Instrument-driven genres such as rock and roll have been eclipsed by sample and computer-based genres such as hip hop and electronic dance music in recent years. Yet even in today’s less band friendly music scene, there are many famous, popular, and successful music groups.
While overall album sales hit historic lows as recently as 2016, the popularity of most bands can be assessed via alternative means. Online presence is an especially effective measure, be it the number of fans who stream a band’s music or even the amount of people searching for information on a band.
24/7 Wall St. identified the most popular bands of the last 10 years using a number of different metrics. These include measures such as Billboard performance, Wikipedia page views, and popularity on Spotify.
Click here to see the most popular bands of the last 10 years.
Click here to see our methodology.
Many of the most popular bands have been around significantly longer than the last 10 years. Some rose to fame as far back as the 1960s and 1970s and continue to release music to large fan bases even today. Pink Floyd is one such example. The English rock band released their first studio album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” in 1967, and their most recent album, “The Endless River,” in 2014. While the latter sold only 500,000 copies in the United States – far fewer than their 15x Multi-Platinum “Dark Side of the Moon” – the band is still active and maintains a strong following.
Other groups that are present on the list are far less experienced. Irish band The Script released their first studio album in 2008, as did country music group Lady Antebellum. Pop band fun. released only two studio albums – in 2009 and 2012 – before announcing a hiatus in 2015.
As records do not sell at the rate they once did, today’s top bands must build a strong online presence in order to be successful. Most of the bands on our list have done just that. Both Maroon 5 and Coldplay have each amassed over 10 million followers on online music streaming service Spotify. There are 10 other bands that have over 5 million followers. Other artists’ popularity is more clearly illustrated in Wikipedia searches. The South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO has had their Wikipedia page viewed over 11.5 million times over the last 12 months – more than any other band on the list.
To determine the most popular bands of the last 10 years, 24/7 Wall St. generated an index based on sales for albums released between 2008 to 2018, popularity of singles released between 2008 to 2018, popularity of a band’s Wikipedia page, and popularity on Spotify.
Source: Jason Kempin / Getty Images
50. Florida Georgia Line
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 188
> Spotify followers: 1,511,091
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 649,543
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Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images
49. fun.
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 76
> Spotify followers: 2,914,794
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 622,816
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
48. Deep Purple
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 1,422,290
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,558,433
Source: Bob James / Wikimedia Commons
47. Rascal Flatts
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 232
> Spotify followers: 1,259,353
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 394,726
Source: Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images
46. Depeche Mode
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 1,301,665
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,963,697
Source: hannahwentworth / Getty Images
45. Rammstein
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 1,645,183
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,194,816
Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images
44. Oasis
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 1
> Spotify followers: 2,413,914
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,459,995
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Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for SiriusXM
43. Kings of Leon
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 84
> Spotify followers: 2,965,244
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,786,703
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
42. Kiss
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,045,500
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,573,227
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Clear Channel
41. Muse
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 50
> Spotify followers: 3,563,277
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,158,961
Source: Krystaleen / Wikimedia Commons
40. Backstreet Boys
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 1,265,065
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 4,023,908
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Source: Tetris L / Wikimedia Commons
39. Panic! at the Disco
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 32
> Spotify followers: 3,754,720
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,026,706
Source: Nicolas Lœuillet / Wikimedia Commons
38. Radiohead
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 1
> Spotify followers: 2,925,852
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,874,461
Source: bill from jersey city / Wikimedia Commons
37. Slipknot
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 3,019,738
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,092,570
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Source: Northfoto / Shutterstock.com
36. Korn
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,026,037
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,448,655
Source: Drew de F Fawkes / Wikimedia Commons
35. Twenty One Pilots
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 140
> Spotify followers: 7,376,575
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 8,111,583
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
34. Paramore
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 124
> Spotify followers: 2,813,453
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,494,015
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Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
33. Zac Brown Band
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 286
> Spotify followers: 927,246
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 509,503
Source: Tristan Fewings / Getty Images
32. The Script
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 107
> Spotify followers: 3,071,898
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 782,695
Source: Mark Davis / Getty Images
31. The Black Eyed Peas
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 213
> Spotify followers: 2,329,863
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,430,562
Source: marco annunziata / Wikimedia Commons
30. Pearl Jam
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 22
> Spotify followers: 3,075,414
