Hair Metal Bands
The best hair metal bands are Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt, Skid Row and Cinderella, followed by Whitesnake, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot. Hair metal, also called glam metal, peaked between 1983 and 1990, mixing heavy guitars and big choruses with teased hair and makeup.
What is hair metal?
Hair metal is hard rock built for radio and MTV. The guitars are loud and the solos are flashy, but the choruses are as catchy as pop, usually with a gang of voices shouting the hook. Almost every band balanced party anthems with at least one slow power ballad. It was the most commercial sound in 80s rock and roll, and for most of the decade it was also the best-selling.
The look gave the genre its name: teased hair, spandex, leather, scarves and eyeliner. Critics used "hair metal" as an insult. Fans mostly called it glam metal or just rock.
Where the sound came from
The roots go back to the 70s. KISS and the New York Dolls supplied the makeup and the attitude. British glam bands Slade and Sweet supplied the stomping choruses, and Quiet Riot scored their biggest hit with a Slade cover. Aerosmith and Van Halen showed how much fun hard rock could be, and Eddie Van Halen's tapping technique was copied by nearly every guitarist on this list.
How this ranking works
Bands are ranked by a mix of sales, influence and how well the music holds up now, with every band's main run falling between 1983 and 1990. Each entry names the song we think best shows what the band did, and it is usually not the most famous one, since the biggest hits are on our 80s hair bands page. Bands like Slaughter, FireHouse and Extreme only broke through in 1990 and 1991, so they are left out.
Every song on this page plays in the free player above, in ranked order. All picks follow our song selection rules.
- 1
Looks That Kill — Mötley Crüe (1983)
No band lived the hair metal life harder or sold it better. Mötley Crüe set the look, the sound and the scandals for everyone else, and they lasted from the Sunset Strip clubs of 1981 to a No. 1 album in 1989. "Looks That Kill" and its post-apocalyptic video made them MTV regulars.
- 2
Foolin' — Def Leppard (1983)
Def Leppard were the most polished band in the genre, and the best-selling. Producer Mutt Lange spent months building their layered guitars and choir-sized harmonies. "Foolin'", from Pyromania, shows the formula at its best: quiet verses, a pounding chorus and a vocal hook that sticks for days.
- 3
Born to Be My Baby — Bon Jovi (1988)
Bon Jovi turned hair metal into stadium pop and made it the biggest sound in America. The songs were about working-class kids from New Jersey, and everyone could sing along. "Born to Be My Baby", from New Jersey, reached No. 3 in 1988 with a live-in-the-studio feel.
- 4
Cry Tough — Poison (1986)
Poison were everything critics hated about hair metal and everything fans loved. They wore the most makeup, played the simplest songs and threw the best parties. "Cry Tough" was the first single from their debut, Look What the Cat Dragged In, which went triple platinum.
- 5
Back for More — Ratt (1984)
Ratt gave Los Angeles glam its sharpest guitar sound, with Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby trading riffs under Stephen Pearcy's sneer. Their debut Out of the Cellar went triple platinum in 1984. "Back for More" is a perfect example of their tight, heavy swing.
- 6
Youth Gone Wild — Skid Row (1989)
Skid Row arrived late and hit harder than almost anyone. Sebastian Bach had a huge voice and a bigger attitude, and the band was heavy enough to earn respect from metal fans. "Youth Gone Wild", their first single, became an anthem for anyone who ever felt like an outcast.
- 7
Shake Me — Cinderella (1986)
Cinderella started as a glam band from Philadelphia and grew into a hard-rocking blues band. Tom Keifer's voice sounds like a cross between Janis Joplin and AC/DC. "Shake Me", the first single from Night Songs, shows the raw early side before the blues took over.
- 8
Slow an' Easy — Whitesnake (1984)
Before the 1987 MTV makeover, Whitesnake were a bluesy British hard rock band, and "Slow an' Easy" from Slide It In is the proof. David Coverdale's voice owes as much to soul as to metal. Three years later the same band sold eight million albums in America.
- 9
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll — Twisted Sister (1983)
Twisted Sister were the East Coast's answer to the Sunset Strip: louder, rougher and dressed like horror movie villains. Dee Snider was the best frontman in the genre. The title track of their 1983 album was a hit in Britain before America caught on.
- 10
Mama Weer All Crazee Now — Quiet Riot (1984)
Quiet Riot opened the gates with the first heavy metal album to top the Billboard 200. For Condition Critical in 1984 they went back to the Slade songbook for another cover. It did not match "Cum on Feel the Noize", but it shows how much hair metal owed to 70s glam.
- 11
Breaking the Chains — Dokken (1983)
Dokken had the genre's best guitarist in George Lynch and one of its best voices in Don Dokken, who could barely stand each other. The title track of their debut is fast, melodic and sharp, and it set up the platinum albums that followed.
- 12
Big Talk — Warrant (1989)
Warrant were a late arrival from the Sunset Strip, and Jani Lane was one of the best songwriters of the whole scene. Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich went double platinum. "Big Talk" is a swaggering album track that shows the band rocking harder than their ballads suggest.
- 13
Modern Day Cowboy — Tesla (1986)
Tesla, named after the inventor Nikola Tesla, came from Sacramento and never wore the makeup. Their bluesy, working-class rock put them on tour with the biggest glam acts. "Modern Day Cowboy" opened their debut, Mechanical Resonance. In 1990 their unplugged live album helped start the acoustic craze.
- 14
Cherokee — Europe (1988)
Europe proved hair metal was a worldwide sound. The Swedish band's keyboards and melodies were more polished than most American bands. "Cherokee", a song about the Trail of Tears, came from The Final Countdown album, which went triple platinum in the US.
