30 Greatest Trios in Rock History

Good things come in threes, and our list of the 30 Greatest Trios in Rock History proves it.

There have been plenty of three-piece bands throughout music history who have left a unique mark. Our list of trios features Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, music icons and lesser-heralded influencers. The variety of styles is impressive – including punk, folk, metal, blues, reggae and even acts who mixed hip-hop with rock – yet all of them blazed these trails with just three members.

It wasn’t easy coming up with our list of rock’s greatest trios, as many factors had to be taken into consideration. Does the longevity of an act like ZZ Top or Motorhead carry more weight than short but brilliant careers of Cream or Nirvana? How should we judge supergroups like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Them Crooked Vultures and Emerson, Lake & Palmer? And what about artists like Green Day, Blink-182 and Muse, whose biggest impact was felt in rock’s modern era?

READ MORE: 25 Greatest Duos in Rock History

We asked ourselves these questions and more while putting together the list below. For clarity, each act was judged solely on their output as a trio. So, if they went through periods with more members – as with Genesis‘ early years, for example – material released by the non-trio lineup was omitted from our debate.

After crunching the numbers, we came up with the 30 Greatest Trios in Classic History.

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