The 11 Best '80s Prog Rock Albums (Ranked)

Here are the 11 best progressive rock albums from the 1980s (ranked)!

In general, the 1980s were not kind to progressive rock, as the genre largely lessened in commercial viability and creative/technical ambition due to the growing popularity of simpler styles such as punk rock, new wave, soft rock/pop and EDM.

Consequently, many significant 1970s genre pioneers either faded away or sustained themselves by incorporating those approaches into their prog rock core (to varying degrees and with varying success). All the while, other bands emerged to recapture the glory days of the prior decade by leading the neo-prog movement.

READ MORE: The 11 Best Prog Rock Albums of the 2020s (So Far)

While very little of what came out in the 1980s could rival the heights of the 1970s, there were more than a handful of good (or even great) LPs that’ve always deserved some love and respect.

The 11 albums we’re counting down below – from both genre icons and relatively unknown artists – demonstrate that best. True, some of them fit better into the traditional genre camp than others, but all of them retain enough of a core prog rock essence to satisfy while also showcasing some fresher ideas to fit within the zeitgeist of the era.

We’re even making things more interesting (and contentious) by ranking them! Our top pick is probably predictable, but you’ll just have to scroll through them all to see what the others are and how they stack up against each other.