2025 Classic Rock Power Rankings

Which classic rock stars currently wield the most power? We asked our writers to look at the current landscape and determine which bands or artists could make the biggest waves in 2025 as measured in terms of album sales, ticket sales and cultural impact. Here’s who they chose:

10 (Tie). U2

U2 have spent much of the past decade mining their (admittedly impressive) past, mounting an epic 30th anniversary The Joshua Tree celebration tour, re-recording many of their biggest hits for the acoustic Songs of Surrender collection, and breaking in the Las Vegas Sphere with an Achtung Baby-themed residency. They seem focused on adding to their legacy with their next album, which is currently in some unknown stage of gestation. In November 2024, Edge reported that he and Bono work working on “Sci-fi Irish folk music” with producer Brian Eno, although he noted the album may end up going in a totally different direction.

10 (Tie). Foo Fighters

Over the past two decades Foo Fighters have become the ubiquitous and almost universally beloved ambassadors of rock, filling arenas and stadiums all around the world. Dave Grohl kept himself and the band in the headlines with fun stunts such as a Bee Gees cover album, his annual holiday Hanukkah Sessions video series featuring covers of songs by Jewish artists, and a host of other collaborations and guest appearances. However, his good guy image took a hit in September 2024 when he revealed that he’d fathered a child outside of his marriage. The band canceled their few publicly announced concerts and have not announced any plans for 2025 as of yet.

9. Stevie Nicks

Although she hasn’t released a solo studio album in over a decade, Stevie Nicks looms large in modern culture, headlining arena shows and teaming up with Billy Joel for massive stadium shows throughout 2024. She also released the politically charged “The Lighthouse” single and appeared on Saturday Night Live in the midst of election season. If it wasn’t obvious before, it seems pretty clear Nicks is the one most in charge of Fleetwood Mac‘s future – or more accurately, lack thereof – as she repeatedly insisted there would be no reformation without the late Christine McVie and no reconciliation with Lindsey Buckingham.

8. Guns N’ Roses

After spending most of the last seven years on the road, Guns N’ Roses took 2024 off entirely. Slash and Duff McKagan instead focused on solo projects, but the group is gearing up for a massive world tour in 2025, and a recent survey revealed the band was second only to Pink Floyd when it comes to new tattoos. A new album featuring Slash, Duff and Axl Rose remains one of the most tantalizing prospects in all of rock. In May 2024, Slash reported that the group was “trying” to record one, without offering more details.

7. AC/DC

At the end of the Rock or Bust tour in 2016, it certainly seemed like AC/DC‘s days as one of rock’s most powerful groups may have been at an end, as various health or legal issues put the touring future of everybody but guitarist Angus Young in doubt. Despite the 2017 death of his brother Malcolm, the group regrouped to record 2020’s excellent Power Up, waited out the pandemic and returned to the road last year with a new rhythm section. They’ll return to the United States for their first extended stadium tour in nearly a decade this summer.

Read More: 2025 Rock Tour Preview

6. Eagles

Three decades into what might be the most profitable second act in rock history, the Eagles are taking their sweet time saying farewell on their Long Goodbye tour, which kicked off in the fall of 2023 and is still going strong with no clear end in sight. The band has been thrilling fans and raking in big bucks during their current Sphere residency, which grossed $44.1 million with its first eight shows and is slated to continue through April 2025. It seems unlikely they’ll record another studio album, seeing as how it’s been almost 18 years since 2007’s Long Road Out of Eden, although we’d certainly love to see them take a shot at it. Oh and nearly 50 years after its release the Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 album still earned a spot on 2024’s best-selling albums list.

5. Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan doesn’t tour like a modern-day superstar. He keeps impressively busy, performing 78 shows at theaters and festivals across the world in 2024. It’s been almost five years since he released a new studio album (2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways), but whenever he does so again it’s sure to get a lot of attention. If his Nobel Prize and reported $300 million catalog sale don’t earn him a spot on this list, how about the fact that he’s currently the subject of a major Hollywood movie, or that the fact that he’s tweeting kinda like a normal person all of a sudden has sent the rock world into a tizzy?

4. Bruce Springsteen

You know your career’s going pretty good if you feel the need to deny reports that you’re a billionaire, as Bruce Springsteen did last October. He got at least halfway there when he sold his catalog for $500 million back in 2021, and Springsteen was the biggest-earning rocker on the road in 2024, bringing in $251 million from 44 shows. He’ll be back on tour in Europe in 2025, and rumors are swirling that a major archival release is also on the way. Oh, and he’s about to get his own big-screen movie, too.

3. Metallica

Metallica continued their reign as the undisputed kings of metal in 2024, earning $179 million on the road with just 24 shows on their innovative M72 tour, which finds them packing the same stadiums for two night with completely different set lists. Country superstar Morgan Wallen was the only thing keeping 2023’s 72 Seasons at No. 2 on the album charts, ending a No. 1 streak that dated all the way back to their self-titled 1991 album. They’ll be back on the road in 2025, and since there’s no real update on a new record, can we mention that we’re overdue for another installment of the Garage Days cover series?

2. Paul McCartney

First point: Paul McCartney is a Beatle, one of only two still roaming the planet. He’s also one of the most popular touring attractions in the game, still delivering 36-song sets at arenas and stadiums around the world. His new albums make big splashes, too – and it seems he’s close to releasing another one, reportedly with help from producer du jour Andrew Watt. He also reportedly became a billionaire last year – how did that take so long, exactly?

1. The Rolling Stones

63 years after their formation, the Rolling Stones remain rock’s most powerful band. They earned $235 million with just 18 shows in 2024, a staggering $13 million per night average. They’re still vital in the studio too: 2023’s Hackney Diamonds earned critical raves and reached No. 2 on the charts. And they still own their own publishing, bucking an industry trend. No word yet on the Stones’ plans for 2025 yet but whatever they do is likely to make a big impact.