There’s something mesmerising about watching a rock band with female leads gain world renown.
History has had women in the entertainment industry either pushed to the side or overly sexualised. It’s a refreshing sight to watch them express themselves as they wish.
And so, to give them their dues, we bring you a list of the 15 most successful female-fronted rock bands!
These bands have been successful in their time and their songs have been immortalised through the decades. So, without further ado, let’s get into the band members and their greatest hits!
Blondie was formed in 1974 in New York. However, though famous in the UK and Australia, they were considered an underground band in the US.
That was until their 1978 album Parallel Line, which brought them mainstream media attention.
Their subgenre consists mainly of punk rock and they were the first to introduce new wave to America. They disbanded in 1982, after the release of their sixth album.
However, you can still hire Blondie tribute bands for your functions!
Debbie Harry
Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Leigh Foxx, Matt Katz-Bohen, and Tommy Kessler
Call Me, Atomic, Heart of Glass
The Cranberry Saw Us were an Irish rock band formed in the late 80s. Their sounds incorporated punk, dream, and folk amongst other subgenres.
When Dolores O’Riordan joined the band, they renamed themselves as the Cranberries and that’s what they have been known since.
O’Riordan passed away in 2018 and the band disbanded after releasing their last album with her a year later.
Dolored O’Riordan
Mike Hogan, Noel Hogan, Fergal Lawler, and Niall Quinn
Dreams, Linger, When You’re Gone
Paramore was formed in the early 2000s from Tennessee. Their lead singer, Hayley Williams has also gained renown as a solo artist over time.
She was signed by Fueled by Ramen as a teenager and they were the only record label to accept the band as is.
Williams is also the only member to have appeared in every single studio album that Paramore has put out.
Hayley Williams
Zac Farro and Taylor York
Misery Business, Crushcrushcrush, The Only Exception
Joan Jett has broken multitudes of stereotypes and boundaries when it came to female rock artists.
From the 1980s, with her black leather pants and jacket paired with her shag cut, she redefined rock and roll.
Along with the Blackhearts – Jamaican for “loners” – the band has stood the test of time and inspired millions of women to stay true to their art.
Joan Jett
Gary Ryan, Ricky Byrd, Kasim Sulton, and Desmond Child
I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Crimson and Clover, and I Hate Myself for Loving You
Before the Blackhearts though, Joan Jett was in an all-female band called the Runaways.
They were only around from 1975 to 1979 but had put out four albums Although they were never a major success in the United States.
However, they did break several records in other parts of the world, particularly in Japan.
The Runaways even had a coming-of-age drama out in 2010 with the same name starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
Cherie Currie
Joan Jett, Sandy West, and Lita Ford
Cherry Bomb, You Drive Me Wild, Dead End Justice
Evanescence has been around for as long as we can remember. We were delighted to see their hit come back to mainstream due to Tik Tok recently.
Founded in 1994 in New York, they have seen several changes in their band members. However, their lead singer, Amy Lee, has been around since the beginning.
In 2004, they were nominated for six Grammys and actually bagged two that same year!
Amy Lee
Tim McCord, Troy McLawhorn, Will Hunt, and Emma Anzai
Bring Me To Life, Call Me When You’re Sober, My Immortal
Florence and the Machine was formed in 2007 in London. They are a world renowned band to this day.
Like Hayley Williams, Florence Welch also ventures as a solo artist, but she truly shines with her band. Her voice has an ethereal quality and their songs have a folk element to them.
Their genre is often described as baroque pop/rock and they stand out in this category of rock.
Florence Welch
Isabella Summers, Robert Ackroyd, Tom Monger and others
Dog Days Are Over, Cosmic Love, Never Let Me Go
Echosmith is an indie pop rock band, its members consisting of the Sierota siblings. They were formed relatively recently, in 2006.
The band have often mentioned that their sounds were influenced by Coldplay, the Killers, and even Fleetwood Mac. They are also known to post covers on Youtube from time to time.
They were originally four members but the eldest sibling, Jamie, departed in 2016.
