
Ranking rock bands, or anything for that matter, is a dicey endeavor. It's thoroughly subjective and invariably contentious.
My list is not only biased but skewed toward so-called "classic rock" and "progressive rock," the latter of which evolved the genre into more dynamic and, some would say, self-indulgent territory in the late 1960s and 1970s. For what it's worth, here is Guitar Dad's carefully considered and definitive list:
1. The Beatles
2. King Crimson
3. Pink Floyd
4. Led Zeppelin
5. The Who
6. Genesis
7. Yes
8. The Replacements
9. The Rolling Stones
10. Radiohead
11. Cream
12. Black Sabbath
13. Traffic
14. Van Halen
15. The Byrds
16. U2
17. The Allman Brothers
18. Big Star
19. ZZ Top
20. The Yardbirds
21. Jimi Hendrix Experience
22. REM
23. Foo Fighters
24. The Police
25. The Clash
Any questions?