Synth rock emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as artists began integrating synthesizers and electronic textures into traditional rock band structures, creating a hybrid sound that preserved guitar-driven energy while embracing the sonic possibilities of analog and digital technology. Unlike pure electronic music, synth rock maintains the rhythmic backbone and compositional framework of rock—think propulsive drums, bass foundations, and often guitars—but layers them with atmospheric synth pads, arpeggiated sequences, and electronic percussion. Pioneered by acts like Talking Heads who married post-punk angularity with Afrobeat grooves and synthesizer experimentation, the genre established a template where technology enhanced rather than replaced organic instrumentation.
What distinguishes synth rock from its neighbors is this deliberate balance: it's more guitar-oriented and structurally rock-focused than indietronica or indie pop, which tend toward softer, sample-based production and vocalist-centric arrangements. Against alternative rock, synth rock embraces electronic timbres as central rather than decorative, creating spacious, often cinematic soundscapes. Modern practitioners range from darkwave-inflected bands like The Birthday Massacre to post-hardcore hybrids like Linkin Park (in their electronic phases) and moody synth-pop-rock acts like Hurts, all demonstrating the genre's adaptability across subcultures—from industrial edges to anthemic choruses.
Synth rock rewards listeners seeking emotional immediacy wrapped in futuristic textures—a genre where human urgency meets machine precision, where nostalgia for analog warmth collides with digital experimentation. It's the sound of rock music reimagined through circuitry, offering both visceral impact and sonic exploration.
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List updated:
| #17 | ByJon & Vangelis | Released:1981 | |||
| #45 | ByKim Carnes | Released:1982-09-08 | |||
| #53 | ByStadio | Released:1982 | |||
| #44 | ByPlanet P Project | Released:1983-02-03 | |||
| #2 | ByTalking Heads | Released:1983 | |||
| #74 | ByBlood Industrial | Released:1984 | |||
| #29 | ByPetra | Released:1985-01-01 | synth rock | ||
| #41 | ByAlcatrazz | Released:1986 | |||
| #57 | ByJohn Waite | Released:1987-07-21 | |||
| #86 | ByA Scanner Darkly | Released:1988 | |||
| #90 | ByVanity Beach | Released:1988 | |||
| #43 | ByPeter Hammill | Released:1990 | synth rock | ||
| #66 | ByVanity Beach | Released:1993 | |||
| #88 | ByBuí | Released:1994 | |||
| #39 | Byヤプーズ | Released:1995-11-22 | synth rock | ||
| #28 | ByGravity Kills | Released:1998-06-09 | |||
| #20 | ByАгата Кристи | Released:1998 | |||
| #19 | ByParadise Lost | Released:1999-04-28 | |||
| #35 | ByProject Pitchfork | Released:2001-02-26 | |||
| #23 | ByTheatre of Tragedy | Released:2002-03-04 | |||
| #12 | ByDeadstar Assembly | Released:2002 | |||
| #16 | ByThe Birthday Massacre | Released:2002 | synth rock | ||
| #4 | ByThe Postal Service | Released:2003-04-25 | |||
| #42 | ByThe Anix | Released:2004-05-12 | |||
| #21 | ByMidlake | Released:2004-06-08 | |||
| #9 | ByNew Order | Released:2005-02-08 | rocksynth rock | ||
| #15 | ByProject Pitchfork | Released:2005-05-30 | |||
| #55 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2005-08-23 | |||
| #22 | ByDepeche Mode | Released:2005-10-03 | |||
| #64 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2006-10-31 | |||
| #76 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2006-10-31 | |||
| #89 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2006-10-31 | |||
