# List of 1980s albums considered the best

This is a list of 1980s music albums that multiple music journalists, magazines, and professional music review websites have considered to be among the best of the 1980s and of all time, separated into the years of each album's release. The albums listed here are included on at least four separate "best/greatest of the 1980s/all time" lists from different professional publications (inclusive of all genres and nationalities) as chosen by their editorial staffs or by a sample size of an entire publication's audience, and/or hall of fame awards and historical preservation measures.

## List
### 1980

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| January 11, 1980 | Pretenders | The Pretenders | New wave punk rock rock and roll | Real Records | | Accolades |
| February 29, 1980 | Crazy Rhythms | The Feelies | Post-punk jangle pop avant-pop new wave | Stiff | Heavily influenced the alternative rock genre by combining post-punk and jangle pop. | Accolades |
| February 1980 (1980-02) | Colossal Youth | Young Marble Giants | Post-punk | Rough Trade | | Rolling Stone's "80 Greatest albums of 1980" FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #17 Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #63 Spex's Die 100 Alben des Jahrhunderts: #69 |
| April 26, 1980 | Los Angeles | X | Punk rock | Slash | | Accolades |
| May 23, 1980 (1980-05-23) | I Just Can't Stop It | The Beat | Ska two-tone new wave | Go-Feet Sire | Regarded as one of the most important albums of the "2-Tone and the Ska Resurrection" | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #168 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #48 Spin's "Top 100 Alternative Albums": #94 Fast 'n' Bulbous - The 500 Best Albums Since 1965: #283 |
| May 30, 1980 (1980-05-30) | Peter Gabriel III | Peter Gabriel | Art rock post-punk post-progressive progressive pop | Charisma (UK) Mercury (US 1980) Geffen (US 1983) | | Accolades |
| June 1980 | Underwater Moonlight | The Soft Boys | Neo-psychedelia post-punk new wave psychedelic pop jangle pop power pop | Armageddon | Influential on the development of the neo-psychedelia and college rock music genres and on a number of bands, especially R.E.M. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #65 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #47 Rolling Stone's "80 Greatest albums of 1980": #63 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| July 11, 1980 | Searching For The Young Soul Rebels | Dexys Midnight Runners | New wave blue-eyed soul | EMI Parlophone | | Accolades |
| July 18, 1980 (1980-07-18) | Closer | Joy Division | Post-punk new wave gothic rock | Factory | Widely recognised as a seminal release of the post-punk era, released following the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. | Accolades |
| July 18, 1980 | Crocodiles | Echo & The Bunnymen | Post-punk neo-psychedelia new wave | Korova | | Accolades |
| July 25, 1980 (1980-07-25) | Back In Black | AC/DC | Hard rock heavy metal | Albert Atlantic | | Accolades |
| September 2, 1980 (1980-09-02) | Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables | Dead Kennedys | Hardcore punk | Cherry Red Alternative Tentacles Faulty Products Manifesto | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #365 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #74 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #146 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #20 |
| September 12, 1980 (1980-09-12) | Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) | David Bowie | Art rock new wave post-punk | RCA | | Rankings |
| October 8, 1980 (1980-10-08) | Remain In Light | Talking Heads | New wave post-punk dance-rock afrofunk worldbeat art rock psychedelic funk progressive rock avant-garde music | Sire | Attained widespread acclaim from critics for its sonic experimentation, rhythmic innovations, and merging of disparate genres into a cohesive whole. | Accolades and legacy |
| October 10, 1980 (1980-10-10) | Kilimanjaro | The Teardrop Explodes | Neo-psychedelia post-punk | Mercury | | Hartbeat!'s Greatest Albums of All Time: #40 NME's Top 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s: #17 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #68 Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums Ever": #95 |
| October 17, 1980 (1980-10-17) | The River | Bruce Springsteen | Heartland rock rock and roll R&B folk country | Columbia | | Rankings |
| October 20, 1980 (1980-10-20) | Boy | U2 | Post-punk | Island | | Accolades |
| October 1980 (1980-10) | Ace Of Spades | Motörhead | Heavy metal speed metal hard rock | Bronze | | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #408 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #71 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Louder Sound's 50 Best Albums from the 1980s: #20 |
| November 3, 1980 | In The Flat Field | Bauhaus | Post-punk gothic rock | 4AD | Regarded as a key prototypical gothic music release. | Rolling Stone's "80 Greatest albums of 1980": #61 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #189 Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Classic Rock's 100 Greatest Albums Of The '80s: #100 |
| November 28, 1980 (1980-11-28) | Sound Affects | The Jam | New wave | Polydor | | Accolades |
| December 12, 1980 (1980-12-12) | Sandinista! | The Clash | Post-punk experimental world reggae punk | CBS Epic | Triple album influential in the punk rock movement with its experimental sound and eclectic genres. | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #323 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #65 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #85 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #91 |

