The 80s was a very important era in rock history, as it popularized the hard rock and metal genre. There were a lot of guitarists who helped fuel that with their downright impressive skills. So here are the Top 10 Best Guitarists of the 80s based on impact, talent, and skill:

10. Dave Sabo
While Dave Sabo (born 9/16/64) or better known by his stage name “Snake” might not be the most popular person in this list, but he is definitely one of the most underrated. After forming the band Skid Row in 1986, their first album became popular because his fantastic riffs and solos worked so well with frontman Sebastian Bach. While most people focus on the vocalist, there’s few that pay attention to how complicated Sabo’s guitar parts are. He is definitely overlooked when talking about great guitarists in rock and could use more recognition as he is a good writer and player with a lot more talent than people give him credit for.

Recommended Songs: 18 and Life, Making a Mess

9. Phil Collen

Phil Collen (born 12/8/57) is (def)initivly considered the backbone of the band Def Leppard. While the band has had more guitarists play solos, Collen wrote some of the most memorable and popular songs. After joining in 1982, he helped write some of the best riffs on one of their most popular albums, Pyromania, and continued his streak to write some of the best riffs in history on the band’s MOST popular album, Hysteria. Not to mention he has stuck with the band since he joined and was forced to endure the hardest of times with them such as the infamous December 1984 car crash that left the band contemplating their future with drummer Rick Allen.

Recommended Songs: Photograph, Pour Some Sugar on Me

8. Ritchie Sambora
You may not have heard of Ritchie Sambora (born 7/11/59) but you’ve definitely HEARD Ritchie Sambora. Most people know him as the main guitarist for the band Bon Jovi. He helped write some of the band’s biggest hits like “Runaway” and “In and Out of Love”, but both his writing skill and guitar skill came to shine on the band’s best selling album “Slippery When Wet”. On the album, he co-wrote the majority of the tracks including the now extremely popular “Living on a Prayer”, as well as “You Give Love a Bad Name”. Even though he left the band in 2013, there’s no doubt that he will go down as the best guitarist Bon Jovi ever had, as well as the man who wrote some of the most iconic songs of the 80s.

Recommend Songs: Living on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive

7. Robbin Crosby/Warren DiMartini
You may be asking yourself why guitarists Robbin Crosby (born 8/4/59, died 6/6/02) and Warren DiMartini (born 4/10/63) are grouped together on this list. It’s because they both played rhythm AND lead guitar on many of the tracks in their band, Ratt. The pair would alternate, sometimes mid solo, between the two. And it was impressive, especially how smooth it was. While both are great guitarists on their own, the two combined both of their skills to create some intricate riffs that were only made better with the fact that they can switch parts mid-song. You may think that having two guitarists combined into one is a waste of space, but in reality it only adds to the complexity and uniqueness that makes Ratt a pivotal 80s band.

Recommended Tracks: Round and Round, Wanted Man

6. Mick Mars
While Mick Mars (born 5/4/51) has a very complicated recent history with his band, Mötley Crüe, in their prime he was undeniably the highlight of the group. While bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee are credited with founding the band, it was Mars who named it the iconic name and helped shoot them to the top with his growling and hardcore riffs and equally dangerous image. Mars found a way to combine the budding rock-pop hair metal sound with deep, heavy-metal-like riffs that would influence bands like W.A.S.P, Quiet Riot, and Twisted Sister, while also starting a movment that would change rock history forever. While Motley Crue didn’t create hair metal, they combined their influences such as Kiss and Aerosmith and boosted the newly spawned genre to the moon, making it more popular than people could imagine. And it’s safe to say that the band couldn’t accomplish such a feat without the talent of Mick Mars and his innovative playing style.

Recommended Tracks: Take Me to The Top, Looks That Kill

5. Kirk Hammet
Throughout the 70s, a new subgenre of rock known as “heavy metal” was slowly becoming more popular, with bands like Led Zeppelin contributing to the sound and others like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath letting the full metal style shine. But by the 80s, metal began to slowly die out due to the increase in hard rock and hair metal, as well as 80s new wave pop. However, once Kirk Hammet (born 11/18/61) joined Metallica, a new light shined over metal fans everywhere. While other bands such as Slayer, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden also helped bring the genre back to life, it was Kirk Hammet’s lightning fast riffs in his band Metallica that led the charge. Through this, a new subgenre of metal was formed: thrash metal, a much faster and more complex version of heavy metal. It was Kirk Hammett (and help from his rhythm guitarist and lead singer James Hetfield) who truly pioneered this style of playing with solos that were both stupid fast and riffs that were extremely catchy. Without the help of Hammet and Metallica, metal wouldn’t be where it is today.

