I’m not sure why.
But I always love discovering rock bands with female lead singers.
It’s probably because they are so much less common than male singers.
They just bring a different sound and vibe that we don’t hear nearly as often.
Or maybe it’s because I am a singer myself and always dreamed of fronting a successful rock band.
I never fulfilled that dream.
But I love seeing other amazing woman who have managed to live out their (and my) dreams. If you do too, you’ll love each of the bands below and their talented female lead singers.
Table of Contents
Rock Bands With Female Lead Singers
The following bands with female lead singers are the ones I like best. They are all great bands fronted by incredibly female vocalists.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac needs no introduction. It is one of the most famous British pop-rock bands of all times. Their 1977 album Rumours remains one of the best selling albums of all time.
The band was also known for a lot of drama, especially breakups. Despite this, they remain highly influential in the music industry. Some iconic tracks of theirs are Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon, Dreams, Gypsy, Silver Springs and Hold Me.
Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, Stevie Nicks, is known for her divine, magical voice. She had the unique skill of adding a lot of emotion into her singing which made every song seem like a story. That is a big reason she also made our list of the best rock singers of all time.
Nicks also wrote most of Fleetowood Mac’s songs, mostly based on her relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.
She broke a lot of stereotypes about women in the rock and roll industry. Many of her compositions also portrayed women as mysterious, wise, and strong, which added to her popularity.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees, a British gothic rock band, was popular from the 1970s to the late 1990s. They were known for their mysterious and cool music. Hong Kong Garden is one of their famous songs.
Their lead singer Siouxsie Sioux (pronounced as Soo-See-Soo) inspired many rockstars in the later years. She was known for her powerful song-writing and genuine talent.
However, she was also infamous for her controversial behaviors, like donning a swastika armband or fetish-and-bondage-inspired ensembles during her performances. Despite it all, her confidence and creativity have made her a respected figure in the history of female rockstars.
Heart
Rock band Heart has been active from the 1970s to the present. They happen to be the first rock band fronted by women.
Their lead singer Ann Wilson, known for her soprano vocal range, was indicted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. She also ranked number 78 on Hit Parader’s 2006 list of the Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time.
Heart has sold over 35 million records worldwide to date. They also received four Grammy nominations and have had seven number one albums. Heart’s top hits include Barracuda, Dreamboat Annie, and Magic Man.
The Cranberries
Although The Cranberries called themselves a rock band, they incorporated different genres into their music, like indie pop, folk rock, and post punk.
The band was mostly active between the 1980s to the early 2000s. They originally named themselves Cranberries Saw Us (pronounced Cranberry Sauce) but later shortened it to simply Cranberries. The band reunited again in 2009 after a six-year hiatus.
Dolores Mary Eileen O’Riordan, an Irish singer, was the lead lyricist and vocalist of The Cranberries. She passed away in 2018 due to alcohol intoxication.
The band’s greatest hit is Zombie, but it is far from their only big hit. They had five albums reach the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. For more about the band and their music, check out our analysis of the Zombie lyrics and their meaning.
Evanescence
Evanescence was founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. They hail from Little Rock, Arkansas in the United States.
Evanescence is a rock band, but they blend various styles in their music. You will encounters rock, classical, alternative, heavy metal, industrial, and electronic influences in their sound.
Music journalists don’t seem to know what genre to put them in. Most commonly, I’ve seen them called a rock or metal band, with gothic or gothic metal being common too. I’ve also seen them called hard rock, industrial rock, symphonic metal, nu metal, or symphonic rock.
Evanescence’s debut album Fallen is also their most successful album do date. Two of their best-known songs come from that album: My Immortal and Bring Me Back To Life.
Amy Lee is the band’s lead singer and also the primary songwriter. The band’s sound is her doing. She brings her various musical tastes and influences together in a unique blend. That is the main reason people have such a hard time classifying the band into a single genre.
Evanescence has received two Grammy Awards. They sold a total of 31.9 million albums. This makes them one of the best selling hard rock or metal artists in history.
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star formed out of the group Opal back in 1988 in California. They are a dream pop/alternative rock band fronted by vocalist Hope Sandoval. She is known for her dreamy, somewhat psychedelic vocal style.
Mazzy Star has released four studio albums, with 1993’s So Tonight That I Might See being the most successful. That album also spawned the band’s best known song: Fade into You.
The band is still active to this day, though two founding members have died of cancer, including guitarist and songwriter David Roback.
Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice is a British alternative rock band. They dabble in indie rock, dream pop, folk and the unique shoegaze genres.
The name Wolf Alice is a take on Little Red Riding Hood. The band based it on a feral child raised by wolves. In 2014, they were named the Best Breakthrough Artist at the UK Festival Awards.
Their lead singer Ellen Ciara Roswell is famous for her intense, emotive, melodic, and soprano voice. Some of Wolf Alice’s hit songs include Bros, Moaning Lisa Smile, and Don’t Delete the Kisses.
Blondie
If you are watching Expats on Amazon Prime, you might have revisited Blondie’s Heart of Glass. The track can be best described as an ethereal and nostalgic mix of disco with new wave. It is one of those songs that can never get old.