### 1981

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| February 12, 1981 (1981-02-12) | Moving Pictures | Rush | Progressive rock hard rock | Anthem | | Accolades |
| February 1981 (1981-02) | My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts | Brian Eno & David Byrne | Avant-funk sampledelia experimental rock Afro rock | Sire E.G. | Heavily influential on sample-oriented music. | Reception and legacy |
| May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) | Computerwelt | Kraftwerk | Electronic synth-pop electro | Kling Klang EMI Electrola | Concept album themed around computer technology and its rise within society. Had a significant impact on the genres of hip-hop, electronic music, and has been sampled in many notable works. | Critical reception |
| May 11, 1981 | Nightclubbing | Grace Jones | New wave disco funk reggae dance R&B post-disco | Island | | Legacy |
| May 29, 1981 | Heaven Up Here | Echo & The Bunnymen | Post-punk neo-psychedelia | Korova | | Accolades |
| June 19, 1981 | Juju | Siouxsie And The Banshees | Post-punk gothic rock | Polydor | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #43 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #75 The Guardian's "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |
| August 31, 1981 | Fire Of Love | The Gun Club | Post-punk punk blues gothic country psychobilly | Ruby | Considered the first album of its kind to combine punk rock with American roots music, helped to create punk blues. | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #302 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Classic Rock's 100 Greatest Albums Of The '80s: #76 Wiener's 100 Best Records of the Century: #77 |
| September 1981 | Deceit | This Heat | Experimental rock post-punk avant-prog | Rough Trade | | Critical reception and legacy UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #454 |
| October 2, 1981 | Discipline | King Crimson | Art rock progressive rock new wave dance-rock | E.G. Warner Bros. | Significant influence on post-progressive rock. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #56 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #163 Classic Rock's 100 Greatest Albums Of The '80s: #40 Musikexpress's 50 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #48 |
| October 16, 1981 | Dare | The Human League | Synth-pop new pop new wave | Virgin | | Legacy |
| October 2, 1981 (1981-10-02) | Ghost In The Machine | The Police | New wave avant-pop | A&M | | Accolades |
| November 6, 1981 | Architecture & Morality | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Synth-pop Electropop | Dindisc | | Legacy |
| November 1981 (1981-11) | Damaged | Black Flag | Hardcore punk | SST | Regarded as one of the most influential punk rock records ever made for its intense depictions of rage, violence, and alienation. | Reception and legacy |

