Over the years, my favorite music genre has changed. In middle school, I only listened to rap/hip-hop and when I got into high school I listened to more and more genres, expanding my music range. Now, I try my best to listen to every genre possible, but I find myself listening to Alternative/Rock the most. Here is my personal list of favorite bands I have ever listened to.

5. Foo Fighters

With obvious standout tracks like Everlong and My Hero, Foo Fighters have been a staple in the rock genre for the past 20 years. Although a lot of their songs are extremely popular in my opinion, most of their best tracks are deep cuts/B sides. Some of my personal favorites are Aurora, Big Me and February Stars.

4. The Strokes

The Strokes took the New York music scene by storm with their synths and irregular guitar riffs. Although their first two albums are masterpieces, by the mid 2000s-2010s their style became repetitive. In 2020, they completely changed their style with “The New Abnormal” and brought back all the hype they had in the early 2000s. My personal favorite songs are “Under Cover of Darkness”, “Last Nite”, and “The Adults Are Talking”.

3. Oasis

In the mid-1990s, Oasis and other Brit-Pop bands ruled the radio stations in Britain and the rest of Europe. Their debut record “Definitely Maybe” is definitely one of the most influential albums of all time. Most people know Oasis for Wonderwall, but they have much better songs that deserve as much attention. Some of my favorite tracks are “Live Forever”, “Slide Away” and “Champagne Supernova”.

2. The Beatles

The songwriting duo of Lennon and McCartney will never be topped. Although the majority of The Beatles early discography is very repetitive, everything from Revolver on is a masterpiece. It is very difficult to pinpoint three of my favorite Beatles songs, but if I had to choose three, it would be “A Day In The Life”, “In My Life”, and “Strawberry Fields Forever”.

1. Radiohead

No other band has had a long-lasting impact on my life than Radiohead. Throughout their entire discography, they only have 1 bad album. The way they use instruments I have still never seen replicated at as high of a level. Thom Yorke is one of my favorite vocalists ever, and the way he uses his voice as an instrument is beautiful. My favorite songs are “Motion Picture Soundtrack”, “True Love Waits”, and “Lift”.

Honorable Mentions: Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Weezer, and Blink 182.

All these bands have had a huge personal impact on my life through my teens and have changed the way I listen to music. Although my personal favorite bands are probably different from yours, I feel that everyone’s music opinion is valid and deserves to be heard