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.

  1. The Beatles
  2. Elvis Presley
  3. Michael Jackson
  4. Ludwig van Beethoven
  5. The Rolling Stones
  6. Led Zeppelin
  7. Prince
  8. Madonna
  9. Jimi Hendrix
  10. Bob Dylan
  11. Elton John
  12. Pink Floyd
  13. David Bowie
  14. Freddie Mercury
  15. Queen
  16. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  17. Bob Marley
  18. Stevie Wonder
  19. James Brown
  20. Nirvana
  21. Whitney Houston
  22. The Beach Boys
  23. U2
  24. Bruce Springsteen
  25. Beyoncé
  26. Chuck Berry
  27. Taylor Swift
  28. Eagles
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. Eminem
  31. Aretha Franklin
  32. AC/DC
  33. Barbra Streisand
  34. Johnny Cash
  35. Mariah Carey
  36. Marvin Gaye
  37. Eric Clapton
  38. Metallica
  39. Frank Sinatra
  40. Guns N’ Roses
  41. William Hung
  42. Billy Joel
  43. The Doors
  44. Johann Sebastian Bach
  45. Aerosmith
  46. The Who
  47. Ray Charles
  48. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  49. Rod Stewart
  50. Louis Armstrong
  51. Bruno Mars
  52. Britney Spears
  53. Jay-Z
  54. Van Halen
  55. Simon & Garfunkel
  56. Garth Brooks
  57. Rihanna
  58. Tupac Shakur
  59. Bon Jovi
  60. The Kinks
  61. Santana
  62. Radiohead
  63. Janet Jackson
  64. Kanye West
  65. Little Richard
  66. Jim Morrison
  67. Neil Young
  68. The Police
  69. Miles Davis
  70. Celine Dion
  71. Pearl Jam
  72. R.E.M.
  73. Black Sabbath
  74. Journey
  75. Drake
  76. The Cure
  77. Def Leppard
  78. Bee Gees
  79. Tom Petty
  80. The Clash
  81. Justin Bieber
  82. Green Day
  83. Billie Holiday
  84. Sly and the Family Stone
  85. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  86. Paul McCartney
  87. Ramones
  88. The Velvet Underground
  89. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  90. Coldplay
  91. Justin Timberlake
  92. Steely Dan
  93. Genesis
  94. Adele
  95. Grateful Dead
  96. Katy Perry
  97. Otis Redding
  98. Neil Diamond
  99. Janis Joplin
  100. Sam Cooke
  101. John Lennon
  102. Tina Turner
  103. Usher
  104. The Band
  105. Lady Gaga
  106. ABBA
  107. Rush
  108. Run-D.M.C.
  109. The Temptations
  110. Bobby “Blue” Bland
  111. Buddy Holly
  112. Maroon 5
  113. Parliament-Funkadelic
  114. Chicago
  115. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  116. Public Enemy
  117. The Supremes
  118. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
  119. Dolly Parton
  120. Bob Seger
  121. George Strait
  122. Cheap Trick
  123. Steve Miller Band
  124. Cream
  125. Talking Heads
  126. Joni Mitchell
  127. Van Morrison
  128. Carpenters
  129. Pink
  130. Phil Collins
  131. Willie Nelson
  132. James Taylor
  133. The Allman Brothers Band
  134. Paul Simon
  135. Beastie Boys
  136. Dire Straits
  137. Earth, Wind & Fire
  138. Muddy Waters
  139. Ozzy Osbourne
  140. Backstreet Boys
  141. Shania Twain
  142. Kenny Rogers
  143. Kelly Clarkson
  144. Nickelback
  145. Linda Ronstadt
  146. The Stooges
  147. Al Green
  148. Robbie Williams
  149. Foo Fighters
  150. The Everly Brothers
  151. Robert Johnson
  152. Miley Cyrus
  153. ZZ Top
  154. Alicia Keys
  155. B.B. King
  156. Sex Pistols
  157. Jerry Lee Lewis
  158. Al Jolson
  159. The Byrds
  160. Duke Ellington
  161. Smokey Robinson
  162. Diana Ross
  163. Ed Sheeran
  164. Elvis Costello
  165. Deep Purple
