Who Is Better at Rock & Roll? USA or UK?

Well let's break it down. Rock N Roll was invented in the US by speeding up the temp of Blues chords. Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley ushered in the scene.

Then the British invasion took it over and dominated the 1960's.

In the 1970's, it was Punk and Disco. It was The Sex Pistols Vs The Ramones.

In the 1980's it was Hard Rock/Metal that dominated. The USA owned this decade. Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Aerosmith, and Motley Crue were the forefront of this era. As great as Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest are, teh USA dominated this decade of Rock bands.

In the 1990's it was the Grunge scene that dominated. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden dominated. Score it for the USA.

Today? I can not point a finger at any great original band that is captivating anyone.

The ten best selling bands of all time since the 1950's, according to riaa.com, are:

The Beatles (UK)

Led Zeppelin (UK)

The Eagles (USA)

Pink Floyd (UK)

AC/DC (Australia)

Aerosmith (USA)

Rolling Stones (UK)

Metallica (USA)

Van Halen (USA)

Fleetwood Mac (USA)

USA 5 - UK 4 - Australia 1

Album sales: UK Between the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Who, they have certainly sold more albums.

Hit Singles: The Beatles and Led Zeppelin alone have more hit singles than all of the USA bands combined.

I call it a draw overall.

UK. Loads of legendary Rock 'N' Roll and Metal bands have come from the UK.

The Beatles

The Kinks

Sex Pistols

Black Sabbath

Def Leppard

Iron Maiden

The Rolling Stones

The Who

The Animals

Led Zeppelin

The list goes on forever!

Oh paleez!!!! The U.S. arms DOWN! the united kingdom can no longer even compete. that they had perhaps ten or 12 genuine sturdy bands. however the U. S. record is DEEP. You Brits can no longer prepare a catalogue this long and powerful! Jimi Hendrix Bob Dylan Janis Joplin grateful lifeless RHCP Allman Bros Band Ray Charles Velvet Underground/Lou Reed Eagles James Brown Springsteen REM Bob Seger Tom Petty Madonna Pearl Jam Frank Zappa Elvis Presley Metallica The Stooges/Iggy Johnny funds James Taylor Parliament/Funkadelic Alice Cooper Soundgarden Van Halen Sonic youngsters B.B. King Patti Smith Prince speaking Heads ZZ precise Aerosmith Doobie Bros Little Richard The Supremes Simon & Garfunkel The Byrds Lynyrd Skynyrd Santana (brn in Mex, yet grew up in CA) CCR Nirvana Chuck Berry Alice In Chains Ramones Stevie Ray Vaughan the enticements doors GNR Bo Diddley Jefferson airplane/Jefferson Starship Franki Valli/4 Seasons Johnny wintry climate chum Holly sea coast Boys adventure Chicago green Day George Thorogood Motley Crue Grand Funk Railroad Foo combatants Ike & Tina Turner Edit @ whoever pronounced Fleetwood Mac become British.... they could have began in uk, yet Lindsey and Stevie are Californians. W/o those 2, FM could have died out in the early 70's and been basically yet another forgotten band.

Overall, I think Brits have this one won! Lyrically, for sure. There are very few American bands in musical history that could hold a candle to the Brits lyrically. Today, there aren't as many bands coming out of the U.K. that are real rockers, but historically The Brits are on the top rung for sure.

I am American but I believe the UK has better rock because of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Britain has great rock.

the british made it, you can't beat bands like The Who, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones

but America does have The Doors

and what about Canada? They have bands like Rush

Pre-1980, GB by far.

Beatles, Zep, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Stones

Post 1980, USA by far.

Metallica, Pantera, Anthrax, Megadeth, Godsmack, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, GNR.

this is kinda an obvious question. it is the brits. the british invasion brought us the beatles led zeppelin the who the rolling stones and nowadays theres coldplay out there. so yes uk kicked our butts in rock n roll

By the way, Guns N' Roses are from the US. The Stones and the Beatles are enough to put them on top plus class acts like Blur and Oasis help solidify this status.

Guns n Roses from The UK... Good one....

Add my vote for the UK.....

The Beatles

Led Zeppelin

Pink Floyd

The Who

Queen

Supertramp