The history of rock includes a myriad of collectives in which a strong female voice provides the group’s identity while being supported by male backing musicians. Thankfully, a new generation of these acts have made women all the more present in modern rock, country, pop and electronica. Here are 26 of our favorite bands fronted by inspiring female artists.
Alabama Shakes
The rock crew fronted by Brittany Howard has built an electric, festival-ready live show out of the soulful Americana featured on its first two albums.
Blondie
Blondie changed the way a female can be perceived in rock music. With Debbie Harry leading the quintet, Blondie pushed new wave in complex new directions without sacrificing a drop of attitude.
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Gladys Knight and her crew of male backup vocalists helped shape the sound of Motown in the 60’s and 70’s:
The Band Perry
The Perry siblings -- with Kimberly leading brothers Reid and Neil -- have taken the country world by storm.
No Doubt
With Gwen Stefani leading a band of three boys (including bassist/ex-boyfriend Tony Kanal), No Doubt became one of the most successful pop-rock groups of all time.
Evanescence
A metal band defined by the juxtaposition of chugging guitars and a heavenly female voice, the Amy Lee-led Evanescence were a leading light in rock music during the mid-2000’s,
Paramore
Despite an unsavory lineup reshuffling in late 2010, Hayley Williams and her pop-rock crew are more popular than ever, selling out arenas on the strength of their self-titled 2013 album
Echosmith
Led by Sydney Sierota, this all-sibling band from Los Angeles broke out in 2014 with the Top 20 indie-pop hit “Cool Kids” after years of playing shows and cultivating an audience. Debut album Talking Dreams was released in 2013.
Garbage
Shirley Manson’s alt-rock project was one of the genre’s biggest success stories in the second half of the '90s,
The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless have toured with acts like Nickelback, Marilyn Manson and Evanescence while supporting their hard rock tunes.
The Pretenders
Between 1979 and 2008, the Chrissie Hynde-fronted Pretenders were one of the most consistent names in rock
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O and co. have crafted an impressive run as alt-rock soothsayers after busting out with the heartstrings-tugging single “Maps.” Now four albums and over a decade into their careers as a trio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have jumped from electro-dance, gospel, fuzz-rock and post-punk without ever losing their identities.
MisterWives
Indie-pop newcomers MisterWives (a play off of the term “sister wives,” since the band is one girl and four guys) have earned a sizable live following
Crystal Castles
The explosive stage energy of singer Alice Glass found a perfect complement in the 8-bit beats of producer Ethan Kath in this experimental electro-punk project from Toronto.
She & Him
Long before she was starring on New Girl, actress Zooey Deschanel tried her hand at a folk collaboration with cult indie figure M. Ward.
Full list here.
