I'll add rock pioneers like slade, areosmith, deserve some credit for rock greatness
If you wanna know which rock band is really the greatest, just ask Gene Simmons/s
“Van Halen, GnR, both changed rock”
I was fortunate enough to see Van Halen on their very first tour.....they “warmed up” for Black Sabbath of all bands.
Never was much of a Sabbath fan, my buddies and I were there to witness what we heard on Van Halen 1....Eddie’s guitar work.
When Ozzie came on we left.....you could LITTERALY see Rock and Roll as you said being changed right before our eyes.
Eddie Van Halen revolutionized the rock guitar, and rock was changed forever.
They left out The Who. They were a phenomenal rock band. Moon, Daltry, Townsend and Entwhistle.