Rock Bands & Artists
40 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set
1.Which rock artist formed the Beatles songwriting partnership with John Lennon?
- A. Stewart Copeland
- B. Paul McCartney
- C. Steven Tyler
- D. Chester Bennington
Show answer
Paul McCartney
Did you know? Paul McCartney later fronted the band Wings.
2.Which rock band was formed in London in 1996 by university friends led by singer Chris Martin?
- A. The Beatles
- B. Arctic Monkeys
- C. Coldplay
- D. Muse
Show answer
Coldplay
Did you know? Coldplay's 2000 debut single was called Yellow.
3.Which rock artist led the Police before a solo career mixing rock and jazz?
- A. Freddie Mercury
- B. Roger Waters
- C. Sting
- D. Dave Grohl
Show answer
Sting
Did you know? Sting was born Gordon Sumner in Newcastle, England.
4.Which rock band exploded out of the Los Angeles club scene with its 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction?
- A. Radiohead
- B. The Beach Boys
- C. AC/DC
- D. Guns N' Roses
Show answer
Guns N' Roses
Did you know? Appetite for Destruction is one of the best-selling debut albums in US history.
5.Which rock artist has fronted U2 since the band formed in Dublin in 1976?
- A. Joe Strummer
- B. Axl Rose
- C. Bono
- D. Noel Gallagher
Show answer
Bono
Did you know? Bono was born Paul Hewson and became a prominent humanitarian campaigner.
6.Which rock band has been fronted since 1982 by singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea?
- A. Red Hot Chili Peppers
- B. Queen
- C. Blondie
- D. Nirvana
Show answer
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Did you know? The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles and mix funk with rock.
7.Which rock artist is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
- A. Eric Clapton
- B. Dave Grohl
- C. Alex Turner
- D. Bob Dylan
Show answer
Eric Clapton
Did you know? Eric Clapton played in Cream, Derek and the Dominos and as a solo artist.
8.Which rock band broadened rock's sound with the 1997 album OK Computer?
- A. Aerosmith
- B. The Clash
- C. Oasis
- D. Radiohead
Show answer
Radiohead
Did you know? Radiohead formed at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire in 1985.
9.Which rock artist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016?
- A. Pete Townshend
- B. Bob Dylan
- C. James Hetfield
- D. Brian Eno
Show answer
Bob Dylan
Did you know? Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota.
10.Which rock band was formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987 around singer Kurt Cobain?
- A. Nirvana
- B. Muse
- C. Fleetwood Mac
- D. Judas Priest
Show answer
Nirvana
Did you know? Nirvana's 1991 single Smells Like Teen Spirit brought alternative rock to the mainstream.
11.Which rock artist sings Radiohead's explorations of technology and alienation?
- A. Roger Waters
- B. Lemmy Kilmister
- C. John Lennon
- D. Thom Yorke
Show answer
Thom Yorke
Did you know? Thom Yorke was born with a paralyzed left eye.
12.Which rock band rose to fame with the 1975 six-minute suite Bohemian Rhapsody?
- A. Bon Jovi
- B. The Rolling Stones
- C. Pink Floyd
- D. Queen
Show answer
Queen
Did you know? Queen's performance at Live Aid in 1985 is often voted the greatest live show in rock history.
13.Which rock artist reinvented his persona across decades from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke?
- A. David Bowie
- B. Angus Young
- C. Paul McCartney
- D. Stewart Copeland
Show answer
David Bowie
Did you know? David Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust defined glam rock.
14.Which rock band was fronted by poet-singer Jim Morrison until his death in 1971?
- A. The Who
- B. The Doors
- C. Muse
- D. The Beach Boys
Show answer
The Doors
Did you know? The Doors took their name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception.
15.Which rock artist earned the nickname the Boss with working-class rock from New Jersey?
- A. David Bowie
- B. Lou Reed
- C. Bruce Springsteen
- D. Pete Townshend
Show answer
Bruce Springsteen
Did you know? Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album Born to Run made him a national star.
16.Which rock band was formed in Dublin in 1976 and has kept the same four members ever since?
- A. U2
- B. The Strokes
- C. Queen
- D. The Doors
Show answer
U2
Did you know? U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree made the band global stadium headliners.
17.Which rock artist led Nirvana and the 1990s grunge explosion?
- A. Neil Peart
- B. Alex Turner
- C. Debbie Harry
- D. Kurt Cobain
Show answer
Kurt Cobain
Did you know? Kurt Cobain grew up in Aberdeen, Washington.
18.Which rock band have been led since 1962 by singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards?
- A. Black Sabbath
- B. The Rolling Stones
- C. The Doors
- D. Nirvana
Show answer
The Rolling Stones
Did you know? The Rolling Stones named themselves after a Muddy Waters song.
19.Which rock artist is Guns N' Roses' founding singer, born in Lafayette, Indiana?
- A. Neil Peart
- B. Syd Barrett
- C. Bob Dylan
- D. Axl Rose
Show answer
Axl Rose
Did you know? Axl Rose's real surname comes from the band Rose he played in as a teenager.
20.Which rock band was driven by the feuding Manchester brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher?
- A. Oasis
- B. The Beach Boys
- C. Talking Heads
- D. Boston
Show answer
Oasis
Did you know? Oasis's 1995 anthem Wonderwall became one of the most streamed twentieth-century songs.
21.Which rock artist founded the Beatles and later wrote the anthem Imagine?
- A. Lemmy Kilmister
- B. Chester Bennington
- C. Axl Rose
- D. John Lennon
Show answer
John Lennon
Did you know? John Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment building in 1980.
