Best Rock and Metal Bands With a Bad Reputation

The Top Ten
1 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more.

I love them dearly and all, but yeah. 1. Plagiarism. Plenty of plagiarism. 2. Accused of many horrible crimes. 3. Bonzo shot a cop. He also drank 40 shots the night he died. 5. Jimmy Page was kind of satanic and also had sex with a 14 year old.Well... They're still great. Don't judge me!
And also! I didn't say great people. I mean their music. Yes, I know Jimmy and Bonzo were rather bad people. It doesn't mean I can't still enjoy their music. John Paul Jones was responsible, yet still a plagiarist, but helped a lot with the studio and direction of albums. And Robert Plant was actually pretty kind towards his fans.

Very bad reputation due to plagiarism (many proven rip offs). Their biggest hits are rip offs - Whole Lotta Love, Stairway to Heaven, Dazed And Confused, In My Time of Dying, Since I've Been Loving You, The Lemon Song, to name a few. In many cases the Court's verdict was "uncredited covers".
Plagiarism is probably the worst possible sin in music.

Led Zeppelin is voted number 1 on the greatest bands of all time so I don't get why they are on this list

@MontyPython - I didn't know that about Jimmy Page. Those perverts... I used to be a huge Led Zep fan but their blatant ripoffs just turned me off.

2 Marilyn Manson Marilyn Manson is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by frontman Marilyn Manson and Daisy Berkowitz, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early 1990s. ...read more.
3 Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948. He is also known as ''The Prince of Darkness''. Ozzy is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the band Black Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath ...read more.

He's never had a good reputation but the reality show “The Osbournes" was something really bad because metal musicians are not allowed to do such things for money and popularity.

The show featured Ozzy's domestic life and his family. It had 52 episodes and was on MTV and national TVs for 4 seasons (2002-2005). Yep, lots of $$$.

The theme song for the show was a cover of Ozzy's song "Crazy Train". So far so good.

But the cover was done in a jazz-swing style reminiscent of Pat Boone...

I think Ozzy is a real good musician and he has some of the best songs, but GOD DAMN SHARON! Only good thing from her was sobering him up. Firing Jake E Lee wasn't a good move, and let's not forget Eggfest! A big reason zakk is still in is because he kisses Sharon's ass.

Should be at higher than Led Zeppelin. Zeps only got rip off cases. He's got worse than that.

I heard he had a suicidal case against him.

4 Metallica Metallica is an American Heavy/Thrash Metal band formed in 1981. The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman".

With their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning reaching underground success, their third effort, Master of Puppets has since become one of the most important heavy metal albums ever, as it became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. The title track has since become the band's most played song live. ...read more.

Their bad reputation is because they bullied Jason so he wanted to leace the band and they went through their worst period in their career. Then they made St. Anger, but Hardwired To Self Destruct is a great comeback album. I didn't mentioned Lulu because it isn't even a Metallica album.

They were the first thrash band to play in arenas before MTV even hear of them and now people just see the bad in them. They had ups and downs but they are still going today and back to thrash metal.

This list is a joke

5 Lamb of God Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler.

Who cares? They are great

6 As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by vocalist Tim Lambesis, the establishment of the band's first full lineup, which included drummer Jordan Mancino, occurred in 2001. As I Lay Dying has released six albums, one split album, and two compilation ...read more.
7 AC/DC AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014 . They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1979, after which they hired Brian Johnson to front the band. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band.

Can anybody explain - how they gained a bad reputation because nothing comes to my mind. Did I miss something?

Can anybody explain - how they gained a bad reputation because nothing comes to my mind.

8 Motley Crue Mötley Crüe is an American metal band formed in Los Angeles, California on January 17, 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, lead vocalist Vince Neil and lead guitarist Mick Mars.
9 Slipknot Slipknot is an American metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa in 1996. The band is best known as one of the pioneers of the New Wave of American Alternative Metal during the late 1990s - 2000s and are distinguishable by the band's clothing choices, consisting of black/red jumpsuits and horror inspired masks. ...read more.

Slipknot it is a very interesting band if you open your mind. People laugh at them because they wear masks and have so many band members. They are awesome live and they have their own sound.

Their masks and band members number aren't their biggest problems...

10 Avenge Sevenfold

This band might be kind of cheesy and it's a turn off to men to see other men wearing makeup but however, they have talented band members and they are educated in music. People will always bash them while other people enjoy them just like Metallica.

I find them to have enough decent materials to say that this is a pretty good band, both their self titled album and Nightmare are amazing, and City of Evil has a handful of great songs as well. I think that people give them too much flak.

The Contenders
11 Anthrax Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker.

Scott Ian (and Anthrax) got a bad reputation because they were involved in creation of the nu-metal/rap metal subgenres. Die hard metal fans (hardliners) hate these crossovers and find them awful. Most of the metal hardliners don't even consider those subgenres metal, and respectively - the bands that play nu-metal and rap metal.

They were always ranked 4th out of the big four but now they are the best out of the big four.

