 | 1984 |
| 116 | The Unforgettable Fire | U2 | 1984 |
| 117 | Bad | U2 | 1984 |
| 118 | With or Without You | U2 | 1987 |
| 119 | I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For | U2 | 1987 |
| 120 | Where the Streets Have No Name | U2 | 1987 |
| 121 | Bullet the Blue Sky | U2 | 1987 |
| 122 | In God's Country | U2 | 1987 |
| 123 | Desire | U2 | 1988 |
| 124 | Angel of Harlem | U2 | 1988 |
| 125 | When Love Comes to Town | U2 & B.B. King | 1988 |
| 126 | All I Want Is You | U2 | 1989 |
| 127 | A Sort of Homecoming | U2 | 1984 |
| 128 | Running to Stand Still | U2 | 1987 |
| 129 | One Tree Hill | U2 | 1987 |
| 130 | I Will Dare | The Replacements | 1984 |
| 131 | Unsatisfied | The Replacements | 1984 |
| 132 | Bastards of Young | The Replacements | 1985 |
| 133 | Left of the Dial | The Replacements | 1985 |
| 134 | Hold My Life | The Replacements | 1985 |
| 135 | Alex Chilton | The Replacements | 1987 |
| 136 | Can't Hardly Wait | The Replacements | 1987 |
| 137 | The Ledge | The Replacements | 1987 |
| 138 | Skyway | The Replacements | 1987 |
| 139 | I'll Be You | The Replacements | 1989 |
| 140 | Achin' to Be | The Replacements | 1989 |
| 141 | Color Me Impressed | The Replacements | 1983 |
| 142 | Within Your Reach | The Replacements | 1983 |
| 143 | Answering Machine | The Replacements | 1984 |
| 144 | Here Comes a Regular | The Replacements | 1985 |
| 145 | Makes No Sense at All | Hüsker Dü | 1985 |
| 146 | Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely | Hüsker Dü | 1986 |
| 147 | Could You Be the One? | Hüsker Dü | 1987 |
| 148 | Celebrated Summer | Hüsker Dü | 1985 |
| 149 | In a Free Land | Hüsker Dü | 1982 |
| 150 | Eight Miles High | Hüsker Dü | 1984 |
| 151 | Hardly Getting Over It | Hüsker Dü | 1986 |
| 152 | She's a Woman (And Now He Is a Man) | Hüsker Dü | 1987 |
| 153 | Pink Turns to Blue | Hüsker Dü | 1984 |
| 154 | Whatever | Hüsker Dü | 1984 |
| 155 | Where Is My Mind? | Pixies | 1988 |
| 156 | Gigantic | Pixies | 1988 |
| 157 | Here Comes Your Man | Pixies | 1989 |
| 158 | Monkey Gone to Heaven | Pixies | 1989 |
| 159 | Debaser | Pixies | 1989 |
| 160 | Wave of Mutilation | Pixies | 1989 |
| 161 | Caribou | Pixies | 1987 |
| 162 | Bone Machine | Pixies | 1988 |
| 163 | Hey | Pixies | 1989 |
| 164 | Gouge Away | Pixies | 1989 |
| 165 | Cactus | Pixies | 1988 |
| 166 | Nimrod's Son | Pixies | 1987 |
| 167 | Holiday Song | Pixies | 1987 |
| 168 | I've Been Tired | Pixies | 1987 |
| 169 | Teen Age Riot | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
| 170 | Silver Rocket | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
| 171 | Candle | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
| 172 | Schizophrenia | Sonic Youth | 1987 |
| 173 | Death Valley '69 | Sonic Youth | 1985 |
| 174 | Shadow of a Doubt | Sonic Youth | 1986 |
| 175 | Expressway to Yr Skull | Sonic Youth | 1986 |
| 176 | Kotton Krown | Sonic Youth | 1987 |
| 177 | Cross the Breeze | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
| 178 | Eric's Trip | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
| 179 | Like the Weather | 10,000 Maniacs | 1987 |
| 180 | What's the Matter Here? | 10,000 Maniacs | 1987 |
| 181 | Trouble Me | 10,000 Maniacs | 1989 |
| 182 | Don't Talk | 10,000 Maniacs | 1987 |
| 183 | Eat for Two | 10,000 Maniacs | 1989 |
| 184 | Hey Jack Kerouac | 10,000 Maniacs | 1987 |
| 185 | Scorpio Rising | 10,000 Maniacs | 1985 |
| 186 | My Sister Rose | 10,000 Maniacs | 1987 |
| 187 | Under the Milky Way | The Church | 1988 |
| 188 | Reptile | The Church | 1988 |
| 189 | Almost With You | The Church | 1982 |
| 190 | The Unguarded Moment | The Church | 1981 |
| 191 | Destination | The Church | 1988 |
| 192 | Antenna | The Church | 1988 |
| 193 | Tantalized | The Church | 1986 |
| 194 | Constant in Opal | The Church | 1985 |
| 195 | So Alive | Love and Rockets | 1989 |
| 196 | Ball of Confusion | Love and Rockets | 1985 |
| 197 | No New Tale to Tell | Love and Rockets | 1987 |
| 198 | Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man) | Love and Rockets | 1986 |
