@Brooke Rushton

Who hasn't been influenced by Alice in Chains? That's the real question. In the years since Layne Staley's untimely death, the grunge pioneers' dark, twisted poetry and radically inventive songwriting have bled into the very bedrock of alt-metal, hard rock, nu-metal, stoner rock, and even metalcore. This seriously hard-hitting mix testifies to the full scope of the band's legacy.

Headbanging kingpins AC/DC have had a supersized influence on the world of hard rock. Credit guitarist Angus Young, whose towering, thunderbolt riffs have informed Van Halen's bluesy flamboyance as well as Buckcherry's punk-metal fireballs. Even Guns N' Roses, between Axl Rose's yowling vocals and Slash's red-hot guitar licks, built their craft upon AC/DC's metallic blueprint.

The '90s marked a moment when underground rock stage-dived its way into the mainstream. From what the elders among us used to call “grunge” through today's guitar anthems, even the newer tracks here are classics—proof that no matter how often rock reinvents itself, it'll always come back to kick some ass. We regularly update this playlist. If you like a song, add it to your library.

Ministry's late-'80s collision of industrial and metal spawned a new breed of dark ragers. Nine Inch Nails wrap the band's shrieking synths in big alt-rock hooks (“Wish”), while Marilyn Manson smother shock rock in Al Jourgensen–style menacing horror (“The Beautiful People”). But the darkest interpretation comes from Fear Factory, whose “Zero Signal” pumps Ministry's jagged attack full of thrashy speed and vileness.

A good cover not only tells you something about its source material—it’s also strong enough to stand on its own. Maybe you know the originals here, maybe not—that’s not the point. The point is to tap into a tradition of metal, punk, and hard-rock bands joyfully ripping through other people’s songs that conjure the garages, basements, and holes-in-the-wall where rock was born. Because, really, what wouldn’t sound better faster and louder? Our editors swap out these picks regularly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

Rage's rapid-fire riffs, guerrilla funk, and political grit have stirred artists across the genre map. While Slipknot's “Duality” contorts RAtM's innovations into brooding, industrialized nu-metal, Death Grips' “Guillotine” slams rap metal up against a wall of noisy dissonance. On “Show Me How to Live,” spin-off act Audioslave pour their predecessors' crunchy syncopation into hook-filled rock.

Foo Fighters' wall-shaking tunes—all driving rhythms and hammering riffs—created a blueprint for modern rock. American Hi-Fi's “Flavor of the Weak” recalls Dave Grohl's knack for mixing unforgettable melodies with blistering distortion, while Japandroids' fist-raising “Near to the Wild Heart of Life” captures the Foos' all-or-nothing attitude. Incubus' “Drive” nods to their softer acoustic side.

Queen became legends by refusing to do anything in moderation, inspiring artists such as Muse and Jellyfish to stack their vocal harmonies a mile deep on top of intricate guitar riffs. But there's also Freddie Mercury's iconic emboldening of the imagination—a freeing, encouraging paradigm whose influence is heard in both Lady Gaga and MIKA's most flamboyant musical flirtations.

Shifting the focus from tearaway solos to syncopated riffing, nu-metal hurtled into existence with Korn's famously intense 1994 debut LP. When the genre went fully mainstream a couple of years later, bands were recombining sources as far-flung as percolating funk, mouthy rap, and brooding grunge. These enduring cuts showcase the strongest of a scene that mutated almost faster than we could keep up.