12 System of a Down System of a Down, formed in 1994, is an Armenian-American alternative metal group from Glendale, California. The band name is sometimes shortened to System or SOAD. They've always been a very political band since their inception. Often being against genocide and war most notably in songs like: Pluck, Holy Mountains, and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bombs). Serj is an active activist who wants to change the world for the better.

The band's current members include Serj Tankian (vocalist, keyboards), Daron Malakian (guitarist, vocalist), Shavo Odadjian (bassist), and John Dolmayan (drummer). ...read more.

System of a Down has a bad rep? This is news to me. They have a huge fanbase as well as critical acclaim.

13 Korn Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David Silveria in 2007. Korn was originally formed by three of the members of the band L.A.P.D. ...read more.

Most metalheads hate them for one obvious reason: They made Nu Metal.

14 Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu-metal/rap metal/rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1994. Their lineup consists of Fred Durst, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and Wes Borland. They're mostly known for their singles like Break Stuff, My Way, My Generation, Nookie, Eat You Alive, Rollin', and Take a Look Around... read more
15 Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian post-grunge band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Canada. The band is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair.

All artists in the Top 10 and most of the Top 20 on this list have fantastic critical reviews and are loved by either the public, mudic lovers or both... this is simply the most untrue list I have ever seen. Because a bad reputation does neither mean you hate them nor that they aren't popular on TTT. It means that they are regarded as horrible by most people and/or critics.

Nickelback apparently have a bad reputation in America, most of the reviews aren't all too good and many people hate them. So I voted for them because they are highest item on the list that actually fulfill the title. They don't have a bad reputation over here, reviews are mixed to positive and people either are fans or completely ignore them.

DYK that r/nickelback has less that 300 subscribers as of right now? Ariana Grande has over 50,000. I think it's safe to call these guys overhated.

16 Judas Priest Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band that formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. They are often referred to as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, and are even commonly called “The Metal Gods”, after one of the songs on their 1980 album “British Steel”.

They are known for several of their hit songs, which include “Painkiller”, “Breaking The Law”, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, and “Turbo Lover”.
Their original lineup consisted of Al Atkins (vocals), K.K. Downing (lead/rhythm guitar), Ian Hill (bass), and John Ellis (drums). Atkins never recorded on any Judas Priest releases, but contributed to several songs. ...read more.

Yeah, the amazing singer of the Metal Gods (Rob Halford) is GAY. For some reason gays are great singers - Freddie, Adam Lambert, Elton John, George Michael...

I heard about it once. They had some case against suicide. They were sued for it. But the won it. (as I remember).

17 Mayhem Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, regarded as one of the pioneers of the Norwegian black metal scene. The band is also known for the infamous events surrounding them including the 1991 suicide of vocalist Dead (in which former guitarist Euronymous took pictures of Dead's ...read more.
18 Green Day Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more.

I really enjoy their music don't get me wrong. It's just so much of their music is explicit, which makes the songs hard to appreciate. Of course you can simply ignore the lyrics but it's hard when you know it's explicit. Believe me I've tried. But enough negativity they have great music and not all of their songs have bad meanings.

After their first 5 albums I lost interest and American idiot was and is one of the most overrated albums in rock

19 Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie Sr., known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, musician, record producer, activist, minister and actor.
20 Böhse Onkelz Böhse Onkelz is a German rock band formed in Frankfurt in 1980. Initially associated with the punk rock scene, the group later moved towards a more general rock and heavy metal style. They have been subject to controversy due to their early association with far-right ideologies, though they have distanced themselves from such views in later years. Böhse Onkelz remains one of the most successful German-speaking bands, with a strong, dedicated following.
21 Pantera Pantera was an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul. The band started out as a glam metal act in the 1980s with little success. After discarding their original lead vocalist and enlisting Phil Anselmo, the band signed a major record deal with Warner Music Group via Atco Records. Around this time, Pantera underwent a major change in their musical... read more

Their glam metal past (in the 80s).

22 Rammstein Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte and Industrial Metal band consisting of Till Lindemann (vocals), Richard Kruspe (guitar), Paul Landers (guitar), Oliver Riedel (electric bass), Christoph Schneider (drums) and Christian Lorenz (keyboard), that formed in 1994 in Berlin .

Rammstein is one of Germany's most successful music artists, and one of the few that gained notable chart success and fame internationally. Since their debut album "Herzeleid", Rammstein's music has often been used in well known movies, including "Lost Highway", "The Matrix" and "Nymphomaniac", the first of which is often credited as the movie that brought the group to international recognition. ...read more.

Constantly getting a bad rap when Slipknot is worse

23 The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s.
24 My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from Jersey City, New Jersey, active from 2001 to 2013, and again from 2019 to present day. For much of their career, the band consisted of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, bassist Mikey Way, and drummer Bob Bryar.

They aren't an emo band. All of their fans aren't suicidal teens. "The Black Parade" is one of the greatest albums of all time.

25 Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Apart from hard rock they are also associated with heavy metal. ...read more.
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