### 1982

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| February 12, 1982 | English Settlement | XTC | Pop new wave | Virgin | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #46 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #301 Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums: #884 Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. |
| March 15, 1982 (1982-03-15) | Shoot Out The Lights | Richard & Linda Thompson | British folk rock | Hannibal | | Critical response |
| March 22, 1982 (1982-03-22) | The Number Of The Beast | Iron Maiden | Heavy metal | EMI | | Reception and legacy |
| April 19, 1982 | Big Science | Laurie Anderson | Art pop electronic minimalism | Warner Bros. Nonesuch Elektra | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #203 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #22 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #44 Rolling Stone's Essential 200 Rock Records |
| May 4, 1982 | Pornography | The Cure | Gothic rock post-punk neo-psychedelia | Fiction | Considered an important milestone in the development of gothic rock. | Legacy |
| May 10, 1982 (1982-05-10) | Rio | Duran Duran | Synth-pop new wave pop rock disco rock | EMI | | Rankings |
| May 28, 1982 (1982-05-28) | Avalon | Roxy Music | Sophisti-pop new wave pop-soul | E.G. Polydor | | Critical reception |
| June 21, 1982 (1982-06-21) | The Lexicon Of Love | ABC | Disco new pop pop new wave sophisti-pop dance-pop blue-eyed soul synth-pop | Neutron | | Legacy |
| July 2, 1982 (1982-07-02) | Imperial Bedroom | Elvis Costello And The Attractions | New wave baroque pop art rock | F-Beat Columbia | | Rankings |
| September 13, 1982 (1982-09-13) | The Dreaming | Kate Bush | Art rock avant-pop progressive pop progressive rock | EMI | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #56 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #71 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. NPR's 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women: #24 |
| September 30, 1982 (1982-09-30) | Nebraska | Bruce Springsteen | Folk heartland rock lo-fi indie rock | Columbia | | Critical reception |
| October 1, 1982 | The Nightfly | Donald Fagen | Jazz pop pop rock R&B | Warner Bros. | Regarded as one of the best recorded albums for audiophiles. | Accolades |
| October 11, 1982 | Vs. | Mission Of Burma | Post-punk punk rock | Ace of Hearts | | Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #49 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #132 Treble's 150 Best Albums of the 1980s: #118 Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History's Most Significant Rock Albums |
| October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27) | 1999 | Prince | Minneapolis sound funk synth-pop R&B art pop dance new wave | Warner Bros. | Influential to Minneapolis sound, electro, house, and techno." | Critical reception and legacy |
| October 1982 (1982-10) | The Days Of Wine And Roses | The Dream Syndicate | Post-punk jangle pop Paisley Underground | Ruby Records/Slash (original release) Rhino Records (reissue) Rough Trade Records | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980's: #126 Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever: #99 Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. The Guardian's "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" |
| November 29, 1982 (1982-11-29) | Thriller | Michael Jackson | Pop post-disco rock funk synth-pop R&B | Epic | Best-selling album of all time. | Rankings |

### 1983

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| January 20, 1983 (1983-01-20) | Pyromania | Def Leppard | Glam metal hard rock heavy metal | Vertigo | | Critical reception and legacy |
| February 28, 1983 (1983-02-28) | War | U2 | Post-punk | Island | | Legacy |
| February 1983 (1983-02) | High Land, Hard Rain | Aztec Camera | Jangle pop pop alternative pop new wave folk rock indie pop | Rough Trade | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #293 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #93 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #59 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #88 |
| March 23, 1983 | Eliminator | ZZ Top | Hard rock blues rock new wave synth-rock | Warner Bros. | | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): #398 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #138 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #41 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #41 |
| April 12, 1983 (1983-04-12) | Murmur | R.E.M. | Jangle pop alternative rock post-punk folk rock garage rock | I.R.S. | | Accolades |
| April 13, 1983 | Violent Femmes | Violent Femmes | Folk punk post-punk alternative rock | Slash | | Reception |
| May 2, 1983 (1983-05-02) | Power, Corruption & Lies | New Order | Synth-pop new wave post-punk synth-rock dance-rock dance-punk | Factory | | Critical reception |
| June 1, 1983 | Speaking In Tongues | Talking Heads | New wave funk art rock funk-rock | Sire | | Rolling Stone's 100 Best albums of the 1980s: #54 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #89 Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History's Most Significant Rock Albums |
| June 17, 1983 (1983-06-17) | Synchronicity | The Police | New wave post-punk pop | A&M | | Accolades |
| July 25, 1983 (1983-07-25) | Kill 'Em All | Metallica | Thrash metal speed metal | Megaforce | Regarded as a groundbreaking album for the development of thrash metal. | Reception |
| August 8, 1983 | Script Of The Bridge | The Chameleons | Post-punk gothic rock | Statik | Regarded as influential on gothic music and Manchester bands. | Fast 'n' Bulbous's 1000 Best Albums of All Time: #128 The Guardian's "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" Laut's List of Milestones Ondarock's Rock Milestones List |
| September 1, 1983 | Swordfishtrombones | Tom Waits | Experimental rock | Island | | Reception |
| October 14, 1983 (1983-10-14) | She's So Unusual | Cyndi Lauper | Pop rock art pop new wave | Portrait | Considered a pioneering achievement for a debut album by a female artist for achieving four top-five singles. | Accolades |
| October 21, 1983 | Soul Mining | The The | Pop post-punk synth-pop | Some Bizzare/Epic | | Legacy and accolades |
| November 5, 1983 (1983-11-05) | Clics Modernos | Charly García | New wave pop rock synthpop | Interdisc SG Discos | Significant work in Argentine rock music. | Accolades Al Borde's 250 Most Important Latin Rock Albums (2006): #3 |
| November 10, 1983 (1983-11-10) | Rebel Yell | Billy Idol | New wave hard rock | Chrysalis | | Classic Rock's 100 Greatest Albums Of The '80s: #58 Musikexpress's Greatest Albums of The 1980s Ultimate Classic Rock's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s Laut's List of Milestones |

