Who are the Most Influential “Big 4” Hard Rock Guitarists of the 1980s?

Identifying the top contenders from the iconic decade of the 1980s, which is renowned for its incredible technical prowess in guitar playing, is certainly a challenging endeavor. Nevertheless, we are here to present our curated selections and clarify some of the notable exclusions from our list.

Firstly, let’s address the elephant in the room: our compilation does not feature Eddie Van Halen. We have restricted our selections to guitarists who emerged during the vibrant ’80s era, and since Van Halen released their groundbreaking debut album in 1978, his legendary skills unfortunately disqualify him from our rankings.

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Despite this limitation, we still have a wealth of exceptionally gifted guitarists from which to choose. In curating our list of the Big 4 of ’80s hard rock guitarists, we assessed their remarkable technical skill, songwriting capabilities, and overall contributions to the music scene.

For instance, while Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme is often hailed as the most impressive guitarist of the glam metal scene, it’s worth noting that Extreme only produced one album during the ’80s. They truly found their groove with the release of 1990’s Extreme II: Pornograffitti, which elevated their status significantly.

On the other hand, there’s Michael Angelo Batio, the Nitro guitarist famous for his quad-neck guitar performances. While he can deliver an extraordinary number of notes per second, this often comes at the cost of musicality and memorable hooks that resonate with listeners.

In the end, we chose guitarists who not only excelled in shredding and technical mastery but also created songs that became timeless anthems in the hard rock genre. These musicians have expanded the boundaries of guitar playing, upheld the essential principles of engaging songwriting, and made significant cultural impacts within the music industry.

While this explanation may seem a bit lofty, we assure you that the music itself is anything but pretentious. Continue reading to discover our selections for the Big 4 of ’80s hard rock guitarists.