Classic Rock

"The short on top, long in back world of Classic Rock has long been America's least appreciated cultural touchstone. But what really makes this workhorse radio format deserving of a multiple-lighter salute is its interstate, multinational, pan-demographic dominion. Who doesn't know the chorus of 'All the Young Dudes' better than the preamble to the Constitution? Who hasn't driven over the speed limit to 'Radar Love'?"

— Suck, "Long Live Rock"

Classic rock is not, strictly speaking, a musical genre, but rather a radio format that features old-school rock songs. There is no set definition of "classic rock," with just about everybody having their own personal criteria. The unwritten definition used by the website ultimateclassicrock.com (and many people) generally seems to be any music created by a non-alternative ^note  excluding New Wave, Punk Rock, and Post-Punk, if you even consider these genres to be alternative rock band/artist that was at the peak of their/his/her career sometime in between the Rockabilly/Rock & Roll (using the strictest definition of the latter term) and the Grunge/Alternative Rock eras (basically, rock from the middle-ish 1960s to the very early '90s). Although the earlier rock and roll artists of the '50s and early '60s are indeed both classic and rock, they're usually not considered to be "classic rock" from a programming standpoint, instead being relegated to oldies stations. Meanwhile, a number of classic rock stations, seeking to update their playlists as the Gen Xers and older Millenials have aged into their advertisers' target demographics, have begun to play more recent music, including grunge and alternative artists.

Classic rock stations are still common on the FM dial in the United States, while SiriusXM offers a number of classic rock-oriented channels to its subscribers, including: Classic Vinyl ('60s and early '70s classic rock), Classic Rewind (late '70s and '80s classic rock), Deep Tracks (classic rock deep cuts), The Bridge (mellow classic rock), Classic Rock Party (upbeat/energetic classic rock), Ozzy's Boneyard (classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal), Hair Nation (Hair Metal), Underground Garage (Garage Rock), 1st Wave (classic New Wave, Punk Rock, Post-Punk, and early Alternative Rock), and various single-artist channels.

There are also several syndicated radio programs that play classic rock bands and artists, including Little Steven's Underground Garage, The House of Hair with Dee Snider, Nights with Alice Cooper, Flashback with Matt Pinfield, The Classics with Steve Downes, and Off the Record with Joe Benson.

---

Some genres associated with Classic Rock include:

• Arena Rock (also known as adult-oriented rock [AOR], ^note  AOR can also stand for "album-oriented rock," but that's a radio format, not a genre. melodic rock, stadium rock, or corporate rock): Polished, slick, glossy, shiny, radio-ready, and commercially-friendly (generally without being out-and-out pop rock) rock that was at its peak between the mid '70s and early '90s and featured Hard Rock anthems and soft rock Power Ballads and typically showcased prominent keyboards.
• Baroque Pop (also known as baroque rock): This genre of pop and rock is known for combining those styles with the compositional styles and instruments of classical music.
• Blues Rock
• Boogie rock
• Comedy rock
• Country rock
• Dance-rock: Rock music influenced by Pop and Post-Punk. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of punk and Disco.
• Experimental rock
• Folk rock: Rock music with acoustic instrumental textures
• Garage Rock
• Glam Rock: Flamboyant, theatrical rock music that was at its peak in the '70s and often featured performers in androgynous outfits
• Hair Metal (also known as glam metal or pop metal ^note  even though most hair bands aren't really metal ): Slick, generally radio-ready rock music that was at its peak between the mid '80s and very early '90s and featured artists in glammed-up costumes performing Hard Rock anthems and Power Ballads that still rocked pretty hard
• Hard Rock: Rock music on the harder, heavier, faster, louder, or more aggressive side
• Heartland Rock: Rock music that appeals to blue-collar Middle American ethos
• Heavy Metal: This genre is similar to Hard Rock, except that its sound is heavier/harder and it has a darker, more sinister, more menacing, more intimidating edge to it
• Jam band: A rock band that usually features extended improvised sections of music in their live performances
• Jazz rock (frequently used synonymously with Jazz Fusion)
• New Wave: A style of oft-quirky pop rock and pop that evolved out of Punk Rock and was at its commercial peak between the late '70s and mid '80s
• Pop rock
• Post-Punk: Rock music that evolved out of Punk Rock that was more experimental
• Power Pop: A fusion of pop rock and Hard Rock
• Power Metal: Lighter and Softer Heavy Metal music
• Progressive Rock (sometimes shortened to prog rock or prog, and frequently used synonymously with art rock): A somewhat experimental genre dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what rock music is artistically capable of.
• Psychedelic Rock (frequently used synonymously with acid rock): Trippy rock music inspired by '60s and '70s drug culture
• Punk Rock: Stripped-down, hard-rocking, often politically-charged music that developed in the mid '70s and often revolved around short songs
• Reggae rock
• Roots rock: Rock music that imitated the sound of earlier rock 'n' roll
• Soft rock: Rock music on the softer, lighter, slower, quieter, or gentler side
• Soul rock
• Southern Rock: Rock music played by bands/artists originating from the Southern United States
• Space rock: Rock music characterized by loose and lengthy song structures and centered on hypnotic, otherworldly-sounding instrumental textures
• Speed Metal: Heavy Metal, but extremely fast and abrasive
• Swamp rock: Rock music inspired by swamp/bayou culture
• Wagnerian rock: Rock music centered around bombastic, melodramatic, operatic, and lengthy songs (think of your typical tune penned by Jim Steinman)
• Yacht rock: Smooth, laidback rock music that usually has a sunny- or tropical-sounding quality and is generally poppy and soft in nature, most acts also overlapped with Soul rock, Jazz rock, and soft rock.