### 1984

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| February 20, 1984 (1984-02-20) | The Smiths | The Smiths | Alternative rock indie rock post-punk | Rough Trade | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #98 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #20 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #52 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #51 |
| April 9, 1984 (1984-04-09) | Reckoning | R.E.M. | Jangle pop alternative rock post-punk | I.R.S. | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #62 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #99 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #81 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #80 |
| May 4, 1984 (1984-05-04) | Ocean Rain | Echo & The Bunnymen | Post-punk new wave neo-psychedelia symphonic rock | Korova | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #276 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #53 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #131 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #58 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #64 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #30 |
| June 4, 1984 (1984-06-04) | Born In The U.S.A. | Bruce Springsteen | Rock and roll heartland rock pop | Columbia | | Rankings |
| June 25, 1984 (1984-06-25) | Purple Rain | Prince And The Revolution | Pop rock R&B funk-pop psychedelia | Warner Bros. | Soundtrack album | Accolades |
| July 3, 1984 | Zen Arcade | Hüsker Dü | Hardcore punk psychedelia indie rock post-hardcore | SST | Regarded as instrumental in the creation of the alternative rock genre, and considered by some to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time. | Legacy |
| July 15, 1984 | Structures From Silence | Steve Roach | Ambient electronic space music | Fortuna | Regarded as one of the most important ambient albums of all time. | FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #10 New Age Magazine's 25 Most Influential Ambient CDs Echoes Radio's #2 Album of All Time. Pitchfork's 33rd best ambient album of all time |
| July 16, 1984 (1984-07-16) | Diamond Life | Sade | Smooth soul sophisti-pop | Epic | Credited as being influential to neo soul. | Critical reception |
| July 1984 | Double Nickels On The Dime | Minutemen | Hardcore punk post-punk post-hardcore | SST | Highly regarded for its fusion of punk rock, funk, country, spoken word and jazz, and references a variety of themes, from the Vietnam War and racism in America, to working-class experience and linguistics. | Legacy |
| September 1984 (1984-09) | Stop Making Sense | Talking Heads | New wave post-punk | Sire Warner Bros. | Live album and soundtrack album to the concert film of the same name. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #68 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #192 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #61 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #88 |
| October 2, 1984 (1984-10-02) | Let It Be | The Replacements | Post-punk indie rock alternative rock college rock | Twin/Tone | | Critical reception |
| October 12, 1984 (1984-10-12) | Rattlesnakes | Lloyd Cole And The Commotions | Jangle pop college rock folk rock | Polydor (UK and Europe) Geffen (US and Canada) | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #20 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #86 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The Guardian's "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" |
| November 12, 1984 | Hatful Of Hollow | The Smiths | Alternative rock jangle pop indie pop post-punk | Rough Trade | Compilation album | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #100 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #10 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #43 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #22 |
| November 12, 1984 | Treasure | Cocteau Twins | Ethereal wave dream pop | 4AD | Regarded as one of the greatest dream pop records. | Legacy and accolades |
| 1984 | Meat Puppets II | Meat Puppets | Cowpunk psychedelic rock bluegrass folk Americana | SST | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #329 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #152 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #91 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| 1984 | E2-E4 | Manuel Göttsching | Electronic kosmische musik minimalism | Inteam | Significant to the development of house, techno, and ambient techno music of the late 1980s and early 1990s. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #79 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #4 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #165 Treble's 150 Best Albums of the 1980s: #52 |

