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Best alternative artists of the 1980s

Cheap drum machines and the first affordable samplers changed who was allowed to make a record. Hip-hop moved from a party you had to be at to a 12-inch you could buy, and MTV made how a song looked part of the argument.

Everyone who released a alternative album in the 1980s, ordered by how Riffiter listeners rate their catalog.

Sonic Youth№ 1Sonic Youth1 album here4.2Weighted score4.2 avg · 25 ratings
  1. 2Yo La TengoYo La Tengo2 albums here4.14.3 avg · 6 ratings
  2. 3David ByrneDavid Byrne5 albums here3.93.9 avg · 11 ratings
  3. 4MorrisseyMorrissey3 albums here2 ratings
  4. 5The Blue NileThe Blue Nile2 albums here2 ratings
  5. 6The PrimitivesThe Primitives2 albums here2 ratings
  6. 7KultKult2 albums here
  7. 8Joe StrummerJoe Strummer1 album here
  8. 9Better Than EzraBetter Than Ezra1 album here
  9. 10Bob MouldBob Mould1 album here
  10. 11Robyn HitchcockRobyn Hitchcock4 albums here
  11. 12Sam PhillipsSam Phillips1 album here
  12. 13King MissileKing Missile2 albums here
  13. 14TISMTISM1 album here
  14. 15Martin BisiMartin Bisi1 album here
  15. 16The EdgeThe Edge1 album here

Rate the artists, not just the records

An artist's score here is every rating their catalog has collected. Add yours and the order moves.

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All genres, the 1980s →