Once Original, Now Overdone: The band sounds positively tame in retrospect. Their androgyny was genuinely shocking at first, but a lot of hard rock acts that followed copied their visual style. A lot of reviews at the time noted their amateurish musicianship, but they sound downright melodic today. Lampshaded by David Johansen in the Buster Poindexter "Hot Hot Hot" music video, which opens with him giving a monologue explaining his time in the Dolls and how their act being so extensively copied by the hair metal bands of the 80s has lead him to do something completely different.
Short-Lived, Big Impact: They were only originally active for five years, and rapidly imploded in their final year, but in that time, they managed to become a gigantic influence on Punk Rock (which enthusiastically took to their attitude and Three Chords and the Truth approach), Alternative Rock, and the bands that would eventually create Hair Metal (who obviously took to the aesthetic, as well as the attitude and some of the musical elements), and are still widely respected to this day.
Signature Song: "Personality Crisis," "Looking for a Kiss," "Trash," and "Jet Boy."
Tough Act to Follow: While their albums since their reformation are generally well liked, it's their first two albums that are responsible for the band's reputation and it's almost universally agreed that they'll never top them.
