Musical groups established in 1981

Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. Former members of the band are bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff B

Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo. and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Slayer's current lineup comprises King, Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph, and guitarist Gary Holt, who initially joined as a touring musician in 2011 before joining the band permanently after Hanneman's death in 2013; the drummer Jon Dette is a former member of the band.

Pantera () is an American heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986, respectively. The band is credited for developing and popularizing the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s after shifting from glam metal. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands

Soviet rock band

American rock band (1981–2011)

British synth-pop duo

American hip hop group

American thrash metal band

American metal band

English pop/rock band

Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Careless Whisper", and "Everything She Wants" all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Their 1984 Christmas track "Last Christmas" has become a staple of the holiday season since its release, with all proceeds from the single going to charity.

British-Australian neoclassical darkwave band around the duo Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry

American pop rock band

British grindcore band

Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip-hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip-hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip-hop music and helped usher in golden age hip-hop. The group was among the first to popularize the MC and DJ relatio

British-American rock band

English pop and post-rock group

English new wave band

Danish heavy metal band

English pop group

American industrial metal band

British synthpop duo

American rock band

American musical group

British rock band

Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 20 million records worldwide. They were considered by some to be avant-garde for their time and part of la Movida Madrileña countercultural movement. They had a brief comeback in 1998.

British musical group; neofolk band

French new wave and rock band

Japanese heavy metal band

American thrash metal band

American rock band

British neo-progressive rock band

Scottish musical group; rock band

American hard rock band

United States-based alternative rock band

American doom metal band

Belgian musical group; electronic music group

American thrash metal band

English post-punk band

American hardcore punk band

Dutch musical group

The Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. They have released six studio albums. They were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal. They were also a prototypical band for Krishnacore, a sub-sect of hardcore bands that adopt Krishna consciousness.

American rock band

Suéter (in English: Sweater), was an Argentine rock band, formed in mid-1981. The group has contributed to many classics in its country's popular songbook, such as "Amanece en la ruta", "Él anda diciendo", "Comiendo gefilte fish", "Vía México" and "Extraño ser".

Welsh musical group; alternative rock/new wave band

Japanese band

Scottish punk band

British soul and funk band

British musical group

American heavy metal band

American power metal band

British anarcho-punk band

Danish rock band

British rock band

American band

American band

band

Serbian rock band

English new wave pop band

rock supergroup