---

Classic-era, non-alternative ^note  not including New Wave, Punk Rock, and Post-Punk as alternative here bands and artists associated with Classic Rock include:

Important Note: The bands'/artists' primary genres are listed as well, with Arena Rock being considered a subgenre of Hard Rock and soft rock, Hair Metal a subgenre of Hard Rock, New Wave a subgenre of pop rock, and Punk Rock a subgenre of Hard Rock. When these subgenres are listed, their larger genre is not, to avoid redundancy and unnecessary wordiness.

• 38 Special — Hard Rock, Southern Rock, Arena Rock.
• 707 — Arena Rock.
• Lee Aaron — Arena Rock.
• Accept — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• AC/DC — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Metal, Arena Rock.
• Adam Sandler — Comedy rock.
• Bryan Adams — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Aerosmith — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• The Allman Brothers Band — Southern Rock, Blues Rock, country rock, boogie rock, jam band.
• America — Folk rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• Angel — Glam Rock, Arena Rock, Progressive Rock.
• The Animals — Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Paul Anka — Pop rock, soft rock, soul rock, yacht rock (1970s to 1980s output).^note While Paul Anka's music technically could be considered Rock, he's not usually described as Classic Rock, as his music is on the very soft end of soft rock, bordering more on middle-of-the-road, and he started out at a Teen Idol in the 1950s and early 1960s (his music then also would have fit into the Brill-Building-pop variety of 1950s Rock n'roll, which would be too old to be considered Classic rock).
• April Wine — Hard Rock, Arena Rock.
• Argent — Progressive Rock, Glam Rock, Pscychedelic Rock, Hard Rock.
• Asia — Pop rock, NewWave, Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock.
• Autograph — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Axe — Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Power Pop.
• The B-52s — New Wave, Post-Punk, pop rock, dance-rock.
• The Babys — Pop rock, Hard Rock, Power Pop, Arena Rock.
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive — Boogie rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Bad Company — Blues Rock, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• Bad English — Arena Rock.
• Badfinger — Power Pop, pop rock.
• Balance — Arena Rock.
• Russ Ballard — Arena Rock.
• The Band — Roots rock, folk rock, country rock, soft rock.
• Jimmy Barnes — Arena Rock.
• The Beach Boys — Surf Rock, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Rock, pop rock.
• The Beatles — Pop rock, Psychedelic Rock, soft rock.
• Pat Benatar — Pop rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock.
• Big Brother And The Holding Company — Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Big Country — New Wave, Celtic rock.
• The Black Crowes — Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Southern Rock (debatable).
• Blackfoot — Southern Rock, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• Black Sabbath — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• Blondie — New Wave, Pop Punk, Punk Rock.
• Blue Öyster Cult — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the late '70s-mid '80s).
• Michael Bolton — Arena Rock ('80s output). ^note  His output outside of this time period mostly wasn't rock, so his music outside of this time frame probably couldn't be considered Classic Rock.
• Bon Jovi — Hard Rock, Hair Metal, pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Boston — Pop rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock.
• David Bowie — Pop rock, Glam Rock, New Wave, Progressive Rock (debatable).
• Bread — Soft rock
• Jackson Browne — Folk rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• Budgie — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• Buffalo Springfield — Folk rock, country rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Jimmy Buffett — Yacht rock, country rock, pop rock, soft rock.
• The Byrds — Folk rock, Psychedelic Rock, country rock, soft rock.
• Cactus — Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Captain & Tennille — Soft rock, yacht rock.
• The Cars — New Wave, Power Pop, pop rock.
• Charlie — Arena Rock.
• Cheap Trick — Power Pop, New Wave, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• Cher — Arena Rock ('80s-early '90s output). ^note  Her output outside of this time period mostly wasn't rock, so her music outside of this time frame probably couldn't be considered Classic Rock.
