19 Bands Like Foo Fighters (similar music you’re guaranteed to love!)

Foo Fighters started off as a solo project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. After the success of their self-titled debut album, Dave Grohl recruited a band. That was back in 1995, from that time onwards the band went through a number of lineup changes but the current lineup is Dave Grohl (lead vocals and guitar), Nate Mendel (bass), Pat Smear (guitar), Chris Shiflett (lead guitar), and Rami Jaffee (keyboards).

If you are a fan of the Foo Fighters and you’re looking to expand your musical library, keep reading because we’ve searched our archives and have found 19 bands like Foo Fighters for your listening pleasure.

1. Pearl Jam

Often cited as “the most popular American rock & roll band of the ’90s” and led by the unmistakable voice of Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam sold more albums than many of their contemporaries from the 1990s and are thought to be one of the most influential bands of 90s.

2. Nirvana

After forming Nirvana, Kurt Cobain (lead vocals and guitar) and Krist Novocelic (Bass) went through a number of drummers before settling on Dave Grohl (drums) in 1990. Nirvana’s success made alternative rock a popular genre and they were often cited as the figurehead band of generation X.

3. Audioslave

Formed by members of Rage Against The Machine Tom Morello (lead guitar), Brad Wilks (drums) and Tim Commerford (bass and vocals) along with Soundgarden’s lead singer and guitarist Chris Cornell. Audioslave’s unique sound was created by mixing hard rock with alternative rock as well as elements of funk, soul and R&B.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Their music is a mixture of alternative rock, psychedelic rock, punk rock and funk. They are the most successful alternative rock band ever and hold records for the most number-one singles (14), and most top-ten singles (25).

5. Soundgarden

With a revolving door of band members, the only two constants were Chris Cornell (vocals and guitar) and Kim Thayil (lead guitar). Soundgarden popularised grunge which was a style of alternative rock that developed in the Pacific NorthWest of America during the mid 80s.

6. Queens of the Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age are known for their electronica, Kraut rock and blues oriented musical style. With heavy riffs, hard rock sounds coupled with Josh Homme’s distinct vocals. They have been nominated for Grammy awards 7 times, 2 times for best rock album, 4 times for best hard rock performance and once for best rock performance.

7. Alice in Chains

Although thought of as a grunge band, Alice In Chains also incorporate heavy metal influences. They were one of the most successful alternative bands of the 90s selling more than 20 million albums worldwide and more than 14 million in the USA alone.

8. The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins were never just another punk/alternative band. They incorporated elements of heavy metal, shoegazing, gothic rock, psychedelic rock, prog rock and in later recordings, electronica. Their second album “Siamese Dream” was their breakthrough album, the one that got them recognised in the mainstream.

9. Green Day

Their 1991 album “Kerplunk” is one of the best selling independent albums ever with more than 4 million sales worldwide. They are credited with bringing punk rock into the mainstream in the USA. Overall, they have sold more than 85 million albums worldwide and have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

10. Incubus

Incubus achieved commercial success and critical acclaim after the release of their 1999 album “Make Yourself”. Two years later they achieved more mainstream recognition with the release of the single “Drive”. In 2006 their 6th studio album “Light Grenades” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

11. Radiohead

Radiohead’s debut single “Creep” released in 1992 became a worldwide success and the bands popularity kept increasing with the release of their debut album “Pablo Honey” a year later. Their third album “OK Computer” brought them international fame and is cited as one of the best albums in popular music.

12. Silverchair

Silverchair has won more ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) music awards than any other band in history with 21 wins from 49 nominations. All five of their studio albums debuted at number one on the ARIA album charts. Plus 3 of their singles, “Tomorrow”, “Freak” and “Straight Lines” have all reached number one in the relevant ARIA singles charts.

13.The Raconteurs

Also known as the Saboteurs in Australia, the Raconteurs were formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2005. The Australian band already known as the Raconteurs refused to give up their name even after being offered “a large sum of money”. The Raconteurs have played at many festivals including Oxegen, Reading, Leeds, Glastonbury, Vegoose, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Coachella.

14. Muse

Muse have won a number of awards including, 2 Grammy Awards, 2 Brit Awards, 5 MTV Europe Music Awards and 8 NME Awards. They have also sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Plus they have also released 9 studio albums with six reaching number one in the UK.

15. Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls began as a cover band before developing their own sound and in 1995 they released the single “Name” which proved to be their breakthrough into mainstream music. Their biggest hit “Iris” was released in 1998 and spent almost 12 months on the Billboard charts and was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay charts for 18 weeks.

16. Blind Melon

Blind Melon has released 3 studio albums so far and have been plagued with misfortune when it comes to band members. Their lead singer Shannon Hoon died from an overdose after the release of their second album “Soup”, after which they officially disbanded 4 years later due to not being able to find a suitable replacement. They then reformed in 2006 with Travis Warren as vocalist, shortly after the release of their 2008 album “For My Friends”, Warren left but rejoined in 2010.

17. 3 Doors Down

Their debut album released in 2000 “The Better Life”, was the 11th best selling album of the year and their second album released in 2002 “Away From the Sun” debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 album charts. The band have been described as post-grunge, alternative rock, sometimes crossing into hard rock or Southern rock.

18. Alter Bridge

Their debut album “One Day Remains” released in 2004 reached number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band has released 7 albums since they were formed in Orlando, Florida, USA in 2004. Many of the tracks from their album “One Day Remains” have been used on WWE especially “Metalingus” which was adopted by wrestler “Edge” as his entrance theme from 2004 until the present time.

19. Everclear

Formed in Portland, Oregon, USA in 1991, Everclear has released 9 studio albums. Named after the infamous grain alcohol, the band started recording in a friend’s basement where they produced their first recordings, one EP “Nervous & Weird” and a full length album “World Of Noise”.