Last Updated on 17 April 2024
The following list is the Official Definitive List of the 500 best musical artists & bands of all time. I averaged 28 different ranked lists of “best musical performers or artists” to get this definitive compilation. I tried to include all genres, but a few were focused on pop or rock. See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including the full spreadsheet and links to all 28 lists that were averaged.
- The Beatles
- Elvis Presley
- Michael Jackson
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- The Rolling Stones
- Led Zeppelin
- Prince
- Madonna
- Jimi Hendrix
- Bob Dylan
- Elton John
- Pink Floyd
- David Bowie
- Freddie Mercury
- Queen
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Bob Marley
- Stevie Wonder
- James Brown
- Nirvana
- Whitney Houston
- The Beach Boys
- U2
- Bruce Springsteen
- Beyoncé
- Chuck Berry
- Taylor Swift
- Eagles
- Fleetwood Mac
- Eminem
- Aretha Franklin
- AC/DC
- Barbra Streisand
- Johnny Cash
- Mariah Carey
- Marvin Gaye
- Eric Clapton
- Metallica
- Frank Sinatra
- Guns N’ Roses
- William Hung
- Billy Joel
- The Doors
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Aerosmith
- The Who
- Ray Charles
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Rod Stewart
- Louis Armstrong
- Bruno Mars
- Britney Spears
- Jay-Z
- Van Halen
- Simon & Garfunkel
- Garth Brooks
- Rihanna
- Tupac Shakur
- Bon Jovi
- The Kinks
- Santana
- Radiohead
- Janet Jackson
- Kanye West
- Little Richard
- Jim Morrison
- Neil Young
- The Police
- Miles Davis
- Celine Dion
- Pearl Jam
- R.E.M.
- Black Sabbath
- Journey
- Drake
- The Cure
- Def Leppard
- Bee Gees
- Tom Petty
- The Clash
- Justin Bieber
- Green Day
- Billie Holiday
- Sly and the Family Stone
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Paul McCartney
- Ramones
- The Velvet Underground
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Coldplay
- Justin Timberlake
- Steely Dan
- Genesis
- Adele
- Grateful Dead
- Katy Perry
- Otis Redding
- Neil Diamond
- Janis Joplin
- Sam Cooke
- John Lennon
- Tina Turner
- Usher
- The Band
- Lady Gaga
- ABBA
- Rush
- Run-D.M.C.
- The Temptations
- Bobby “Blue” Bland
- Buddy Holly
- Maroon 5
- Parliament-Funkadelic
- Chicago
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Public Enemy
- The Supremes
- Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
- Dolly Parton
- Bob Seger
- George Strait
- Cheap Trick
- Steve Miller Band
- Cream
- Talking Heads
- Joni Mitchell
- Van Morrison
- Carpenters
- Pink
- Phil Collins
- Willie Nelson
- James Taylor
- The Allman Brothers Band
- Paul Simon
- Beastie Boys
- Dire Straits
- Earth, Wind & Fire
- Muddy Waters
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Backstreet Boys
- Shania Twain
- Kenny Rogers
- Kelly Clarkson
- Nickelback
- Linda Ronstadt
- The Stooges
- Al Green
- Robbie Williams
- Foo Fighters
- The Everly Brothers
- Robert Johnson
- Miley Cyrus
- ZZ Top
- Alicia Keys
- B.B. King
- Sex Pistols
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Al Jolson
- The Byrds
- Duke Ellington
- Smokey Robinson
- Diana Ross
- Ed Sheeran
- Elvis Costello
- Deep Purple
- Black Eyed Peas
- Chris Brown
- Donna Summer
- The Smiths
- Post Malone
- George Michael
- Ariana Grande
- Outkast
- The Yardbirds
- Frank Zappa
- The Jackson 5
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Roy Orbison
- Bo Diddley
- John Mellencamp
- Bernadette Peters
- Barry Manilow
- Nine Inch Nails
- Boyz II Men
- The White Stripes
- Dr. Dre
- Pixies
- Foreigner
- R. Kelly
- Bryan Adams
- Four Tops
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- REO Speedwagon
- Kenny G
- Imagine Dragons
- Patti Smith
- The Weeknd
- The Pretenders
- Pitbull
- Cher
- Jackie Wilson
- Linkin Park
- Boston
- Fats Domino
- Joy Division
- The Drifters
- Iron Maiden
- Sade
- blink-182
- Heart
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Tom Waits
- John Denver
- Travis Scott
- Brittany Howard
- Hank Williams
- John Coltrane
- Snoop Dogg
- The Chicks
- Jennifer Lopez
- Wiz Khalifa
- Depeche Mode
- 50 Cent
- Shakira
- Guido of Arezzo
- The Cranberries
- Bing Crosby
- Howlin’ Wolf
- Sting
- Booker T. & the M.G.’s
- Lil Wayne
- Enrique Iglesias
- Gorillaz
- The Killers
- NSYNC
- Blondie