• Chicago — Jazz rock, pop rock, soft rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s-early '90s).
• Cinderella — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Blues Rock.
• City Boy — Arena Rock, Glam Rock, pop rock, Progressive Rock.
• Eric Clapton — Blues Rock.
• The Clash — Punk Rock (output from their first two albums), New Wave, experimental rock, Post-Punk (output from their third album on).
• Joe Cocker — Pop rock, soul rock, Blues Rock, soft rock.
• Phil Collins — Pop rock, soft rock, New Wave, soul rock.
• Alice Cooper — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, shock rock, Glam Rock (with a Hair Metal period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• Coverdale•Page — Hard Rock, Blues Rock.
• Cream — Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Creedence Clearwater Revival — Swamp rock, roots rock, Southern Rock (even though they're from California), Blues Rock, country rock, soft rock.
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — Folk rock, country rock, soft rock.
• Christopher Cross — Yacht rock, pop rock, soft rock.
• The Cult — Hard Rock, Post-Punk (output from their first two albums).
• Culture Club — New Wave.
• Roger Daltrey — Pop rock, soft rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s-early '90s).
• Damn Yankees — Hard Rock, Hair Metal, Arena Rock.
• Deep Purple — Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock ('60s output), Progressive Rock, sometimes classified as Heavy Metal.
• Def Leppard — Hard Rock, Hair Metal, Arena Rock, pop rock.
• Derek and the Dominos — Hard Rock, Blues Rock.
• Devo — New Wave, Post-Punk, pop rock.
• Neil Diamond — Folk rock, country rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• Bruce Dickinson — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• Dio — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• Dire Straits — Blues Rock, roots rock, Arena Rock, jazz rock, Progressive Rock, art rock.
• Dokken — Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• The Doobie Brothers — Boogie rock, soft rock, soul rock, roots rock, yacht rock (Michael McDonald era)
• The Doors — Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Doucette — Arena Rock.
• Duran Duran — New wave music, pop rock, dance-rock
• Bob Dylan — Folk rock, country rock, soft rock, blues rock.
• Eagles — Country rock, soft rock, pop rock, folk rock.
• The Edgar Winter Group — Hard Rock, pop rock.
• Electric Light Orchestra — Progressive Rock, pop rock.
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer — Progressive Rock.
• Europe — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Metal, Arena Rock.
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds — Blues Rock.
• Faces — Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• John Farnham — Pop rock, Arena Rock (mid '80s-early '90s output).
• FireHouse — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Hair Metal.
• Fleetwood Mac — Pop rock, soft rock, folk rock, Blues Rock (Peter Green-era output).
• Franco De Vita — Pop rock.
• FM — Arena Rock.
• John Fogerty — Heartland rock, swamp rock, roots rock, Southern Rock (even though he's from California), Blues Rock, country rock, soft rock.
• Foghat — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, boogie rock.
• Lita Ford — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Foreigner — Arena Rock.
• Peter Frampton — Arena Rock.
• Free Band — Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Robert Fripp — Progressive Rock
• Peter Gabriel — Progressive Rock, art rock, experimental rock, pop rock.
• Gamma — Arena Rock.
• The J. Geils Band — Blues Rock ('70s output), boogie rock ('70s output), New Wave ('80s output).
• Genesis (Band) — Progressive Rock, art rock, soft rock, pop rock (output from the late '70s on).
• The Georgia Satellites — Southern Rock, Hard Rock.
• Giant — Arena Rock.
• Giuffria — Arena Rock.
• The Go-Go's — New Wave.
• Golden Earring — Hard Rock.
• Gowan — Arena Rock.
• Grand Funk Railroad — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, boogie rock.
• Grateful Dead — Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, folk rock, country rock, jam band.
• Great White — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Blues Rock.
• The Greg Kihn Band — Pop rock, Power Pop.
• GTR — Arena Rock.
• The Guess Who — Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, pop rock, boogie rock, Hard Rock.
• Guns N' Roses — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.