### 1985

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| January 1985 | New Day Rising | Hüsker Dü | Post-hardcore alternative rock punk rock | SST | Regarded as one of the first and most influential purely alternative rock albums. | Aftermath and influence |
| February 11, 1985 (1985-02-11) | Meat Is Murder | The Smiths | Alternative rock indie rock post-punk | Rough Trade | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #254 Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): #295 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #97 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| February 25, 1985 (1985-02-25) | Songs From The Big Chair | Tears For Fears | New wave pop rock progressive pop synth-pop | MercuryPhonogram | | Critical reception |
| May 13, 1985 (1985-05-13) | Low-Life | New Order | Synth-pop dance-pop post-punk | Factory | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #346 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #78 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #82 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #28 |
| May 17, 1985 (1985-05-17) | Brothers In Arms | Dire Straits | Rock | Vertigo | | Accolades |
| June 17, 1985 | Misplaced Childhood | Marillion | Neo-prog | EMI | Regarded as a significant benchmark in the "neo-prog" movement. | Accolades |
| June 1985 (1985-06) | Steve McQueen | Prefab Sprout | Sophisti-pop | Kitchenware Epic | | Legacy |
| June 1985 | Rites Of Spring | Rites Of Spring | Post-hardcore emo | Dischord | Often as regarded as the first emo album. | Reception |
| August 5, 1985 | Rum Sodomy & The Lash | The Pogues | Celtic punk folk punk new wave | Stiff (UK & Europe) MCA (US & Canada) | | Critical reception and accolades |
| August 30, 1985 | The Head On The Door | The Cure | Alternative rock post-punk art pop new wave | Fiction | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #494 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #34 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #109 Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums: #833 |
| September 16, 1985 (1985-09-16) | Hounds Of Love | Kate Bush | Art pop progressive pop art rock progressive rock sophisti-pop | EMI | | Accolades |
| September 18, 1985 | Tim | The Replacements | Alternative rock punk rock power pop | Sire | | Reception |
| September 23, 1985 (1985-09-23) | This Nation's Saving Grace | The Fall | Post-punk | Beggars Banquet | | Accolades |
| September 30, 1985 | Rain Dogs | Tom Waits | Experimental rock Americana | Island | A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City. Noted for its broad spectrum of musical styles and genres such as dirty blues, New Orleans funeral brass, and Kurt Weill operas. | Reception |
| November 18, 1985 | Psychocandy | The Jesus And Mary Chain | Noise pop alternative rock post-punk indie rock | Blanco y Negro | Considered a landmark recording due to its combined guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure, influencing forthcoming shoegaze genre and alternative rock in general. | Reception and legacy |

