Turn Up The Radio: The Most Profitable Hair Metal Acts of the 80’s

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In music history, there might not be a more polarizing time period than the mid-to-late 1980’s hair metal scene. Set amidst the haze and sunshine of Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, 80’s hair metal birthed a number of different important musical acts as the decade drew to a close. Bands such as Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Guns N’ Roses (kind of a fringe hair band, but still), Dokken, Warrant, Poison and Whitesnake ruled the day as these acts were all the rage in stadiums and bars across the country. So who made the biggest impact on the state of music as the decade wore on? Well in many wayss they all did in one way or another, but I wanted to take a classer look at who had the most mainstream appeal, stayed the most true to their initial “look” and finally, who made the most money during this time.

Def Leppard: Is Def Leppard really a hair band? Well thanks to some exhaustive research, Rolling Stone tabbed “Hysteria” as their number one greatest hair metal album of all time so for this list this they qualify. In terms of mass appeal, few bands were able to rival DL in their heyday thanks to their strong arena rock anthems. Released in 1987, “Hysteria” topped the UK and U.S. album charts. As of 2009, it has reached beyond the success of “Pyromania” (my personal favorite), having been certified 12× platinum for sales of over 12 million in the U.S. and has gone on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide. DL was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, so their lasting appeal from the time period is warranted.

Poison: Now in terms of iconic looks from the era, Poison is right there at the top. Their 1986 album ‘Look What the Cat Dragged in’ was full of classic sing-along hits that defined a lot of the sound from the era. Front man Bret Michaels would later on go to become a successful reality television star and the band would find somewhat of a second wind because of this. Poison probably won’t win any “greatest bands of all time” lists, but their look defined an era.

Bon Jovi: You don’t become the owner of an Arena Football League team by not selling a TON of albums, but that’s exactly what Jon Bon Jovi and his band did and still continue to do since their formation in 1983. Bon Jovi has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the bestselling American rock bands of all time and has also landed them in numerous halls of fame. Their third album, “Slippery When Wet”, has sold over 20 million copies and included three Top 10 singles, two of which reached No. 1 (“You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”. Indeed, Bon Jovi is not only one of the most successful hair bands of all time, but also perhaps one of the most successful bands of all time, period.

Honorable mention: Dokken: Now I don’t think Dokken is really one of the best bands of the era (even though they did beat out Metallica at one point in terms of headlining appeal), I just think they’re underrated. Plus the “In My Dreams” music video is one of the best depictions of that era. So while I might not have lived through the 1980’s, if you grew up in Reno listening to the radio, it still is a staple in your rotation at one point or another. So let me know who you think is a great 80’s hair band and why in the comments below.