Defining Hard Rock: Hard rock is a form of loud, aggressive rock music. The electric guitar is often emphasised, used with distortion and other effects, both as a rhythm instrument using repetitive riffs with a varying degree of complexity, and as a solo lead instrument. Drumming characteristically focuses on driving rhythms, strong bass drum and a backbeat on snare, sometimes using cymbals for emphasis. The bass guitar works in conjunction with the drums, occasionally playing riffs, but usually providing a backing for the rhythm and lead guitars. Vocals are often growling, raspy, or involve screaming or wailing, sometimes in a high range, or even falsetto voice. Hard rock has sometimes been labelled cock rock for its emphasis on overt masculinity and sexuality and because it has historically been predominately performed and consumed by men: in the case of its audience, particularly white, working-class adolescents.

Criteria - The list is ranked by influence, popularity, and acclaim, as defined below. These are the songs that helped define the category of "hard rock" and to expand the category's popularity.

Influence: Influence on performance and culture.
Popularity: The use of the songs in popular culture, radio plays, media, sales, and charting positions.
Acclaim: Acclaim from critics and fellow musicians.

1. My Generation - (The Who)
2. You Really Got Me - (The Kinks)
3. Purple Haze - (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
4. Whole Lotta Love - (Led Zeppelin)
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit - (Nirvana)
6. Summertime Blues - (Blue Cheer/The Who)
7. Sunshine of Your Love - (Cream)
8. Won't Get Fooled Again - (The Who)
9. Paranoid - (Black Sabbath)
10. Anarchy in the UK - (The Sex Pistols)
11. Born To Be Wild - (Steppenwolf)
12. I Can See For Miles - (The Who)
13. London Calling - (The Clash)
14. Sweet Child O'Mine - (Guns N' Roses)
15. Smoke on the Water - (Deep Purple)
16. I Can't Explain - (The Who)
17. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
18. Ace of Spades - (Motorhead)
19. Blitzkrieg Bop - (The Ramones)
20. Child in Time - (Deep Purple)
21. Dazed and Confused - (Led Zeppelin)
22. Revolution - (The Beatles)
23. School's Out - (Alice Cooper)
24. Man in the Box - (Alice in Chains)
25. More Than a Feeling - (Boston)
26. I Wanna Be Your Dog - (The Stooges)
27. Heart-Shaped Box (Nirvana)
28. Baba O'Riley - (The Who)
29. Kick Out the Jams - (MC5)
30. Black Dog - (Led Zeppelin)
31. Walk This Way - (Aerosmith)
32. Jeremy - (Pearl Jam)
33. Iron Man - (Black Sabbath)
34. Rock and Roll - (Led Zeppelin)
35. White Room - (Cream)
36. Master of Puppets - (Metallica)
37. Give It Away - (The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
38. Runnin' with the Devil - (Van Halen)
39. War Pigs - (Black Sabbath)
40. Pinball Wizard - (The Who)
41. Raining Blood - (Slayer)
42. Basket Case - (Green Day)
43. Seek And Destroy - (Metallica)
44. Back in Black - (AC/DC)
45. Immigrant Song - (Led Zeppelin)
46. Foxy Lady - (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
47. Heartbreaker - (Led Zeppelin)
48. Welcome to the Jungle - (Guns n' Roses)
49. Who Are You - (The Who)
50. God Save the Queen - (The Sex Pistols)
51. Enter Sandman - (Metallica)
52. Highway Star - (Deep Purple)
53. Black Sabbath - (Black Sabbath)
54. All Day and All of the Night - (The Kinks)
55. Sweet Emotion - (Aerosmith)
56. Come As You Are - (Nirvana)
57. Run to the Hills - (Iron Maiden)
58. You Shook Me All Night Long - (AC/DC)
59. Rock n' Roll All Nite - (KISS)
60. Crazy Train - (Ozzy Osbourne)
61. Barracuda - (Heart)
62. Killing In the Name - (Rage Against the Machine)
63. In Bloom - (Nirvana)
64. Should I Stay Or Should I Go - (The Clash)
65. Black Hole Sun - (Soundgarden)
66. I'm Eighteen - (Alice Cooper)
67. All Right Now - (Free)
68. Livin' on a Prayer - (Bon Jovi)
69. I Wanna Be Sedated - (The Ramones)
70. Pour Some Sugar On Me - (Def Leppard)
71. Communication Breakdown - (Led Zeppelin)
72. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - (Van Halen)
73. Been Caught Stealing - (Jane's Addiction)
74. Alive - (Pearl Jam)
75. Buddy Holly - (Weezer)
76. Carry On My Wayward Son - (Kansas)
77. Photograph - (Def Leppard)
78. Highway to Hell - (AC/DC)
79. Song 2 - (Blur)
80. Longview - (Green Day)
81. Kool Thing - (Sonic Youth)
82. Monkey Wrench - (The Foo Fighters)
83. Epic - (Faith No More)
84. Today - (The Smashing Pumpkins)
85. Keep Yourself Alive - (Queen)
86. Fire - (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
87. In A Gadda Da Vida - (Iron Butterfly)
88. Fade to Black - (Metallica)
89. Boys Are Back In Town - (Thin Lizzy)
90. Helter Skelter - (The Beatles)
91. I Feel Free - (Cream)
92. 2112 - (Rush)
93. Aqualung - (Jethro Tull)
94. Panama - (Van Halen)
95. Paradise City - (Guns n' Roses)
96. Pretty in Pink - (The Psychedelic Furs)
97. Victim of Changes - (Judas Priest)
98. Detroit Rock City - (KISS)
99. The Real Me - (The Who)
100. It's a Long Way to the Top - (AC/DC)

I like this idea, I dont think it's been done before.

But.....Kashmir as Zeppelin's highest??

I always thought the guitar riff in Kashmir plus Robert Plant's strong voice would make Kashmir a great Hard Rock song. There will still be changes.

Drop Dead Legs isn't even close to being Van Halen's greatest song, let alone the 8th greatest hard rock song ever.

It is a good Hard Rock song though, The riff is good for hard rock but perhaps your right that it's too high at 8. What songs do you recommend?

We recommend that you thoroughly research and finish off the lists before you even think of posting them here.

We recommend that you work on one list at a time. One good list is much more valuable then 20 shit lists that need to be changed every time somebody posts in the thread.

I am currently only working on this one. But I would like people to help me pick out songs for this list.

It ain't even the best song on that album. The riffs on Everybody Wants Some and Runnin' With The Devil make your speakers sound ten feet tall.

So are you saying I should bump up "Runnin with the devil"?.

This one is an exception. Although it is soft it has the hard rock rhythm. It's gonna be a little bit low but it's in there.

Ahhh, some good hard rock from Bowie. This will be added.