| #54 | ByС.к.а.й. | Released:2006 | |||
| #58 | ByElyzium | Released:2006 | industrial rocksynth rock | ||
| #99 | ByHot Lips | Released:2006 | |||
| #81 | ByAlec Empire | Released:2007-06-11 | |||
| #26 | ByDown Below | Released:2007-06-29 | |||
| #48 | ByEmigrate | Released:2007-10-15 | |||
| #31 | ByAlec Empire | Released:2007-11-28 | |||
| #68 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2007-12-18 | |||
| #67 | ByAlec Empire | Released:2007 | |||
| #13 | ByCarpark North | Released:2008-09-08 | synth rock | ||
| #18 | ByCelldweller | Released:2008-10-16 | |||
| #38 | ByApoptygma Berzerk | Released:2009-01-23 | |||
| #49 | ByMagenta | Released:2009-02-09 | |||
| #37 | ByRaggedy Angry | Released:2009-02-24 | synth rock | ||
| #46 | ByThe Rabid Whole | Released:2009-03-03 | |||
| #14 | ByI Will Never Be The Same | Released:2009-03-09 | |||
| #25 | ByPure Reason Revolution | Released:2009-03-09 | |||
| #60 | ByEssence of Mind | Released:2009-03-27 | synth rockelectronic | ||
| #36 | ByDown Below | Released:2009-06-26 | |||
| #77 | ByHim | Released:2010-02-10 | |||
| #27 | ByCarpark North | Released:2010-04-30 | |||
| #32 | ByKidneythieves | Released:2010-06-25 | |||
| #71 | ByZero Division | Released:2010-08-31 | |||
| #51 | ByRaggedy Angry | Released:2010-10-18 | |||
| #40 | ByParadise Lost | Released:2010 | |||
| #63 | ByС.к.а.й. | Released:2010 | |||
| #59 | ByCarpark North | Released:2011-02-11 | |||
| #62 | ByHELLO HAWK | Released:2011-06-22 | |||
| #33 | ByCelldweller | Released:2011-06-28 | |||
| #7 | ByLinkin Park | Released:2012-04-16 | |||
| #93 | ByThe Astray | Released:2012-04-30 | |||
| #1 | ByLinkin Park | Released:2012-06-20 | |||
| #80 | ByHexentraum | Released:2012-07-30 | gothic rocksynth rock | ||
| #95 | ByVanity Beach | Released:2012-11-21 | |||
| #84 | Byようひ | Released:2012-12-05 | |||
| #65 | ByDBS | Released:2013-12-17 | |||
| #75 | ByUp 2 Ashes | Released:2014-05-13 | |||
| #91 | ByStereoma | Released:2014-06-24 | synth rock | ||
| #50 | ByVoyag3r | Released:2014-08-26 | |||
| #8 | ByThe Birthday Massacre | Released:2014-11-11 | |||
| #69 | ByAviators | Released:2014-12-30 | |||
| #3 | ByMeg Myers | Released:2015-09-18 | |||
| #6 | ByHurts | Released:2015-10-09 | synth rock | ||
| #85 | ByParadigm Of Life | Released:2015-11-14 | darkwavesynth rock | ||
| #87 | ByRadioaction | Released:2015-12-18 | pop rocksynth rock | ||
| #11 | ByStevie Nicks | Released:2016-11-04 | |||
| #47 | ByDynatron | Released:2016-12-20 | synth rock | ||
| #61 | ByPalast | Released:2017-04-21 | |||
| #10 | ByThe Birthday Massacre | Released:2017-06-09 | electronic rocksynth rock | ||
| #100 | ByUntitled Project Of Maks_SF | Released:2017 | |||
| #24 | ByDance With The Dead | Released:2018-09-03 | |||
| #72 | ByArc Iris | Released:2018-09 | |||
| #56 | ByHank Rosse & The Light Beyond | Released:2021-01-01 | synthpopsynth rock | ||
| #52 | ByThe Awakening | Released:2021-05-25 | |||
| #30 | ByThe Anix | Released:2021-08-05 | electronicsynth rock | ||
| #34 | BySuicide | Released:2022-01-13 | |||
| #82 | ByBuí | Released:2022-03-25 | |||
| #94 | ByBuí | Released:2022-03-25 | |||
| #83 | ByThe Darkstar Calling | Released:2022-07-20 | |||
| #5 | ByМУККА | Released:2022-12-09 | synth rock | ||
| #70 | ByHalf Shell | Released:2023-02-03 | synth rock | ||
| #73 | ByGrigoriy Kolokutin | Released: | |||
| #78 | Byおるたねーと | Released: | |||
| #79 | ByNo Fate Net | Released: | |||
| #92 | ByBill Ulsh | Released: | |||
| #96 | ByKamote | Released: | rock en espanolsynth rock | ||
| #97 | BySEXYDEATH | Released: | |||
| #98 | BySam Solino | Released: |