Music in the 1980s was big and loud and colorful and powerful … just like everything else in the wildest, greatest decade of them all. And leading the way in expanding the boundaries of our tunes? None other than a bevy of girls and women who could blow your doors off with their voices and rock your school to its core with their righteous, gnarly sounds. Which of these 80s girl rock bands was YOUR favorite?
The Go-Go’s (1978)
Members: Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Kathy Valentine, Gina Schock and Charlotte Caffey.
They rocked 80s girl power with hits like “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” Carlisle went on to a successful solo career.
EXPOSE (1980)
Members: Leslie McKeown, Suzi Quatro and Holly Beth Vincent.
They rocked 80s girl power with hits like “Point of View” and “Why Don’t You Do It.”
Roxette (1986)
Members: Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson.
Roxette was formed in Sweden in 1986 and have been a favorite 80s girl rock band ever since.
Their 80s hits include “The Look” (1987) which was the best-selling single of all time for Swedish artists, “Listen to Your Heart” (1988), and “Joyride” from 1991.
Pointer Sisters (1975)
Members: Bonnie Hayes, June Pointer and Anita Pointer.
They rocked 80s girl power with hits like “He’s So Shy” (a track on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack). The last of the sisters to join was Ruth Quatro, Suzi’s younger sister.
Other Pointer Sisters hits included “Slow Hand” and “Fire.”
Heart (1976)
Members: Ann Wilson; Nancy Wilson; Roger Fisher.
What 80s rock list would be complete without this iconic group? You know them for their mega songs including “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda” and even that song to get you ready in the morning: “Dreamboat Annie.”
Blondie (1974)
Members: Debbie Harry.
Who can forget that haunting, high-pitched siren song of hers? Blondie laid some stone-cold 80s rock classics on us: “One Way or Another” and “Heart of Glass.”
Klymaxx (1983)
Members: Joyce Irby, Sarah Dash.
Their 80s girl rock sound included 80’s hits “Meeting in the Ladies Room” and “I Can’t Stand Your Friends.”
Pretenders (1978)
Members: Chrissie Hynde.
This 80s band was known for their catchy tunes including “Brass in Pocket”, “Precious” and one that will always stop you dead in your tracks: the ballad 80s classic “Stop Your Sobbing.”
Pat Benatar (1977)
Members: Pat Benatar; Myron Grombacher.
Bluesy rock with a feminine touch–that’s what 80s girl rock is all about! Listen to these hits like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Fire and Ice” and “Love is a Battlefield.”
Bangles (1985)
Members: Susanna Hoffs; Vicki Peterson.
Rock ‘n’ roll was never the same after these ladies came along! Enduring eighties favorites like “Walk Like an Egyptian,” “Manic Monday” and “(Just Like) Starting Over” are all theirs!”
Bananarama (1982)
Members: Keren Woodward; Sara Dallin.
The 80s were all about fun and big performances, and these ladies know just how to have it! “Venus,” “Cruel Summer” and their most famous song, the 80s anthem that never gets old: “Walking on Sunshine.”
Salt-n-Pepa
Members: Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper)
These 80s megastars changed the music industry, and our listening habits, forever! “Nasty Girl,” “Slide” and their most famous song, an 80s anthem that’s a guilty pleasure for all of us girls who just wanna have fun: “Sex Shooter.”
Though Salt-N-Pepa were pioneers in rap and R & B, there’s no doubt they rocked the stage and the airwaves during their peak years.
Seduction (1985)
Members: Alex Knight, Susan Ottaviano.
They rocked 80s boom boxes with some funky tunes! “Two to Make It Right,” “Crazy Talk” and their most famous song: the 80s anthem that got everyone on the dance floor at prom season: “Every Day Your Love.”
The Cover Girls
Vocalists: Michelle Valentine, Rhonda Smith.
Among their biggest hits was their debut single, “Show Me,” released in the fall of 1986
Vanity 6 (1981)
Member: Denise Matthews.
This 80s girl rock band is just as sexy and seductive as they are talented! 80s Girl Rock favorites like “Nasty Girls,” “Sex Shooter” and the dance hit, “Pretty Mess.”
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