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,604,292
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Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for DirecTV
29. Imagine Dragons
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 349
> Spotify followers: 8,838,375
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,434,655
Source: http://www.thetroubadoursroad.com / Wikimedia Commons
28. Mumford & Sons
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 115
> Spotify followers: 4,101,582
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,659,932
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
27. Blink-182
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 5
> Spotify followers: 3,603,724
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 4,349,981
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Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images
26. Fall Out Boy
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 141
> Spotify followers: 4,159,549
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,343,798
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
25. Nickelback
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 110
> Spotify followers: 2,564,501
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,912,530
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for ABA
24. Black Sabbath
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,384,387
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,504,099
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Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
23. One Direction
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 279
> Spotify followers: 9,145,066
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,489,807
Source: Kairi p / Wikimedia Commons
22. Florence and the Machine
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 43
> Spotify followers: 3,481,816
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,354,351
Source: Getty Images
21. Foo Fighters
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 49
> Spotify followers: 4,166,191
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,427,619
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
20. Marilyn Manson
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 1,390,980
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,463,758
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Source: Jeff Schear / Getty Images
19. Lady Antebellum
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 353
> Spotify followers: 1,816,832
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 718,960
Source: Francis from Groningen, Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons
18. Iron Maiden
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,762,181
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,300,102
Source: JStone / Shutterstock.com
17. The Rolling Stones
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 4,169,732
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 4,891,805
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Source: Aurelien Guichard / Wikimedia Commons
16. Arctic Monkeys
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 20
> Spotify followers: 5,339,722
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,294,280
Source: Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images
15. Fifth Harmony
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 44
> Spotify followers: 4,977,270
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,051,627
Source: The Dark Lord of Wiki / Wikimedia Commons
14. System of a Down
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 3,373,614
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,727,377
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Source: Marc Kronig / Wikimedia Commons
13. OneRepublic
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 275
> Spotify followers: 4,215,556
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 1,533,646
Source: gillyberlin / Wikimedia Commons
12. Green Day
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 39
> Spotify followers: 5,878,538
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 3,876,314
Source: Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images
11. Aerosmith
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 3,793,298
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,386,579
Source: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
10. EXO
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,148,081
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 11,523,688
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Source: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images
9. Gorillaz
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 2,678,815
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 5,583,853
Source: Keith Moseley / Wikimedia Commons
8. Pink Floyd
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 5,244,063
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,394,669
Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 19
> Spotify followers: 6,542,328
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,443,759
Source: Ed Vill, Prayer for the wild at heart / Wikimedia Commons
6. Guns N’ Roses
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 3
> Spotify followers: 6,107,852
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 5,004,935
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
5. AC/DC
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: N/A
> Spotify followers: 6,263,508
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,534,987
Source: Buda Mendes / Getty Images
4. Metallica
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 12
> Spotify followers: 6,081,248
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 6,464,590
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Source: Timothy Tsui / Wikimedia Commons
3. Maroon 5
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 274
> Spotify followers: 10,224,597
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 2,714,145
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images
2. Coldplay
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 204
> Spotify followers: 10,969,375
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 4,894,538
Source: Scott Gries / ImageDirect / Getty Images
1. Linkin Park
> Weeks on Billboard Hot 100, 2008-2018: 100
> Spotify followers: 7,785,552
> Annual Wikipedia page views: 8,429,414
Detailed findings and methodology:
A band’s total certified U.S. album sales came from the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA tracks album sales released in the American market with a threshold of 500,000 units sold. How well a band’s singles performed was determined by awarding a band points for singles that spent time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A single was awarded points based on the number of weeks it was on the list and its rank for each week. Wikipedia page views were calculated for the past two years. Popularity on Spotify was based on Spotify’s popularity index.
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