The Most Influential Rock Album of Every Decade, From the 1980s to the 2000s

An album will come around once in a generation to completely transform its genre. Among those special albums are the three below. Released from the 1980s to the 2000s, these rock albums were among the most influential of their day. They completely reshaped what rock would be moving forward.

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‘Appetite for Destruction’ — Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses defied the convention of rock in the 1980s by bringing some pure punky, classic rock tones back in the mix. The band shed the polish of glam rock and led with grit. Many bands followed in their footsteps after they made rock edgy again.

Appetite for Destruction was a very influential album in this way. This album undeniably opened the door to the raw realism of 90s rock and created a new era for the genre almost entirely on its own. Though it had been a long time coming, this album marked the effective end of the 80s obsession with glittering, pop-appealing rock.

‘Nevermind’ — Nirvana

Rock changed like night to day after the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind. Before this album, rock was all about filling stadiums and being as anthemic as possible. These grunge forefathers showed a new way. They swapped slick, power ballads for introspective, dark tracks. Instead of exciting audiences, they made them think.

The alternative became the mainstream thanks to Nevermind. Without this album, the rest of the 90s and even the 00s wouldn’t have been the same. In the 80s, rock was about being icons; untouchable figures who were obsessed with wealth and power. Nirvana helped make rock much more grounded, moral even.

‘American Idiot’ — Green Day

That leads us to Green Day’s American Idiot. Sure, this album is as in-your-face as anything from the 80s, but it has that post-grunge cultural consciousness that Nirvana helped establish. This concept record sees the band dissect their view of America’s failings. The title track alone was scathing enough to make this record an icon, let alone the rest of the timeless tracklist.

Many bands picked up the baton from Green Day after this record, daring to say something about the world around them. Rock was often a mouthpiece for culture, and for some decades, that was a forgotten fact. Green Day and the 2000s put that goal back into focus.

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