• Sammy Hagar — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, Blues Rock.
• Daryl Hall & John Oates — Soul rock, pop rock (with a New Wave period in the '80s), soft rock, yacht rock.
• Harem Scarem — Arena Rock.
• Harlequin — Arena Rock.
• George Harrison — Pop rock, soft rock, folk rock.
• Corey Hart — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Head East — Heartland rock, Arena Rock.
• Heart — Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s), folk rock.
• Jimi Hendrix — Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Blues Rock.
• Don Henley — Pop rock, soft rock.
• The Hollies — Pop rock, soft rock.
• Honeymoon Suite — Arena Rock.
• Humble Pie — Blues Rock, Hard Rock, boogie rock.
• Icon — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Arena Rock.
• Billy Idol — Hard Rock, New Wave.
• INXS — New Wave.
• Donnie Iris — Arena Rock, pop rock.
• Iron Butterfly — Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock.
• Iron Maiden — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• The Isley Brothers — Funk rock, boogie rock.
• Jackyl — Southern Rock, Hair Metal.
• James Gang — Boogie rock, Hard Rock, soft rock, Blues Rock.
• The Jeff Beck Group — Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Jefferson Airplane — Psychedelic Rock, folk rock.
• Jefferson Starship — Arena Rock.
• Jethro Tull — Progressive Rock, folk rock, Hard Rock.
• Tommy James And The Shondells — Pop rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts — Hard Rock, Power Pop, Punk Rock.
• Billy Joel — Pop rock, soft rock, folk rock, Baroque Pop, NewWave.
• Elton John — Soft rock, Glam Rock, pop rock, Baroque Pop.
• Janis Joplin — Blues Rock, soul rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Journey — Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, jazz rock, Arena Rock.
• Judas Priest — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock in the mid-'80s).
• Kansas — Progressive Rock, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s).
• King Crimson — Progressive Rock.
• The Kinks — Pop rock, Hard Rock, soft rock.
• Kiss — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, shock rock (with a Hair Metal period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• The Knack — Power Pop, pop rock, Hard Rock.
• Krokus — Hard Rock (with a Hair Metal period in the mid-late '80s).
• L.A. Guns — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Led Zeppelin — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, folk rock, Progressive Rock (debatable).
• Legs Diamond — Arena Rock.
• Le Roux — Arena Rock, Southern Rock.
• Huey Lewis and the News — Pop rock, soul rock.
• Little Feat — Swamp rock, roots rock, Southern Rock (even though they're from California), Blues Rock, country rock, jazz rock, jam band, boogie rock.
• Little River Band — Yacht rock, pop rock, soft rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s).
• Kenny Loggins — Pop rock, soft rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s), yacht rock (to an extent).
• Loverboy — Arena Rock.
• The Lovin' Spoonful — Folk rock, Blues Rock, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Rock, pop rock.
• Love/Hate — Hair Metal, Arena Rock.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd — Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Blues Rock.
• Magnum — Arena Rock.
• The Mamas & the Papas — Folk rock, pop rock, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Rock.
• Barry Manilow — Pop rock, soft rock, yacht rock.^note Like the above-mentioned Paul Anka, Barry Mannilow's music could technically be considered Classic Rock, but is on the very soft, Middle-of-the-road side of soft rock, and as such, usually isn't described as Classic Rock.
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band — Progressive Rock, pop rock.
• Benny Mardones — Arena Rock.
• The Marshall Tucker Band — Country rock, Southern Rock, Blues Rock, jazz rock, soft rock.
• Paul McCartney and Wings — Pop rock, soft rock.
• The Miracles — Funk rock, soul rock.
• Richard Marx — Arena Rock.
• Don McLean — Folk rock, soft rock.
• Meat Loaf — Wagnerian rock, Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• John Mellencamp — Heartland rock, Hard Rock.
• Men at Work — New Wave, pop rock, reggae rock.
• Metallica — Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Speed Metal, Arena Rock.
• Mike + the Mechanics — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Steve Miller Band — Pop rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock.