Blondie became famous for mixing different kinds of music genres like punk, new wave, and disco. This made their music unique and helped break stereotypes about what a rock band could sound like.
The lead singer of Blondie is Debbie Harry. She is not only beautiful but also very talented. In 2006, the band was honored by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Blondie has sold 40 million records around the world, and amazingly, they are still active today.
The Bangles
The Bangles are an all-female, American rock band. They are famous for their songs like Manic Monday, Eternal Flame, and Walk Like an Egyptian. Walk Like an Egyptian was a monster hit in 1987.
Their band members were Susanna Hoffs (vocals and guitar), Vicki Peterson (guitar), Debbi Peterson (drums), Annette Zilinskas (bass guitar), and Abby Travis.
They broke up in 1989, because friction arose among the members, due to Hoffs often being singled out as the lead singer. Hoffs soon launched a solo career and later teamed up with two men to form another band.
The music industry will always remember The Bangles as a pivotal band that pioneered the pop-rock genre.
No Doubt
No Doubt is a rock band that was active from the 1986 to 2004. They delivered big hits like Don’t Speak, Spiderwebs, and Just a Girl. Gwen Stefani was the lead singer of No Doubt. She is not only a great singer but also known for her unique style and fashion.
No Doubt became really famous, but over time, the band members wanted to explore different things. Gwen also broke up with Tony Kanal the band’s bassist, which led to friction between the members.
Stefani went on to have a successful solo career. The band later reunited for some special performances.
The Heartless Bastards
The Heartless Bastards is a rock band from Ohio. They started making music in 2003 and still play today. Their style mixes different genres like blues, indie rock, garage punk, and country rock.
The lead creative person at the front of the band is Erika Wennerstrom. She is known for her strong and soulful voice. Her cool and powerful style have contributed to the band’s popularity.
The Heartless Bastards have made some great tunes. In 2021, they released their sixth studio album A Beautiful Life.
The Runaways
The Runaways were a rock band in the 1970s. They were special, because they were one of the first all-female bands. The band helped two of its members, Joan Jett and Lita Ford, start successful solo careers later on.
One of their famous songs is Cherry Bomb, which became really popular in Japan. They also delivered hits like Hollywood and Queens of Noise.
Sadly, the band broke up when Lita Ford and Joan Jett left to pursue their own music journeys and solo careers. Nevertheless, The Runaways left an indelible mark on the female rock music industry. And both Jett and Ford made our list of the best female guitarists of all time.
Paramore
Paramore is a rock band popular for their straight-to-the-point lyrics that connect with lots of people worldwide. They often sing about things like heartbreak and teenage frustrations.
Hayley Williams, Paramore’s lead singer, became a rockstar when she was just 14. She is now a hugely successful, talented, and well-respected musician.
One of Paramore’s albums, Riot!, became a huge hit and got a Platinum certification in the United States from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The band was also nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy in 2008.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Joan Jett was the member of The Runaways (mentioned above), before she formed the Blackhearts in 1979.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts were known for fusing the 50s and 60s rock styles with punk, glam, and heavy metal. The band also made history by becoming the first to perform in a series of performances at the Lunt–Fontanne Theatre on Broadway.
Garbage
Garbage is an American rock band formed in 1993. They got their name because a friend said their songs “sounded like garbage”. Nevertheless, people loved their music which was a mix of alternative rock with bit of post-grunge and electropop. One of their biggest hits is Stupid Girl.
The lead singer of Garbage is Shirley Ann Manson, who hails from Scotland. She is famous for her deep voice and songs with a rebel spirit.
Garbage continues to make cool music to date and released their seventh studio album three years ago.
Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes is a soul and blues rock band. They are famous for mixing rock, rhythm & blues, and soul in a new and cool way.
Their biggest hit is Always Alright, which was a track in the 2012 film starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook. Alabama Shakes won the Best American Roots Performance award at the 60th Grammy Awards.
Their lead singer and guitarist of the band is Brittany Howard. She was included in Rolling Stone’s top 250 Guitarists of all Time list in 2023.
Hole
Hole was an American rock band that was formed in 1989 in Los Angeles. They may have gotten their name from a quote from Euripides’ Medea about a piercing hole, though this is debatable.
Hole’s lead singer was Courtney Love, widow of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. She was known for portraying feminism in her lyrics. Hole’s greatest hits include Celebrity Skin, Violet, Malibu, and Doll Parts.
The band’s three main albums sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. This makes it one of the most successful female-led rock bands of all times. Hole also had a significant impact on the 1990’s alternative rock scene.
Rock And Alternative Bands With Female Lead Singers: Final Thoughts
I know there are many more alternative and rock bands with female lead singers, but an article listing them all would be far too long. So I chose my favorites.
That said, there are more great female-fronted bands out there that I love and just didn’t think about when writing the article. In fact, I’ve already added two new ones in the time since I wrote this list!
And I’m happy to continue adding great bands. If you have suggestions for some other artists that should be on this list, definitely let me know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply