The Best Hair Metal Band for Each Letter of the Alphabet

Koh Hasebe, Shinko Music / Michael Ochs Archives / Ebet Roberts, Getty Images

After intense deliberation, we can confidently present the best hair metal band for each letter of the alphabet — but first, there are some caveats you should know about.

Obviously, we can't control the concentration of bands per letter of the alphabet. Some letters had stiff competition; we took no pleasure in choosing between Def Leppard and Dokken, or W.A.S.P. and Warrant.

On the other hand, some letters of the alphabet were a bit ... barren, forcing us to get creative with our choices.

We Had to Take Liberties With Some of Our Hair Metal Picks — Here's Why

We know as well as any self-respecting '80s hard rock fan that "hair metal" is not a period-accurate term. It was coined after the fact as a means to mock the spandex-clad pop-metal bands that dominated the hard rock world for roughly a decade.

We also know that some of the bands on this list don't fit perfectly under the glam metal or pop-metal umbrella.

Some of them had a major sonic and aesthetic influence on the scene, even if they didn't adopt the glam metal sound themselves. Others preceded the movement but updated their sound accordingly to score hits and fit with the times. A few latecomers combined the hooky hard rock sound of the '80s with the more grimy alt-rock sound that would dominate the '90s.

And honestly? Some of these bands just weren't very good — but we salute their indomitable spirit and steadfast devotion to rock 'n' roll all the same.

With all of those conditions out of the way, turn up the volume and keep reading to see our list of the best hair metal band for each letter of the alphabet.