Algumas observações: a força e o impacto do mercado fonográfico norte-americano são fundamentais na carreira de qualquer artista. Ao estourar nos Estados Unidos, consequentemente estoura-se em todo o mundo. Ou seja, os dados da RIAA, apesar de focados no mercado americano, refletem as tendências de todo o planeta, e são comumente utilizados como parâmetro para esse tipo de lista.

Coletâneas, trilhas sonoras, discos ao vivo e acústicos não entraram, apenas gravações originais. E, por “rock”, entenda-se qualquer gênero que contenha em suas características elementos do estilo, indo, portanto, desde o hard de nomes como Led Zeppelin até o pop de grupos como Beatles, passando pelo caminho por bandas como Limp Bizkit e Nickelback.

Para quem quiser saber mais sobre os discos mais vendidos sobre o assunto, vale a pena uma visita demorada ao site da RIAA.

Confira abaixo quais são os 100 discos de rock mais vendidos de todos os tempos:

1. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)

2. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

3. AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)

4. The Beatles – The Beatles (1968)

5. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)

6. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)

7. Boston – Boston (1976)

8. Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View (1994)

9. Eagles – Hotel California (1976)

10. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (975)

11. Santana – Supernatural (1999)

12. Metallica – Metallica (1991)

13. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA (1984)

14. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

15. Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

16. Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)

17. Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)

18. Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (1986)

19. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II (1969)

20. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)

21. Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)

22. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (1973)

23. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

24. Creed – Human Clay (1999)

25. Green Day – Dookie (1994)

26. The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)

27. Billy Joel – The Stranger (1977)

28. Def Leppard – Pyromania (1983)

29. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory (2000)

30. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969)

31. Van Halen – 1984 (1984)

32. Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)

33. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)

34. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)

35. Elvis Presley – Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)

36. ZZ Top – Eliminator (1983)

37. Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms (1985)

38. REO Speedwagon – Hi Infidelity (1980)

39. Journey – Escape (1981)

40. Stone Temple Pilots – Core (1992)

41. Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic (1975)

42. The Police – Synchronicity (1983)

43. U2 – Achtung Baby (1991)

44. Metallica – … And Justice for All (1988)

45. Nickelback – All the Right Reasons (2005)

46. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969)

47. Live – Throwing Copper (1994)

48. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987)

49. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

50. Limp Bizkit – Significant Other (1999)

51. Huey Lewis & The News – Sports (1983)

52. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

53. Billy Joel – 52nd Street (1978)

54. Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980)

55. Billy Joel – An Innocent Man (1983)

56. Dave Matthews Band – Crash (1996)

57. Pearl Jam – Vs. (1993)

58. Eagles – Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

59. Eagles – The long Run (1979)

60. Evanescence – Fallen (2003)

61. Foreigner – Double Vision (1978)

62. Counting Crows – August & Everything After (1993)

63. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu (1970)

64. Bon Jovi – New Jersey (1988)

65. Boston – Don’t Look Back (1978)

66. Aerosmith – Get a Grip (1993)

67. Aerosmith – Pump (1989)

68. Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I (1991)

69. AC/DC – Highway to Hell (1979)

70. Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion II (1991)

71. The Cars – The Cars (1978)

72. AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)

73. Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind (1997)

74. Dave Matthews Band – Under the Table and Dreaming (1994)

75. The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)

76. Quiet Riot – Metal Health (1983)

77. 3 Doors Down – The Better Life (2000)

78. Nickelback – Silver Side Up (2001)

79. Van Halen – 5150 (1986)

80. The Offspring – Smash (1994)

81. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves (1976)

82. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Stranger in Town (1978)

83. Bush – Sixteen Stone (1994)

84. Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood (1989)

85. The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

86. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls (1978)

87. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

88. Blues Traveler – Four (1994)

89. Foreigner – 4 (1981)

90. Stone Temple Pilots – Purple (1994)

91. Journey – Frontiers (1983)

92. Bruce Spingsteen – Born to Run (1975)

93. INXS – Kick (1987)

94. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass (1970)

95. Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door (1979)

96. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin III (1970)

97. Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)

98. Creed – Weathered (2001)

99. Creed – My Own Prison (1997)

100. Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)