  166. Black Eyed Peas
  167. Chris Brown
  168. Donna Summer
  169. The Smiths
  170. Post Malone
  171. George Michael
  172. Ariana Grande
  173. Outkast
  174. The Yardbirds
  175. Frank Zappa
  176. The Jackson 5
  177. The Notorious B.I.G.
  178. Roy Orbison
  179. Bo Diddley
  180. John Mellencamp
  181. Bernadette Peters
  182. Barry Manilow
  183. Nine Inch Nails
  184. Boyz II Men
  185. The White Stripes
  186. Dr. Dre
  187. Pixies
  188. Foreigner
  189. R. Kelly
  190. Bryan Adams
  191. Four Tops
  192. The Smashing Pumpkins
  193. REO Speedwagon
  194. Kenny G
  195. Imagine Dragons
  196. Patti Smith
  197. The Weeknd
  198. The Pretenders
  199. Pitbull
  200. Cher
  201. Jackie Wilson
  202. Linkin Park
  203. Boston
  204. Fats Domino
  205. Joy Division
  206. The Drifters
  207. Iron Maiden
  208. Sade
  209. blink-182
  210. Heart
  211. Ella Fitzgerald
  212. Tom Waits
  213. John Denver
  214. Travis Scott
  215. Brittany Howard
  216. Hank Williams
  217. John Coltrane
  218. Snoop Dogg
  219. The Chicks
  220. Jennifer Lopez
  221. Wiz Khalifa
  222. Depeche Mode
  223. 50 Cent
  224. Shakira
  225. Guido of Arezzo
  226. The Cranberries
  227. Bing Crosby
  228. Howlin’ Wolf
  229. Sting
  230. Booker T. & the M.G.’s
  231. Lil Wayne
  232. Enrique Iglesias
  233. Gorillaz
  234. The Killers
  235. NSYNC
  236. Blondie
  237. Glenn Miller
  238. Soundgarden
  239. Shawn Mendes
  240. N.W.A
  241. Jackie Evancho
  242. Christina Aguilera
  243. Avirl Lavigne
  244. OneRepublic
  245. Vince Gill
  246. Carlos Santana
  247. Tim McGraw
  248. Curtis Mayfield
  249. Dusty Springfield
  250. Kendrick Lamar
  251. Luciano Pavarotti
  252. Lionel Richie
  253. Rage Against the Machine
  254. Three Dog Night
  255. Kiss
  256. Kings of Leon
  257. Dave Matthews Band
  258. Olivia Newton-John
  259. Fela Kuti
  260. The Traveling Wilburys
  261. Sonic Youth
  262. Alan Jackson
  263. Johann Strauss II
  264. Nicki Minaj
  265. Andrea Bocelli
  266. Kraftwerk
  267. Pet Shop Boys
  268. Judas Priest
  269. Caetano Veloso
  270. Mary J. Blige
  271. Electric Light Orchestra
  272. Michael Bolton
  273. Enya
  274. Luther Vandross
  275. Oasis
  276. George Harrison
  277. Lana Del Ray
  278. Alabama
  279. Patsy Cline
  280. The Black Keys
  281. Hall & Oates
  282. Alice in Chains
  283. Wilson Pickett
  284. Bobby Darin
  285. Lead Belly
  286. Billie Eilish
  287. The Shirelles
  288. Leonard Cohen
  289. K.S. Chithra
  290. Motley Crue
  291. Carole King
  292. Pavement
  293. Creed
  294. Judy Garland
  295. Arctic Monkeys
  296. Kenny Chesney
  297. King Crimson
  298. Sam Smith
  299. The Doobie Brothers
  300. Dimash Kudaibergen
  301. Xian Xinghai
  302. Jim Croce
  303. Count Basie
  304. Meat Loaf
  305. Frédéric Chopin
  306. David Guetta
  307. Calvin Harris
  308. Peter Gabriel
  309. Michael Bublé
  310. The Monkees
  311. Daft Punk
  312. J. Cole
  313. Future
  314. The Replacements
  315. Mannheim Steamroller
  316. Thelonious Monk
  317. Dizzy Gillespie
  318. Selena Gomez
  319. Arcade Fire
  320. Nat King Cole
  321. The Strokes
  322. No Doubt
  323. Dua Lipa
  324. Sammy Davis Jr.
  325. Johnny Mathis
  326. Bad Bunny
  327. Khalid
  328. Duran Duran
  329. Herbie Hancock
  330. Sia
  331. Beck
  332. The Andrews Sisters
  333. Björk
  334. Destiny’s Child
  335. Geri Halliwell
  336. Nelly
  337. Tracy Chapman