Recommended Tracks: One, Master of Puppets

4. Steve Vai
When he was discovered by Frank Zappa, Steve Vai (born 6/6/60) was only 20 years old. However, that didn’t stop him from being one of the best players in the 80s. What’s more impressive is his talent at such a young age, pioneering guitar techniques that millions still use today. After being recruited by the recently fired (or quit) David Lee Roth of Van Halen, the guitarist became a household name recording hits for the singer as well as producing his 1988 album “Skyscraper”.  After parting ways with Roth, Vai continued to be in some of the most iconic tracks in rock music. He joined the band Whitesnake for a short time and spawned his own solo career, using such intricate techniques that people to this day find it difficult to replicate. The only way to really prove how impressive he is with a guitar is by checking it out yourself.

Recommended Tracks: Yankee Rose, Still of the Night (Live)

3. Slash

There’s hardly anyone in the world who doesn’t know who Slash (born 7/23/65) is, or at least there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know of him. With his iconic top hat and sunglasses, Slash is instantly recognizable when it comes to music. Most known for playing lead guitar in Guns N’ Roses, his riffs combined with singer Axl Rose’s incredible (at the time) vocals, they quickly shot the band up with some of the greatest rock bands on their very first album. Much like Steve Vai, Slash had a lot of it at a decently young age making it more impressive. And while he helped write some of the band’s best lyrics and riffs, his solos are where his talent really shines. Combining the heavier sound of hard rock with the softer effect of blues music, Slash set out to create a brand new rock sound. And it worked, helping set Guns N’ Roses apart from any other band and crowning them one of the kings of the late 80s/early 90s rock scene.

Recommended Tracks: Sweet Child O’ Mine, November Rain

2. Randy Rhodes
Randy Rhodes (born 12/6/56, died 3/19/82) crammed so much into his unfortunately short career. Being one of the founding members of the band Quiet Riot in 1978, Rhodes and his band constantly competed for dominance in the LA rock scene with rival band Van Halen. While their rivals scored a record deal sooner and eventually surpassed Quiet Riot in popularity, Randy Rhodes’ career was still just being. After trying out to play guitar for the recently fired from Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, Rhodes was no doubt the perfect guitarist with his long history of music helping him in landing the spot. It was thanks to Rhodes’ guitar playing that a song on Osbourne’s album landed in the Top 10 spot of the Top 100, that song being the iconic “Crazy Train” which showed off both Rhodes stylish riffs and his jaw dropping and complex solos. Osbournes next album “Diary of a Madman” again saw Rhodes go buck wild with his guitar. While he could have made the riffs more simple, he went extra which helped him in the long run. Unfortunately, Rhodes’ career was cut short due to a fatal plane crash. However, while his career was far shorter than anyone on this list, his mystical talent and his short stint will always be remembered as his skill is preserved through Osbournes most popular songs. And it will always be impressive that he had such a short career and is still considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock history

Recommended Songs: Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley

1. Edward Van Halen
When you think of the greatest guitarist of all time, many people come to mind. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, or maybe Jimmy Page. But by far, one of the most innovative on that list is Eddie Van Halen. Eddie Van Halen (born 1/26/55, died 10/6/20) earned the nickname “Mozart of Rock Guitar” for a reason. He pioneered techniques like tapping and pinch harmonics and while he didn’t invent them, he changed and intensified them to the point where he basically made them his own. And while him and his band Van Halen created legacys in every decade since the 70s, it was the 80s that truly showed the world the talent of EVH with hit albums like their self titled “Van Halen” as well as it’s sequel “Van Halen II”, “Women and Children First” “Fair Warning”, “Diver Down”, “5150” and the most successful of them all, “1984” which also had Eddie combine his guitar talents with his synth talents in songs like “Jump” and also created some of his best solos like on “Panama” and also created “Hot For Teacher”. Listening to these songs or seeing him play live truly show how much of a virtuoso EddieVan Halen was, especially with his extreme playing style that made every song an experience and solidified Van Halen as one of the greatest rock bands ever. And thanks to Eddie, guitar playing will never be the same, which shows why is the best guitarist of the 1980s, and  one of the best guitarists of all time.

Recommended Songs: Unchained, Eruption, Dance the Night Away