Consequence publishes its list of the 100 best bands of all time

US outlet Consequence published a ranking of the 100 best bands of all time on 14 October 2026, built with input from more than 70 artists, including 16 Grammy winners and a couple of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. The magazine's staff then rounded out and curated the final list.

The project follows an earlier list for which Consequence surveyed over two hundred artists and musicians to name the greatest individual performers: vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers. This time the outlet defined a band as a group that stayed stable for at least a while, contributed original musical ideas, released music under its own name and played live, a rule that leaves out some pop acts.

Among the entries are The Smashing Pumpkins, credited with pushing alternative rock into the mainstream through records such as “Siamese Dream” and “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”, and Phish, praised for their musicianship and four decades of improvisation. King Crimson also feature, with Dawn Moraga of Cor de Lux calling guitarist Robert Fripp “a genius.”

System of a Down are described as an Armenian-American band from Los Angeles still selling out stadiums on the strength of five albums released between 1998 and 2005, while Guns N' Roses are noted for their debut “Appetite for Destruction” and the 2016 return of Slash and Duff McKagan. Other names in the conversation include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.