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Rolling Stone
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www.rollingstone.com
Highest Rated Alternative Rock Albums of the 1980s
Decade
1980s
All Time
2020s
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
Source
Rolling Stone
Genre
Alternative Rock
All
Alternative Rock
Art Pop
Country
Dance
East Coast Hip Hop
Folk
Hard Rock
Heavy Metal
Hip Hop
Jangle Pop
Metal
New Wave
Pop
Pop Rock
Post-Punk
Psychedelia
Punk
Punk Rock
R&B
Rock
Singer-Songwriter
Soul
Synthpop
1980s
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1
.
Pixies - Doolittle
April 18, 1989
Indie Rock
,
Alternative Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
2
.
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
March 21, 1988
Indie Rock
,
Alternative Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
3
.
The Replacements - Let It Be
October 2, 1984
Alternative Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
4
.
Sonic Youth - Sister
June 1, 1987
Alternative Rock
,
Noise Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
5
.
U2 - The Joshua Tree
March 9, 1987
Pop Rock
,
Heartland Rock
,
Alternative Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
6
.
R.E.M. - Document
September 1, 1987
Jangle Pop
,
Alternative Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
7
.
Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising
January 1, 1985
Post-Hardcore
,
Alternative Rock
,
Noise Pop
,
Indie Rock
,
Hardcore Punk
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
8
.
Hüsker Dü - Flip Your Wig
September 1, 1985
Alternative Rock
,
Post-Hardcore
Score
90
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
9
.
The Replacements - Tim
September 18, 1985
Alternative Rock
,
Power Pop
Score
90
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
10
.
New Order - Brotherhood
September 29, 1986
Synthpop
,
Alternative Dance
,
New Wave
,
Post-Punk
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
11
.
Sinéad O'Connor - The Lion and the Cobra
November 4, 1987
Singer-Songwriter
,
Alternative Rock
,
Art Pop
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
12
.
Violent Femmes - 3
January 1, 1989
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
13
.
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
August 23, 1988
Alternative Rock
,
Funk Rock
,
Hard Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
14
.
Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II
April 1, 1984
Cowpunk
,
Alternative Rock
,
Punk Blues
,
Punk Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
15
.
Mekons - The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll
September 1, 1989
Post-Punk
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
16
.
Galaxie 500 - On Fire
September 1, 1989
Dream Pop
,
Shoegaze
,
Slowcore
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
17
.
The Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul
February 1, 1989
Power Pop
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
18
.
Bob Mould - Workbook
April 0, 1989
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
19
.
U2 - War
February 28, 1983
Post-Punk
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
20
.
X - More Fun in the New World
September 1, 1983
Punk Rock
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
21
.
The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
May 25, 1987
Alternative Rock
,
Post-Punk
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
22
.
Soul Asylum - Hang Time
April 25, 1988
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Spotify
23
.
Nirvana - Bleach
June 15, 1989
Grunge
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
24
.
Hüsker Dü - Candy Apple Grey
March 1, 1986
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
25
.
Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust
August 1, 1987
Pop Rock
,
Alternative Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
1
2
Related
Recent Alternative Rock Albums
Users' Highest Rated Alternative Rock Albums of the 1980s
MORE GENRES:
Alternative Rock
Art Pop
Country
Dance
East Coast Hip Hop
Folk
Hard Rock
Heavy Metal
Hip Hop
Jangle Pop
Metal
New Wave
Pop
Pop Rock
Post-Punk
Psychedelia
Punk
Punk Rock
R&B
Rock
Singer-Songwriter
Soul
Synthpop
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