### 1986

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| February 4, 1986 (1986-02-04) | Control | Janet Jackson | Pop R&B | A&M | Regarded as a precursor to the new jack swing genre. | Accolades |
| February 17, 1986 | The Colour Of Spring | Talk Talk | New wave art pop progressive pop experimental pop | EMI | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #83 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #98 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #96 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| March 3, 1986 (1986-03-03) | Master Of Puppets | Metallica | Thrash metal progressive metal | Elektra | Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential metal albums of all time, and is credited with consolidating the American thrash metal scene. | Accolades and legacy |
| March 5, 1986 | Guitar Town | Steve Earle | Country rock roots rock heartland rock | MCA | | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2012): #482 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #284 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #91 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #85 |
| May 15, 1986 | Raising Hell | Run-DMC | Hip hop rap rock | Profile | The first Platinum and multi-Platinum hip hop record, and one of the greatest and most important albums in the history of hip hop music and culture. | Accolades |
| May 19, 1986 (1986-05-19) | So | Peter Gabriel | Pop art pop art rock progressive pop worldbeat | CharismaVirginGeffen | | Legacy |
| May 1986 | EVOL | Sonic Youth | Alternative rock post-punk noise rock | SST | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #31 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #264 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #82 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| June 16, 1986 (1986-06-16) | The Queen Is Dead | The Smiths | Indie pop jangle pop alternative rock indie rock post-punk | Rough Trade | | Critical reception |
| June 1986 | London 0 Hull 4 | The Housemartins | Indie rock jangle pop | Go! Discs | | NME Readers' All Time Top 100 Albums: #88 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #50 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #412 Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. |
| July 28, 1986 (1986-07-28) | Lifes Rich Pageant | R.E.M. | Jangle pop alternative rock | I.R.S. | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #324 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #77 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #52 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #37 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #65 |
| August 1, 1986 | Crowded House | Crowded House | Pop rock alternative rock new wave | Capitol/EMI | | Rolling Stone Australia's 200 Greatest Albums of All Time: #7 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #93 Paste's Best Albums of the 1980s: #50 Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Top 100 Albums |
| August 25, 1986 (1986-08-25) | Graceland | Paul Simon | Worldbeat pop rock folk afropop | Warner Bros. | Incorporated South African styles such as isicathamiya and mbaqanga into rock and folk influences. | Accolades |
| September 25, 1986 (1986-09-25) | Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? | Megadeth | Thrash metal | Capitol | Regarded as having helped give prominence to extreme metal. | Legacy |
| October 7, 1986 | Reign In Blood | Slayer | Thrash metal | Def Jam Geffen | Regarded as among the greatest heavy metal records ever. | Legacy |
| October 27, 1986 (1986-10-27) | Skylarking | XTC | Pop rock psychedelic | Virgin (UK) Geffen (US) | Significantly influential towards alternative pop. | Retrospective reviews and legacy |
| November 17, 1986 (1986-11-17) | Infected | The The | Post-punk alternative rock | Some Bizzare Epic | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #96 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #42 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums Ever": #99 |
| 1986 | Horse Rotorvator | Coil | Post-industrial psychedelia industrial | Some Bizzare Force & Form Threshold House | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #73 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #13 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #90 Ondarock's Rock Milestones List |