• Mr. Mister — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Kim Mitchell — Arena Rock.
• Molly Hatchet — Southern Rock, Hard Rock.
• Eddie Money — Pop rock, soft rock, Arena Rock.
• Montrose — Hard Rock.
• The Moody Blues — Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, pop rock.
• Gary Moore — Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s), Blues Rock.
• Van Morrison — Pop rock, soul rock, soft rock.
• Mötley Crüe — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Motörhead — Heavy Metal, Hard Rock.
• Mott the Hoople — Glam Rock, Hard Rock.
• Mountain — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock.
• The Move — Pop rock, Power Pop, Psychedelic Rock.
• Nazareth — Hard Rock, Blues Rock.
• Nelson — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Stevie Nicks — Pop rock, soft rock.
• Night Ranger — Hard Rock, Hair Metal, Arena Rock.
• Harry Nilsson — Pop rock, soft rock.
• Aldo Nova — Arena Rock.
• Ted Nugent — Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s).
• Ozzy Osbourne — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.
• The Outfield — Power Pop, pop rock, New Wave (to a lesser extent).
• Outlaws — Southern Rock, country rock, Hard Rock.
• Pablo Cruise — Yacht rock, pop rock, soft rock.
• Robert Palmer — Pop rock, soul rock, soft rock.
• John Parr — Arena Rock.
• The Alan Parsons Project — Progressive Rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• Petra — Christian Rock, Arena Rock.
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — Heartland rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Phenomena — Arena Rock.
• Pink Floyd — Progressive Rock, art rock, Psychedelic Rock ('60s output), experimental rock, space rock, Arena Rock.
• Planet P Project — Progressive Rock, Arena Rock, pop rock.
• Robert Plant — Hard Rock, pop rock, folk rock, country rock, Blues Rock.
• Player — Soft rock, yacht rock.
• Poison — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• The Police — New Wave, Post-Punk, Punk Rock, reggae rock, pop rock.
• Praying Mantis — Arena Rock.
• Pretenders — Hard Rock, pop rock, Punk Rock, New Wave.
• Prism — Hard Rock, pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Procol Harum — Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Suzi Quatro — Glam Rock, Hard Rock, pop rock.
• Queen — Hard Rock, Arena Rock (debatable), Glam Rock, pop rock, Progressive Rock (debatable), Baroque Pop.
• Queensrÿche — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal.
• Quiet Riot — Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Rainbow — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal (with an Arena Rock period after Ronnie James Dio left the band).
• Ram Jam — Hard Rock, boogie rock, Blues Rock, Southern Rock (even though they're from New York).
• Ramones — Hard Rock, Post-Punk, Punk Rock.
• Ratt — Hard Rock, Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Red Rider — Arena Rock, pop rock, NewWave, Hard Rock.
• Lou Reed — Glam Rock, pop rock.
• REO Speedwagon — Hard Rock, pop rock, soft rock, Arena Rock.
• Roadmaster — Arena Rock.
• The Rolling Stones — Blues Rock, Hard Rock, soft rock.
• The Romantics — Power Pop, pop rock.
• Linda Ronstadt — Country rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• David Lee Roth — Hard Rock, Hair Metal, pop rock.
• Rush — Progressive Rock, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the '80s-early '90s).
• Saga — Progressive Rock, Arena Rock, pop rock.
• The Sanford-Townsend Band — Pop rock, soul rock, yacht rock.
• Santana — Latin rock, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock.
• Saxon — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.
• Scorpions — Hard Rock (with a Hair Metal period in the '80s-early '90s).
• Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band — Heartland rock, roots rock, Blues Rock, soft rock.
• Sherbs — Arena Rock.
• Shooting Star — Arena Rock.
• Simon & Garfunkel — Folk rock, soft rock, Baroque Pop.
• Paul Simon — Pop rock, soft rock, folk rock.
• Simple Minds — New Wave.
• Skid Row — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal (output from the '90s on).
• Slade — Glam Rock, Hard Rock.
• Slaughter — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• The Small Faces — Pop rock, Power Pop, Psychedelic Rock.
• Spinal Tap — Comedy rock, Hair Metal.
• Rick Springfield — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Bruce Springsteen — Heartland rock, folk rock, pop rock.
• Billy Squier — Arena Rock.
• Michael Stanley Band — Arena Rock, heartland rock.
• Starship — Pop rock, Arena Rock.