- Glenn Miller
- Soundgarden
- Shawn Mendes
- N.W.A
- Jackie Evancho
- Christina Aguilera
- Avirl Lavigne
- OneRepublic
- Vince Gill
- Carlos Santana
- Tim McGraw
- Curtis Mayfield
- Dusty Springfield
- Kendrick Lamar
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Lionel Richie
- Rage Against the Machine
- Three Dog Night
- Kiss
- Kings of Leon
- Dave Matthews Band
- Olivia Newton-John
- Fela Kuti
- The Traveling Wilburys
- Sonic Youth
- Alan Jackson
- Johann Strauss II
- Nicki Minaj
- Andrea Bocelli
- Kraftwerk
- Pet Shop Boys
- Judas Priest
- Caetano Veloso
- Mary J. Blige
- Electric Light Orchestra
- Michael Bolton
- Enya
- Luther Vandross
- Oasis
- George Harrison
- Lana Del Ray
- Alabama
- Patsy Cline
- The Black Keys
- Hall & Oates
- Alice in Chains
- Wilson Pickett
- Bobby Darin
- Lead Belly
- Billie Eilish
- The Shirelles
- Leonard Cohen
- K.S. Chithra
- Motley Crue
- Carole King
- Pavement
- Creed
- Judy Garland
- Arctic Monkeys
- Kenny Chesney
- King Crimson
- Sam Smith
- The Doobie Brothers
- Dimash Kudaibergen
- Xian Xinghai
- Jim Croce
- Count Basie
- Meat Loaf
- Frédéric Chopin
- David Guetta
- Calvin Harris
- Peter Gabriel
- Michael Bublé
- The Monkees
- Daft Punk
- J. Cole
- Future
- The Replacements
- Mannheim Steamroller
- Thelonious Monk
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Selena Gomez
- Arcade Fire
- Nat King Cole
- The Strokes
- No Doubt
- Dua Lipa
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Johnny Mathis
- Bad Bunny
- Khalid
- Duran Duran
- Herbie Hancock
- Sia
- Beck
- The Andrews Sisters
- Björk
- Destiny’s Child
- Geri Halliwell
- Nelly
- Tracy Chapman
- Harry Styles
- Iggy Pop
- TLC
- Tommy Dorsey
- Demi Levato
- Charles Mingus
- Sarah Vaughan
- SZA
- Jackson Browne
- Yes
- Ike & Tina Turner
- One Direction
- Charlie Parker
- Carrie Underwood
- Shirley Bassey
- Benny Goodman
- Bill Haley and the Comets
- Tyler, the Creator
- Dionne Warwick
- The Chainsmokers
- Weezer
- Antonio Vivaldi
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
- Loretta Lynn
- Gram Parsons
- Lil Uzi Vert
- Doja Cat
- Motorhead
- Halsey
- Brian Eno
- System of a Down
- Enrico Caruso
- Peter, Paul and Mary
- 21 Savage
- Gladys Knight
- Etta James
- Louis Jordan
- Cardi B
- Brenda Lee
- Macklemore
- Glen Campbell
- Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Reba McEntire
- J Balvin
- Jefferson Airplane
- Ludacris
- Martha and the Vandellas
- The Isley Brothers
- Bessie Smith
- Sonny Rollins
- Young Thug
- Carl Perkins
- Dave Brubeck
- The Cars
- Nick Cave
- Jethro Tull
- Commodores
- Emerson, Lake and Palmer
- Grandmaster Flash
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Henry Mancini
- Supertramp
- Marshmello
- The Coasters
- Andy Williams
- Eric B. & Rakim
- Ornette Coleman
- Mahalia Jackson
- Charlie Puth
- Jimmy Dorsey
- Avicii
- Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
- Daddy Yankee
- Big Joe Turner
- Metro Boomin
- Nina Simone
- LL Cool J
- Joan Baez
- Johannes Brahms
- Mills Brothers
- Liza Minelli
- Rascal Flatts
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- Afterhours
- BTS
- Roxy Music
- Amy Winehouse
- Kool & The Gang
- Claude Debussy
- Sublime
- Jimmie Rodgers
- V of BTS
- Elliott Smith
- John Williams (1932)
- Wynonie Harris
- Blur
- Frank Ocean
- Bob Wills
- Eillie Goulding
- Fred Astaire
- Sonny Boy Williamson II
- Lou Reed
- Waylon Jennings
- Cab Calloway
- Nas
- Liberace
- Jason Derulo
- Ma Rainey
- Marty Robbins
- A$AP Rocky
- The O’Jays
- Muse
- Sonny Boy Williamson I
- New Order
- The Runaways
- Flo Rida
- Yo Yo Honey Singh
- George Gershwin
- Tony Bennett
- Ice Cube
- Stevie Nicks
- Hariharan
- Mumford & Sons
- Childish Gambino
- George Frideric Handel
- Michael Crawford
- PJ Harvey
- Slayer
- Twenty One Pilots
- Paramore
- Phil Spector
- Phish
- Roberto Carlos
- David Lee Roth
- Fall Out Boy
- Massive Attack
- Warren Zevon
- Lorde
- Sierra Boggess
- The Jam
- Ink Spots
- Kid Cudi
- Big Sean
- Superdrag
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Garbage
- George Jones
- Pantera
- DMX
- Igor Stravinsky
- REM
- Brooks & Dunn
- Celia Cruz
- Franz Liszt
- Ian Anderson
- Paul Whiteman
- Tame Impala
- The Go-Gos
- David Gilmour
- Andre Rieu
- Misfits
- Johann Strauss I
- MC5