### 1987

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| March 9, 1987 (1987-03-09) | The Joshua Tree | U2 | Rock | Island | | Legacy |
| March 30, 1987 | Sign "O" The Times | Prince | R&B funk soul rock avant-pop | Paisley ParkWarner Bros. | | Legacy |
| June 1, 1987 | Sister | Sonic Youth | Alternative rock noise pop noise rock art rock post-punk | SST | | Critical reception |
| July 7, 1987 (1987-07-07) | Paid In Full | Eric B. & Rakim | Golden age hip hop | 4th & B'way Island | Credited as a benchmark album of golden age hip hop. Rakim's rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. The album's heavy sampling by Eric B. became influential in hip hop production. | Reception and influence |
| June 17, 1987 | Pleased To Meet Me | The Replacements | Alternative rock power pop post-punk | Sire | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #71 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #102 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #96 Paste's "The 80 Best Albums of the 1980s": #70 |
| July 21, 1987 (1987-07-21) | Appetite For Destruction | Guns N' Roses | Hard rock heavy metal hair metal pop metal | Geffen | | Appetite for Destruction |
| August 3, 1987 (1987-08-03) | Hysteria | Def Leppard | Glam metal arena rock hard rock pop rock | Phonogram | Regarded as one of the best pop-metal albums ever recorded. | Critical reception |
| August 17, 1987 | Substance 1987 | New Order | Dance-rock alternative dance post-punk dance pop | Factory | Regarded as one of the greatest pop albums of all time, and greatly influential in dance and alternative dance genres. | Release and reception |
| August 21, 1987 | Diesel And Dust | Midnight Oil | Alternative rock | Sprint / Columbia | | Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #72 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #397 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #50 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #29 |
| August 31, 1987 (1987-08-31) | Document | R.E.M. | Alternative rock jangle pop post-punk | I.R.S. | | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #48 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #115 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #17 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #70 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #28 |
| August 31, 1987 (1987-08-31) | Bad | Michael Jackson | Pop Dance Rock hard rock R&B Soul Funk | Epic | | Accolades |
| September 7, 1987 (1987-09-07) | Actually | Pet Shop Boys | Synth-pop dance-pop disco | Parlophone | | Critical reception |
| September 28, 1987 (1987-09-28) | Strangeways, Here We Come | The Smiths | Alternative rock indie pop indie rock | Rough Trade | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #47 Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #77 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #69 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #69 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #34 |
| September 28, 1987 (1987-09-28) | Music For The Masses | Depeche Mode | Synth-pop electropop new wave | Mute | | Critical reception |
| September 1987 | The Perfect Prescription | Spacemen 3 | Neo-psychedelia | Glass (original UK release) Fire (various UK reissues) Genius Records (original US release) Taang! (1996 US reissue) | Concept album about "a vision of a drug trip from inception to its blasted conclusion, highs and lows fully intact." | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #50 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #307 The Guardian's "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" Ondarock's Rock Milestones List |
| October 5, 1987 | The Lion And The Cobra | Sinéad O'Connor | Pop rock art rock | Ensign Chrysalis | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #244 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #44 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #46 Spin's The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time: #24 |
| October 19, 1987 | Kick | INXS | New wave pop rock funk rock hard rock | WEA Mercury Atlantic | | Legacy |
| October 19, 1987 | Secrets Of The Beehive | David Sylvian | Art rock chamber rock | Virgin | | FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #64 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #64 Ondarock's Rock Milestones List La Discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock's Best Albums in the History of Rock |
| November 2, 1987 | Faith | George Michael | Pop funk R&B synth-pop soul rock blue-eyed soul | Columbia Epic | | Accolades |
| December 14, 1987 | You're Living All Over Me | Dinosaur Jr. | Indie rock alternative rock noise rock grunge | SST | Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums in alternative rock, and an influence on grunge music due to its drawling vocals paired with loud guitars and driving rhythms. | Legacy |

### 1988

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| February 2, 1988 | I'm Your Man | Leonard Cohen | Synth-pop sophisti-pop | Columbia | | Critical reception |
| March 21, 1988 (1988-03-21) | Surfer Rosa | Pixies | Alternative rock indie rock art punk grunge | 4AD | | Accolades |
| April 5, 1988 (1988-04-05) | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | Contemporary folk folk rock roots rock | Elektra | Helped to revive the singer-songwriter genre. | Legacy |
| June 28, 1988 | It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back | Public Enemy | Hip hop political rap sampledelia boom bap | Def Jam Columbia | Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time for its densely aggressive sound influenced by free jazz, heavy funk, and musique concrète with lead rapper Chuck D's sociopolitical rhetoric, revolutionary attitudes, and dense vocabulary. | Accolades |
| August 23, 1988 | Nothing's Shocking | Jane's Addiction | Alternative rock alternative metal art rock | Warner Bros. | | Critical reception |
| August 1988 | 16 Lovers Lane | The Go-Betweens | Rock alternative rock indie rock | Mushroom (AUS) Beggars Banquet (UK) | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #299 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #33 100 Best Australian Albums: #12 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| September 12, 1988 | Spirit Of Eden | Talk Talk | Post-rock art rock experimental rock ambient | Parlophone (EMI) | Credited with pioneering the post-rock genre. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #34 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #9 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #56 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #84 |
| September 19, 1988 | Tender Prey | Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | Post-punk gothic rock garage punk gothic country blues | Mute Records | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #318 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #49 Inducted to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia. 100 Best Australian Albums |
| October 17, 1988 (1988-10-17) | Fisherman's Blues | The Waterboys | Folk rock | Ensign Chrysalis | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #265 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #47 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Paste's Best Albums of the 1980s: #68 |
| October 18, 1988 | Daydream Nation | Sonic Youth | Noise rock alternative rock | Enigma | Double album. Significantly influential on the alternative and indie rock genres. | Reception and legacy |
| November 15, 1988 (1988-11-15) | The Trinity Session | Cowboy Junkies | Alternative country country rock folk blues | Latent RCA | | Accolades |
| November 21, 1988 (1988-11-21) | Isn't Anything | My Bloody Valentine | Shoegaze avant-rock dream pop noise pop experimental pop lo-fi | Creation | Regarded as a pioneering work of shoegazing. | Reception |

