The Best Indie Rock Music Bands

Find a comprehensive list of the best indie rock music bands, as well as recommendations for new bands to check out.

The Strokes

The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of singer Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Fabrizio Moretti.

The Strokes’ musical style has been compared to that of several garage rock and proto-punk bands of the 1970s and 1980s, including the Velvet Underground, Television, Mission of Burma, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, the Stooges and the Modern Lovers.

The White Stripes

Formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan, The White Stripes is an American rock duo consisting of Jack White on vocals and guitar, and Meg White on drums. The band rose to prominence in the early 2000s as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their 2001 album, White Blood Cells, brought them mainstream success with singles such as “Fell in Love with a Girl” and “Seven Nation Army”, which topped several charts worldwide.

The Libertines

The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty. The band, rooted in the pub rock, punk rock and indie rock genres, are noted for their distinctive musical style and off-stage antics.

The Vines

The Vines are an Australian rock band formed in 1994 in Sydney. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Craig Nicholls, bass player Tim John Ryan and drummer Lachlan West. The Vines rose to prominence with their 2002 debut album Highly Evolved, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and was certified platinum.

The band’s follow-up album Winning Days (2004) reached the top five in Australia and the UK, selling over one million copies worldwide. It featured the song “Ride”, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified silver by the BPI. “Get Free” reached No. 11 on Billboard Alternative Songs in 2003; it was also included on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 Best Songs of 2002.

The Hives

The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s as part of the garage rock revival. Their popularity was bolstered by their energetic live shows and outlandish dress code, which featured formal wear accessorized with striped shirts and tall socks. The Hives have released five studio albums, the most recent of which,Lex Hives, was released in 2012.

The Black Keys

Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys is an American rock band consisting of singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. The group’s raw blues-rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach’s surly vocals and Carney’s simple, direct drumming style. The Black Keys’ breakthrough came with their sixth album, Brothers (2010), which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and won three Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album. Their eighth album, Turn Blue (2014), debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for four Grammys, including Album of the Year.

The Kills

The Kills are an indie rock music band formed in 2000 by singer Alison Mosshart (“VV”) and guitarist Jamie Hince (“Hotel”). The duo’s characteristic raw, minimal sound draws comparisons to the White Stripes and the Velvet Underground. They are signed to Domino Records.

The Kills released their first album, No Wow, in 2005. The follow-up, Midnight Boom (2008), was produced by Tom Vek and reached No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart. Blood Pressures (2011), their third studio album, peaked at No. 7 in the UK and No. 27 in the US. It was preceded by the single “Satellite”, which became their highest-charting single in the UK, peaking at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. Their fourth album, Ash & Ice, was released in 2016 and became their highest-charting album in the US, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Kills have been nominated for three Brit Awards and three NME Awards throughout their career. Mosshart is also a member of supergroup The Dead Weather with Jack White of the White Stripes, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Brendan Benson of indie rock group Raconteurs.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band, formed in New York City in 2000. The band is composed of Karen O (vocals, keyboards), Nick Zinner (guitar, keyboards) and Brian Chase (drums). They are perhaps best known for their 2003 single “Maps”.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs began their musical career together in 2000 as a part of the New York City’s underground music scene. They released their self-titled debut EP in early 2001, which featured the now-iconic single “Man”. The EP was followed by their full-length album Fever to Tell in October 2002. The album was a critical and commercial success, spawning several hit singles including “Maps” and “Y Control”.

The band’s next album, It’s Blitz!, was released in 2009 to similar acclaim. The lead single “Zero” became another alternative rock radio hit, and the album was praised for its more experimental sound. Their most recent album, Mosquito, was released in 2013 to further acclaim. The album featured the singles “Sacrilege” and “Despair”.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are considered one of the most important bands of the early 21st century indie rock movement. They have influenced many subsequent bands with their unique blend of garage rock and art punk aesthetics.

The Arctic Monkeys

The Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Matt Helders (drums, vocals), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards) and Nick O’Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals). Formerly promoting themselves as part of the DIY ethic of the post-punk independent rock movement, they have since embraced a more commercial sound.

The band’s debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006), became the fastest-selling debut album by a band in UK chart history and saw them nominated for five Brit Awards, winning Best British Group. Their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), was similarly successful, debuting at number one in the UK and receiving platinum certification by the BPI within two weeks. In 2013, they released their fifth album AM to critical acclaim and commercial success; it became their first LP to reach number one in both the UK and US. They have also been nominated for six Grammy Awards.

The National

The National is an American indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Bryce, Aaron and Bryan are the band’s founding members.

The National has released eight studio albums, two of which were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. They have also received ten NME Awards, nine Pitchfork Media Awards, one BBC Music Award and three GQ Ukraine Awards. In 2013, Trouble Will Find Me debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and became their highest-charting album to date.