| 199 | Kundalini Express | Love and Rockets | 1986 |
| 200 | Mirror People | Love and Rockets | 1987 |
| 201 | Haunted When the Minutes Drag | Love and Rockets | 1985 |
| 202 | Motorcycle | Love and Rockets | 1989 |
| 203 | Bela Lugosi's Dead | Bauhaus | 1980 |
| 204 | Dark Entries | Bauhaus | 1980 |
| 205 | Terror Couple Kill Colonel | Bauhaus | 1980 |
| 206 | Telegram Sam | Bauhaus | 1980 |
| 207 | Kick in the Eye | Bauhaus | 1981 |
| 208 | The Passion of Lovers | Bauhaus | 1981 |
| 209 | She's in Parties | Bauhaus | 1983 |
| 210 | Lagartija Nick | Bauhaus | 1983 |
| 211 | Spirit | Bauhaus | 1982 |
| 212 | Hollow Hills | Bauhaus | 1981 |
| 213 | Double Dare | Bauhaus | 1980 |
| 214 | Ziggy Stardust | Bauhaus | 1982 |
| 215 | Temple of Love | The Sisters of Mercy | 1983 |
| 216 | This Corrosion | The Sisters of Mercy | 1987 |
| 217 | Lucretia My Reflection | The Sisters of Mercy | 1988 |
| 218 | Dominion / Mother Russia | The Sisters of Mercy | 1988 |
| 219 | No Time to Cry | The Sisters of Mercy | 1985 |
| 220 | Walk Away | The Sisters of Mercy | 1984 |
| 221 | Black Planet | The Sisters of Mercy | 1985 |
| 222 | Marian | The Sisters of Mercy | 1985 |
| 223 | Alice | The Sisters of Mercy | 1982 |
| 224 | Body and Soul | The Sisters of Mercy | 1984 |
| 225 | 1959 | The Sisters of Mercy | 1987 |
| 226 | Moonchild | Fields of the Nephilim | 1988 |
| 227 | Preacher Man | Fields of the Nephilim | 1987 |
| 228 | Blue Water | Fields of the Nephilim | 1987 |
| 229 | Last Exit for the Lost | Fields of the Nephilim | 1988 |
| 230 | Psychonaut | Fields of the Nephilim | 1989 |
| 231 | For Her Light | Fields of the Nephilim | 1989 |
| 232 | Dawnrazor | Fields of the Nephilim | 1987 |
| 233 | Power | Fields of the Nephilim | 1986 |
| 234 | Chord of Souls | Fields of the Nephilim | 1988 |
| 235 | Tower of Strength | The Mission | 1988 |
| 236 | Severina | The Mission | 1987 |
| 237 | Stay with Me | The Mission | 1986 |
| 238 | Wasteland | The Mission | 1986 |
| 239 | Butterfly on a Wheel | The Mission | 1989 |
| 240 | Beyond the Pale | The Mission | 1988 |
| 241 | Desire (Come and Get It) | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1986 |
| 242 | Heartache | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1986 |
| 243 | The Motion of Love | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1987 |
| 244 | The Cow | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1985 |
| 245 | Gorgeous | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1987 |
| 246 | Stephen | Gene Loves Jezebel | 1983 |
| 247 | Romeo's Distress | Christian Death | 1982 |
| 248 | Spiritual Cramp | Christian Death | 1982 |
| 249 | Cavity - First Communion | Christian Death | 1982 |
| 250 | Figurative Theatre | Christian Death | 1982 |
| 251 | Sleepwalk | Christian Death | 1984 |
| 252 | The Luxury of Tears | Christian Death | 1985 |
| 253 | The Host of Seraphim | Dead Can Dance | 1988 |
| 254 | Severance | Dead Can Dance | 1988 |
| 255 | The Carnival Is Over | Dead Can Dance | 1987 |
| 256 | In the Wake of Adversity | Dead Can Dance | 1987 |
| 257 | De Profundis | Dead Can Dance | 1985 |
| 258 | Frontier | Dead Can Dance | 1984 |
| 259 | Cantara | Dead Can Dance | 1987 |
| 260 | Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops | Cocteau Twins | 1984 |
| 261 | Lorelei | Cocteau Twins | 1984 |
| 262 | Aikea-Guinea | Cocteau Twins | 1985 |
| 263 | Sugar Hiccup | Cocteau Twins | 1983 |
| 264 | Carolyn's Fingers | Cocteau Twins | 1988 |
| 265 | Blue Bell Knoll | Cocteau Twins | 1988 |
| 266 | Ivo | Cocteau Twins | 1984 |
| 267 | Wax and Wane | Cocteau Twins | 1982 |
| 268 | From the Flagstones | Cocteau Twins | 1983 |
| 269 | Cico Buff | Cocteau Twins | 1988 |
| 270 | Song to the Siren | This Mortal Coil | 1983 |
| 271 | Kangaroo | This Mortal Coil | 1984 |
| 272 | Holocaust | This Mortal Coil | 1984 |
| 273 | Another Day | This Mortal Coil | 1984 |
| 274 | Fond Affections | This Mortal Coil | 1984 |
| 275 | Just Like Honey | The Jesus and Mary Chain | 1985 |
| 276 | Should I Stay or Should I Go | The Clash | 1982 |