• Status Quo — Boogie rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
• Steely Dan — Jazz rock, soft rock, pop rock.
• Steppenwolf — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Rod Stewart — Pop rock, soft rock.
• Sting — Pop rock, soft rock.
• The Storm — Arena Rock.
• Strangeways — Arena Rock.
• Streetheart — Arena Rock.
• Streets — Arena Rock.
• Styx — Pop rock, soft rock, Arena Rock, Progressive Rock, Hard Rock.
• Supertramp — Pop rock, soft rock, Progressive Rock.
• Survivor — Arena Rock, Hard Rock, pop rock.
• Steve Vai — Funk rock, Progressive Rock, comedy rock.
• Sweet — Glam Rock, Hard Rock.
• Talking Heads — New Wave, pop rock, Post-Punk, dance-rock.
• James Taylor — Folk rock, soft rock.
• Tears for Fears — New Wave.
• Tesla — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Blues Rock.
• Thin Lizzy — Hard Rock, sometimes classified as Heavy Metal.
• George Thorogood & the Destroyers — Blues Rock, boogie rock, Hard Rock.
• Three Dog Night — Pop rock, soft rock, soul rock.
• Toto — Soft rock, Hard Rock, soul rock, Arena Rock.
• Traveling Wilburys — Pop rock, folk rock.
• Trixter — Hair Metal, Arena Rock
• T. Rex — Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Triumph — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Arena Rock.
• Trooper — Arena Rock.
• The Tubes — New Wave.
• Twisted Sister — Arena Rock, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal.
• Bonnie Tyler — Pop rock, soft rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s), Wagnerian rock.
• U2 — Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, pop rock.
• UFO — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, space rock.
• Uriah Heep — Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the late '70s-early '90s), Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock.
• Van Halen — Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Arena Rock, Hair Metal, pop rock.
• Van Zant — Arena Rock ('80s output), Southern Rock (output from the '90s on), country rock (output from the '90s on).
• Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble — Blues Rock.
• The Velvet Underground — Experimental rock, Protopunk.
• Vixen — Hard Rock, pop rock, Heavy Metal, Hair Metal.
• John Waite — Arena Rock.
• Joe Walsh — Hard Rock, Blues Rock, pop rock.
• Warrant — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• White Lion — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• White Sister — Arena Rock.
• Whitesnake — Hard Rock (with a Hair Metal period in the late '80s).
• The Who — Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Power Pop, pop rock.
• Winger — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• Y&T — Arena Rock, Hair Metal.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic — Comedy rock, pop rock. ^note  Not all of his songs are rock, but enough of them are to make him qualify for a list like this.
• The Yardbirds — Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Yes — Progressive Rock, folk rock, Hard Rock, pop rock (early '80s-early '90s output), Arena Rock (early '80s-early '90s output).
• Neil Young — Folk rock, country rock, Hard Rock, soft rock.
• Frank Zappa / The Mothers of Invention — Comedy rock, Psychedelic Rock, jazz rock, experimental rock, Progressive Rock.
• Zebra — Arena Rock.
• Warren Zevon — Pop rock.
• Wild Cherry — Funk rock.
• The Zombies — Pop rock, Psychedelic Rock.
• Zucchero — Pop rock, frequently mixed with Soul and Blues flavors.
• ZZ Top — Boogie rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock (with an Arena Rock period in the mid '80s-early '90s), Southern Rock (debatable).

Bands and artists generally considered too old to be Classic Rock, but may show up once in a while on the radio include:

• Paul Anka ^note  Linked above, his later music from the 1970s and onward would fit into Classic Rock, just very loosely.
• Chuck Berry
• The Everly Brothers
• Buddy Holly
• Jerry Lee Lewis
• Little Richard
• Roy Orbison ^note Save for his late-career work with the Traveling Wilburys, that is.
• Elvis Presley

Newer and/or alternative bands and artists that sometimes get played on Classic Rock radio include:

• Alice in Chains
• Beastie Boys
• Bush
• Collective Soul
• Sheryl Crow
• Faith No More
• Foo Fighters
• Green Day
• Jane's Addiction
• Jet
• Lenny Kravitz
• Live
• Living Colour
• Metallica ('90s era)
• Nirvana
• Pearl Jam
• Pixies
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• R.E.M.
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• Soundgarden
• Stone Temple Pilots