22.Which rock band released the 1977 blockbuster Rumours while its members were divorcing each other?
- A. Fleetwood Mac
- B. Lynyrd Skynyrd
- C. Kiss
- D. Eagles
Show answer
Fleetwood Mac
Did you know? Fleetwood Mac began in 1967 as a British blues band before moving to California.
23.Which rock artist is Aerosmith's scarved, wide-ranging frontman?
- A. Geddy Lee
- B. Neil Peart
- C. John Lennon
- D. Steven Tyler
Show answer
Steven Tyler
Did you know? Steven Tyler's daughter Liv Tyler became a film actress.
24.Which rock band began in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, around brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson?
- A. The Who
- B. The Beach Boys
- C. Arctic Monkeys
- D. Kansas
Show answer
The Beach Boys
Did you know? The Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds was largely written by Brian Wilson.
25.Which rock artist fronted Queen with a four-octave voice until his death in 1991?
- A. Neil Peart
- B. Bruce Springsteen
- C. Freddie Mercury
- D. Robert Plant
Show answer
Freddie Mercury
Did you know? Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar.
26.Which rock band was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich?
- A. Talking Heads
- B. Metallica
- C. Queen
- D. The Clash
Show answer
Metallica
Did you know? Metallica's 1991 self-titled album is often called The Black Album.
27.Which rock artist went from Nirvana's drummer to the Foo Fighters' frontman?
- A. Dave Grohl
- B. Ozzy Osbourne
- C. Debbie Harry
- D. Keith Richards
Show answer
Dave Grohl
Did you know? Dave Grohl also directed many of the band's documentaries.
28.Which rock band reached its greatest success with the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon?
- A. Pink Floyd
- B. The Beach Boys
- C. Creedence Clearwater Revival
- D. Radiohead
Show answer
Pink Floyd
Did you know? The Dark Side of the Moon spent more than 900 weeks on the Billboard album chart.
29.Which rock artist is the pianist and lead vocalist of Coldplay?
- A. Joe Strummer
- B. Thom Yorke
- C. John Lennon
- D. Chris Martin
Show answer
Chris Martin
Did you know? Chris Martin met his Coldplay bandmates at University College London.
30.Which rock band brought punk back to arena stages with its 1994 album Dookie?
- A. Green Day
- B. Dire Straits
- C. Queen
- D. Judas Priest
Show answer
Green Day
Did you know? Green Day was formed in Berkeley, California, in 1987 by singer Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt.
31.Which rock artist redefined electric guitar playing before his death at twenty-seven?
- A. Bruce Springsteen
- B. Chris Martin
- C. Keith Richards
- D. Jimi Hendrix
Show answer
Jimi Hendrix
Did you know? Jimi Hendrix famously played the US anthem at Woodstock in 1969.
32.Which rock band was formed in Liverpool in 1960 around the songwriting duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney?
- A. The Beatles
- B. Queen
- C. Deep Purple
- D. The Strokes
Show answer
The Beatles
Did you know? The Beatles broke up in 1970 after releasing more than a dozen studio albums.
33.Which rock artist is the riff-making guitarist heart of the Rolling Stones?
- A. Keith Richards
- B. Neil Peart
- C. Joe Strummer
- D. Lemmy Kilmister
Show answer
Keith Richards
Did you know? Keith Richards is known for his open-tuned five-string guitar style.
34.Which rock band closed most of its shows between 1971 and 1979 with the eight-minute epic Stairway to Heaven?
- A. Boston
- B. The Kinks
- C. Led Zeppelin
- D. The Strokes
Show answer
Led Zeppelin
Did you know? Led Zeppelin rarely released any of its hit songs as singles.
35.Which rock band mixed rock, electronica and rap on its 2000 debut Hybrid Theory?
- A. Metallica
- B. Linkin Park
- C. Boston
- D. Depeche Mode
Show answer
Linkin Park
Did you know? Hybrid Theory was the best-selling album of 2001 in the United States.
36.Which rock band took its name from its New Jersey frontman Jon Bon Jovi?
- A. Nirvana
- B. Iron Maiden
- C. Bon Jovi
- D. The Clash
Show answer
Bon Jovi
Did you know? Bon Jovi's 1986 anthem Livin' on a Prayer became the band's signature song.
37.Which rock band was founded in Australia in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young?
- A. AC/DC
- B. Muse
- C. Talking Heads
- D. The Doors
Show answer
AC/DC
Did you know? AC/DC's 1980 album Back in Black was recorded after singer Bon Scott's death.
38.Which rock artist sang Oasis's anthems alongside brother Noel's guitars?
- A. Liam Gallagher
- B. Chester Bennington
- C. Roger Daltrey
- D. John Lennon
Show answer
Liam Gallagher
Did you know? Liam Gallagher later fronted the band Beady Eye.
39.Which rock band is widely credited with creating heavy metal with its 1970 self-titled debut?
- A. Aerosmith
- B. Black Sabbath
- C. R.E.M.
- D. AC/DC
Show answer
Black Sabbath
Did you know? Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England, around singer Ozzy Osbourne.
40.Which rock artist sang Led Zeppelin's bluesy wail on Stairway to Heaven?
- A. Robert Plant
- B. Roger Daltrey
- C. Bob Dylan
- D. Stewart Copeland
Show answer
Robert Plant
Did you know? Robert Plant and Jimmy Page later reunited as Page and Plant.
Questions are for entertainment — difficulty ratings are a guide, and you know your crowd best. Always follow the rules of your venue or event.