20 Rock and Metal Stars in 1986 Vs. Now

Take a walk down memory lane with the following photo gallery of 20 rock and metal stars in 1986 vs. now.

The ’80s were a period of radical change in hard rock and metal, and 1986 was no exception. As the decade entered its second half, young and hungry artists staked their claim for greatness while the genre’s elder statesmen worked hard to defend their throne.

READ MORE: 10 Best Metal Albums of 1986

1986: Glam Metal Ruled the Roost and Thrash Metal Bubbled Up From the Bay

In one corner, you had glam metal (also known as pop-metal or, retroactively and more derisively, “hair metal”) dominating the airwaves and packing arenas. Bands such as Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Poison sold millions of records off the strength of good-time, riff-heavy hard rock anthems and heart-on-sleeve power ballads. Critics didn’t always love it, but fans devoured it, making glam metal one of the defining subgenres of the ’80s.

Those who craved something heavier could satiate themselves with the nascent thrash metal movement, which began in the San Francisco Bay Area and spread like wildfire across the country — and eventually the world. The thrash revolution began in earnest with Metallica’s 1983 debut album Kill ‘Em All and by 1986 the scene had spawned landmark releases from Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Metallica would release their genre-defining Master of Puppets and lose bassist Cliff Burton in a bus accident, but even this tragedy couldn’t stop their upward trajectory.

Here’s Why You Won’t See Certain Stars in Our Gallery

Our 1986-to-now gallery includes musicians who are still with us today.

That means you won’t see photos of Ozzy Osbourne, who died in 2025, or Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020. (You will, however, see their respective bandmates such as Tony Iommi, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.) Some of the bands on this list have gone through numerous lineup changes over the past 40 years and we’ve made sure to note which members appear in each photo.

With that in mind, keep scrolling to see our photo gallery of 20 rock and metal stars in 1986 vs. now.