Sydney Sierota
Noah Sierota and Graham Sierota
Cool Kids, Bright, Goodbye
The Pretty Reckless is famous for their talented lead singer, Taylor Momsen. She was known as one of the stars in the CW teen drama, Gossip Girl.
During the show’s run, her band had signed a contract with Interscope Records. After the Gossip Girl ended, she retired from acting and gave her all to what she loved — her music.
Their songs have been featured in several hit movies over the years, including Kick-Ass in 2010.
Taylor Momsen
Ben Phillips, Mark Damon, and Jamie Perkins
Make Me Wanna Die, Heaven Knows, And So It Went
Fleetwood Mac is known for their drama as well as their music. But that is what made the band so famous; the audience understood the pain and love that was buried within their songs.
Formed in London, this British-American rock band has been consistently revelled for their ahead-of-time sound. Today, Fleetwood Mac tributes are still hired for weddings and functions to perform for celebrations.
In addition, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s tumultuous relationship was also the inspiration behind a lot of their songs.
Stevie Nicks
Mick Fleetwood, John and Christine McVie, Mike Campbell and Neil Finn
Dreams, Rhiannon, The Chains
Nightwish is a Finnish rock metal band founded in 1996. They were pretty well known in their country but achieved world fame in 2004, with their album Once.
Their sounds have a fantasy and symphonic elements that make them stand out in the industry.
Despite being so well known as a metal band, their initial sound was more folk acoustic. We still hear inspiration from this in their current mix.
Tarja Turunen (1996 - 2005), Anette Olzon (2007 - 2012), Floor Jansen (Since 2013)
Tuomas Holopainen, Emppu Vuorinen, Troy Donockley, Kai Hahto, and Jukka Koskinen
Sleeping Sun, Nemo, While Your Lips Are Still Red
Pretenders is another British-American rock band from the late 70s. The lead singer, Chrissie Hynde was in several other bands in their early stages including the Sex Pistols and the Damned.
The band was also named by her, inspired from the Platters’s song the Great Pretenders.
Their debut album was self-titled and released in 1980, two years after their formation. It was critically acclaimed, with VH1 and Rolling Stones claiming it to be one of the best albums ever.
Chrissie Hynde
Martin Chambers, Nick Wilkinson, Eric Heywood, James Walbourne, and Carwyn Ellis
I’ll Stand By You, Back on the Chain Gang, Don’t Get Me Wrong
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band from New York. Formed in the year 2000, there has never been any changes in members since they began.
The name was derived from New York city’s vernacular, meaning something along the lines of “whatever”.
Karen O, the lead singer, is half Korean and half Polish, and was born in Seoul, South Korea.
Karen O
Nick Zinner and Brian Chase
Heads Will Roll, Maps, Spitting Off the Edge of the World
Garbage is a Scottish-American band formed in 1993. Since its inception, the members have remained the same, much like Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Their first two albums hit the charts and sold over four million copies in the UK, USA, and Australia. Their third album was also critically acclaimed but not as well loved as their previous two.
Their interesting name came from a friend commenting that their music sounded like garbage. Clearly, this was not the case for their audience as they gained world renown.
Shirley Manson
Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig
Stupid Girl, Only Happy When it Rains, I Think I’m Paranoid
Before Gwen Stefani ventured out on her own, she was the lead singer in the band No Doubt. During their time from 1986, the band was a hit.
Though their debut did not gain much acclaim, their second album, The Beacon Street Collection, sold over 100,000 copies.
Their popular track, Just A Girl, is making the rounds again on Tiktok now. However, it was just as much of a hit during its initial release.
Gwen Stefani
Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young
Just A Girl, Don’t Speak, It’s My Life
And so we come to the end of this list of successful female fronted rock bands over the decades. You can hire tribute musicians of these bands that can make your events a memorable one.
While it’s not comprehensive, we did try to include the most successful ones that are still remembered to this day. Their impacts over the current generation of female rock stars has been enormous.
We hope that this has sent you down a wonderful memory lane and brought up some nostalgia from your younger years.