### 1989

| Release Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) | Label | Notes | Accolades |
| January 10, 1989 (1989-01-10) | New York | Lou Reed | Rock | Sire | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #47 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #70 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #63 Q's 40 Best Albums of the '80s: #26 |
| January 25, 1989 (1989-01-25) | Straight Outta Compton | N.W.A | West Coast hip hop gangsta rap hardcore hip hop | RuthlessPriority | Triggered the rap genre's movement toward hardcore, gangsta rap. | Rankings |
| January 30, 1989 (1989-01-30) | Technique | New Order | Alternative dance acid house dance-rock | Factory | | NME's the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #122 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #30 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #112 Diariocritico's 100 Best Albums of the 80s: #29 |
| February 6, 1989 | 3 Feet High And Rising | De La Soul | Art rap progressive rap jazz rap psychedelic hip hop sampledelia | Tommy Boy | Described as "the first psychedelic hip-hop record" as well as the beginning of alternative hip hop, jazz rap, progressive hip hop, and the use of the hip hop skit. | Retrospective opinion |
| March 21, 1989 | Like A Prayer | Madonna | Pop | Sire Warner Bros. | | Legacy |
| April 17, 1989 | Doolittle | Pixies | Alternative rock | 4AD Elektra | Praised for its "quiet/loud" dynamic that influenced the development of early-1990s grunge music. | Reception |
| April 24, 1989 | Full Moon Fever | Tom Petty | Rock | MCA | | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #298 2019 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums: #884 Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History's Most Significant Rock Albums |
| May 2, 1989 | The Stone Roses | The Stone Roses | Madchester jangle pop neo-psychedelia indie rock alternative rock | Silvertone / RCA (US) | Significant towards the development of the Madchester and baggy cultural scenes. | Accolades |
| May 2, 1989 (1989-05-02) | Disintegration | The Cure | Gothic rock alternative rock dream pop post-punk art rock | Fiction | | Critical reception |
| July 25, 1989 (1989-07-25) | Paul's Boutique | Beastie Boys | Hip hop sampledelia | Capitol | Regarded as a landmark album of golden age hip hop and a seminal work in sample-based production. | Accolades |
| September 1, 1989 (1989-09-01) | 13 Songs | Fugazi | Post-hardcore art punk | Dischord | Regarded as one of the best albums of the post-hardcore genre. | Accolades |
| September 12, 1989 (1989-09-12) | Floating Into The Night | Julee Cruise | Dream pop jazz lounge | Warner Bros. | | Critical response FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #24 |
| October 16, 1989 (1989-10-16) | The Sensual World | Kate Bush | Progressive pop | EMI | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #410 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #59 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #55 Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. |
| October 16, 1989 (1989-10-16) | Hats | The Blue Nile | Sophisti-pop art pop electropop synth-pop post-rock | Linn A&M | | UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #51 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #85 Q's 40 Best Albums of the '80s: #38 Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums: #345 |
| October 20, 1989 (1989-10-20) | Pretty Hate Machine | Nine Inch Nails | Industrial rock electro-industrial synth-pop EBM | TVT | | Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #453 Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 1980s (2018): #76 Slant's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #50 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #69 laut's Best Albums of the 80's: #30 |
| October 23, 1989 (1989-10-23) | On Fire | Galaxie 500 | Slowcore dream pop psychedelia | Rough Trade | Regarded as a benchmark album for the development of slowcore. | Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s: #16 FACT's The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #51 UNCUT: The 500 Greatest Albums of The 1980s: #152 Popkultur.de's 100 Best Albums of the 1980s: #38 |