  338. Harry Styles
  339. Iggy Pop
  340. TLC
  341. Tommy Dorsey
  342. Demi Levato
  343. Charles Mingus
  344. Sarah Vaughan
  345. SZA
  346. Jackson Browne
  347. Yes
  348. Ike & Tina Turner
  349. One Direction
  350. Charlie Parker
  351. Carrie Underwood
  352. Shirley Bassey
  353. Benny Goodman
  354. Bill Haley and the Comets
  355. Tyler, the Creator
  356. Dionne Warwick
  357. The Chainsmokers
  358. Weezer
  359. Antonio Vivaldi
  360. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
  361. Loretta Lynn
  362. Gram Parsons
  363. Lil Uzi Vert
  364. Doja Cat
  365. Motorhead
  366. Halsey
  367. Brian Eno
  368. System of a Down
  369. Enrico Caruso
  370. Peter, Paul and Mary
  371. 21 Savage
  372. Gladys Knight
  373. Etta James
  374. Louis Jordan
  375. Cardi B
  376. Brenda Lee
  377. Macklemore
  378. Glen Campbell
  379. Siouxsie and the Banshees
  380. Reba McEntire
  381. J Balvin
  382. Jefferson Airplane
  383. Ludacris
  384. Martha and the Vandellas
  385. The Isley Brothers
  386. Bessie Smith
  387. Sonny Rollins
  388. Young Thug
  389. Carl Perkins
  390. Dave Brubeck
  391. The Cars
  392. Nick Cave
  393. Jethro Tull
  394. Commodores
  395. Emerson, Lake and Palmer
  396. Grandmaster Flash
  397. Olivia Rodrigo
  398. Henry Mancini
  399. Supertramp
  400. Marshmello
  401. The Coasters
  402. Andy Williams
  403. Eric B. & Rakim
  404. Ornette Coleman
  405. Mahalia Jackson
  406. Charlie Puth
  407. Jimmy Dorsey
  408. Avicii
  409. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
  410. Daddy Yankee
  411. Big Joe Turner
  412. Metro Boomin
  413. Nina Simone
  414. LL Cool J
  415. Joan Baez
  416. Johannes Brahms
  417. Mills Brothers
  418. Liza Minelli
  419. Rascal Flatts
  420. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
  421. Afterhours
  422. BTS
  423. Roxy Music
  424. Amy Winehouse
  425. Kool & The Gang
  426. Claude Debussy
  427. Sublime
  428. Jimmie Rodgers
  429. V of BTS
  430. Elliott Smith
  431. John Williams (1932)
  432. Wynonie Harris
  433. Blur
  434. Frank Ocean
  435. Bob Wills
  436. Eillie Goulding
  437. Fred Astaire
  438. Sonny Boy Williamson II
  439. Lou Reed
  440. Waylon Jennings
  441. Cab Calloway
  442. Nas
  443. Liberace
  444. Jason Derulo
  445. Ma Rainey
  446. Marty Robbins
  447. A$AP Rocky
  448. The O’Jays
  449. Muse
  450. Sonny Boy Williamson I
  451. New Order
  452. The Runaways
  453. Flo Rida
  454. Yo Yo Honey Singh
  455. George Gershwin
  456. Tony Bennett
  457. Ice Cube
  458. Stevie Nicks
  459. Hariharan
  460. Mumford & Sons
  461. Childish Gambino
  462. George Frideric Handel
  463. Michael Crawford
  464. PJ Harvey
  465. Slayer
  466. Twenty One Pilots
  467. Paramore
  468. Phil Spector
  469. Phish
  470. Roberto Carlos
  471. David Lee Roth
  472. Fall Out Boy
  473. Massive Attack
  474. Warren Zevon
  475. Lorde
  476. Sierra Boggess
  477. The Jam
  478. Ink Spots
  479. Kid Cudi
  480. Big Sean
  481. Superdrag
  482. Giuseppe Verdi
  483. Garbage
  484. George Jones
  485. Pantera
  486. DMX
  487. Igor Stravinsky
  488. REM
  489. Brooks & Dunn
  490. Celia Cruz
  491. Franz Liszt
  492. Ian Anderson
  493. Paul Whiteman
  494. Tame Impala
  495. The Go-Gos
  496. David Gilmour
  497. Andre Rieu
  498. Misfits
  499. Johann Strauss I
  500. MC5

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