- 15
Crazy Crazy Nights — KISS (1987)
KISS helped invent the look, then took off the makeup in 1983 and joined the movement they had inspired. "Crazy Crazy Nights" is their most unashamed glam anthem. It reached No. 4 in the UK in 1987, one of their biggest British hits.
- 16
Rock Me — Great White (1987)
Great White played blues-based hard rock with a singer, Jack Russell, who could have fronted a soul band. "Rock Me", a slow-building seven-minute song from Once Bitten, is the fan favorite and a staple of Los Angeles rock radio.
- 17
Little Fighter — White Lion (1989)
White Lion were led by Danish singer Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta, one of the era's most inventive players. They wrote about more than girls and parties. "Little Fighter", from Big Game, is a tribute to the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, which French agents sank in 1985.
- 18
Madalaine — Winger (1988)
Winger were skilled musicians who got stuck with a bad reputation. Kip Winger had played bass for Alice Cooper, and Reb Beach was a first-call session guitarist. "Madalaine", their first single, has complicated time changes hidden inside a hair metal song.
- 19
One More Reason — L.A. Guns (1988)
Guitarist Tracii Guns was an original member of Guns N' Roses, and his own band shared their grimy, street-level sound. English singer Phil Lewis gave them a punkier edge than most glam bands. "One More Reason" was the first single from their 1988 debut.
- 20
To Hell with the Devil — Stryper (1986)
Stryper were a Christian hair metal band from Orange County, dressed in yellow and black stripes, who threw Bibles into the crowd. Nobody expected it to work. To Hell with the Devil became the first Christian metal album to go platinum, and their ballad "Honestly" reached the Top 40.
- 21
Kiss Me Deadly — Lita Ford (1988)
Lita Ford had been the lead guitarist of the Runaways as a teenager, and she was one of very few women to play lead guitar in 80s metal. "Kiss Me Deadly" reached No. 12 in 1988. Her duet with Ozzy Osbourne, "Close My Eyes Forever", reached the Top 10 the next year.
- 22
Blow My Fuse — Kix (1988)
Kix came from Hagerstown, Maryland, and were known as one of the best live bands on the East Coast. Singer Steve Whiteman was a wild, energetic frontman. The title track of Blow My Fuse, their platinum 1988 album, is pure fun.
- 23
I Wanna Be Somebody — W.A.S.P. (1984)
Blackie Lawless led the shock-rock side of the genre, with saw blades on his codpiece and raw meat thrown at the crowd. W.A.S.P. ended up on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list. "I Wanna Be Somebody" is their best-known anthem.
- 24
Bathroom Wall — Faster Pussycat (1987)
Faster Pussycat took their name from a 1965 Russ Meyer film, and singer Taime Downe co-founded the Cathouse, the Hollywood club where the scene partied. Their trashy, Rolling Stones-flavored rock stood out. "Bathroom Wall" came from their 1987 debut.
- 25
Turn Up the Radio — Autograph (1984)
Autograph got their break opening for Van Halen on the 1984 tour. "Turn Up the Radio" reached No. 29 in 1985, driven by Steve Lynch's two-handed tapping solo. It is still one of the defining car-radio songs of the era.
- 26
Edge of a Broken Heart — Vixen (1988)
Vixen were an all-female hair metal band from Los Angeles. "Edge of a Broken Heart", co-written by Richard Marx, reached No. 26 in 1988, and their debut album went gold. They proved women could play the genre as well as anyone.
- 27
Girlschool — Britny Fox (1988)
Britny Fox came from Philadelphia, and singer Dizzy Dean Davidson had a high, raspy voice that sounded a lot like AC/DC's Brian Johnson. Their debut went gold in 1988, and "Girlschool", with its schoolroom video, was their MTV hit.
- 28
Up Around the Bend — Hanoi Rocks (1984)
Hanoi Rocks, from Finland, influenced the Sunset Strip more than their sales suggest, and Guns N' Roses were big fans. Their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Up Around the Bend" is their best-known recording. Drummer Razzle died in a car crash in December 1984, and the band broke up soon after.
- 29
Summertime Girls — Y&T (1985)
Y&T, from the San Francisco Bay Area, had been playing since the 70s and were known for Dave Meniketti's guitar and voice. For 1985's Open Fire they tried a pure glam party song. "Summertime Girls" reached the Hot 100 and became their best-known song.
- 30
Naughty Naughty — Danger Danger (1989)
Danger Danger came from New York and were among the last new bands to break through before grunge. Their 1989 debut was bright, keyboard-heavy and full of hooks. "Naughty Naughty" and its video captured the fun side of hair metal just as it was about to end.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hair metal band of all time?
Mötley Crüe are usually named the defining hair metal band. Def Leppard and Bon Jovi sold more records, and Poison, Ratt, Skid Row and Cinderella round out most top-ten lists.
When was hair metal popular?
Roughly from 1983, when Quiet Riot's Metal Health reached No. 1, until 1991, when Nirvana's Nevermind made grunge the new sound of rock. The peak years were 1986 to 1989.
Is hair metal the same as glam metal?
Yes. Glam metal is the more neutral name. "Hair metal" started as a critics' insult about the teased hair and became the most common name for the genre.
Were there female hair metal bands?
Yes. Vixen were an all-female band who reached the Top 40 in 1988, and Lita Ford was a guitar-playing solo star with a No. 12 hit, "Kiss Me Deadly". Heart and Pat Benatar crossed over with the same audience.
What ended hair metal?
Too many similar bands, a shift in taste, and grunge. Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden made the glam look seem dated almost overnight in 1991 and 1992.
Last updated: September 24, 2026