AC/DC

With a limitless supply of dirty riffs, snarling vocals, and timelessly catchy, anthemic choruses, AC/DC is one of the most important and most lasting forces in hard rock. Founded in the early ’70s by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, the Aussie band exploded onto the international stage in 1979 with the release of their multi-platinum-selling sixth album, Highway to Hell. The death of charismatic frontman Bon Scott in 1980 threatened to derail the group, but AC/DC powered through. They recruited Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson and unleashed their most successful effort to date, Back in Black, which has become the second best-selling album in history. The band continued to help define the sound of hard rock and metal throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond, spawning countless imitators and enjoying steady, consistent commercial success. They also became one of the best examples of arena rock, playing to enormous crowds as the years went on, and rocking as hard as ever on studio albums like 1990’s pop-glinted The Razor’s Edge and 2020’s Power Up, both of which reached the upper tiers of multiple charts.