Radiohead

Radiohead was the odd band out in the mid-'90s. Jonny Greenwood's jagged, brutal interjections on 'Creep,' the band's 1993 breakthrough hit, recalled the Pixies and Nirvana’s ugly noise. They spliced Floyd's spaciness with U2's messianic arena-rock heft, bridging the gap with guitar skronks borrowed from the '80s American underground.

Radiohead's OK Computer broke down all the doors for the band and changed alternative rock. Expanding their sound with electronica and unapologetic prog rock suites, Radiohead turned into a different band altogether. The band doubled down on this aesthetic with the 2000's Kid A, a record that traded concise hooks for minimal arrangements and jazz. They issued 2007's In Rainbows with little warning, letting listeners pay whatever they'd like for the record - cementing Radiohead's reputation as a band compelled to look forward, not back. Radiohead finished a new album in early 2011, The King of Limbs, which was released digitally and physically the following year. Five of their albums have been mentioned in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and five of their albums have also been nominated for the Mercury Prize, making them the most nominated act in the prize's history. They were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.