Radiohead

Radiohead are among the most acclaimed and influential rock bands of the past three decades, an English group whose restless experimentation reshaped the sound of alternative rock. Formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985 by five schoolmates, the band broke through with the 1992 single “Creep” and then spent its career refusing to repeat itself, moving from guitar rock to dense electronic soundscapes and orchestral textures. They have sold more than 30 million albums, won six Grammy Awards, hold the most Mercury Prize nominations of any act, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

From “On a Friday” to Radiohead

The members met at Abingdon School: singer and guitarist Thom Yorke, brothers Jonny Greenwood, on guitar and keyboards, and Colin Greenwood, on bass, guitarist Ed O’Brien, and drummer Philip Selway. They first called themselves “On a Friday,” after the only day they were able to rehearse, and signed to EMI’s Parlophone in 1991, changing the name to Radiohead. Their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993), produced “Creep,” a snarling anthem of self-loathing that became a worldwide hit. The song was so big that critics briefly wrote them off as one-hit wonders, a label the band spent years escaping.

The Bends and OK Computer

Two albums changed everything. The Bends (1995), with songs like “Fake Plastic Trees” and “High and Dry,” showed a band with far greater range, and a tour supporting R.E.M. widened their audience. Then came OK Computer (1997), a landmark record built on complex production and themes of modern alienation and technology. Anchored by “Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police” and “No Surprises,” it was hailed as one of the greatest albums ever made and turned Radiohead into one of the most important bands in the world, even as the pressure of that success weighed heavily on Yorke.

Reinvention with Kid A

Rather than make another OK Computer, the band tore up its sound. Kid A (2000) largely abandoned guitars for electronic textures, drawing on artists from the Warp label, and its strange, abstract tracks like “Everything in Its Right Place” and “Idioteque” divided listeners before being recognized as a masterpiece. It won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. A companion record, Amnesiac, followed in 2001, and Hail to the Thief in 2003 brought guitars back into the mix while keeping the experimental edge.

Changing the rules

Free of their record contract, Radiohead made history in 2007 by self-releasing In Rainbows as a download for which fans set their own price, a move that shook the industry and earned them more Grammys. They continued to explore on The King of Limbs (2011) and the lush, orchestral A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). Their producer Nigel Godrich and artist Stanley Donwood became near-permanent collaborators. After a break during which Yorke and Jonny Greenwood formed the band the Smile, Radiohead returned to tour Europe in 2025, their reputation as fearless innovators long since secure.

An influence that runs deep

Radiohead’s impact reaches far beyond their own records. Rolling Stone has named them one of the greatest artists of all time and placed five of their albums on its list of the greatest ever made. Their willingness to abandon a winning formula, to follow OK Computer with the alien electronics of Kid A, gave countless other artists permission to take risks. Thom Yorke’s wide, weightless voice and the band’s intricate, emotionally raw arrangements turned anxiety and alienation into some of the most affecting music of the modern era.

A band that nearly broke up, many times

For all their success, Radiohead’s history is one of tension and near-collapse. They almost split during the grueling tours behind The Bends, again while making the divisive Kid A and Amnesiac, and once more before In Rainbows. Yorke has spoken openly about how badly he struggled with sudden fame and the crushing expectations that followed OK Computer. That friction, rather than destroying the band, seems to have fed its restless creativity, each album a reaction against the last.

Five friends from Oxford

The core of Radiohead is the simple fact that the same five people have stayed together for decades, since they were schoolboys in Oxfordshire. They have explored solo projects and side bands, designed their own artwork, and reshaped how music is released and sold, but the lineup has never changed. That continuity, paired with a refusal to stand still, is a large part of why their catalogue continues to draw new listeners long after the songs first appeared. From the raw guitar fury of their early work to the haunting electronics of their middle years and the orchestral grandeur of their later albums, Radiohead built a body of work that rewards deep listening and keeps revealing new layers with each return. It is a rare band whose oldest songs and newest experiments feel equally vital decades on.

Their expansive, album-minded sound has often drawn comparisons to Pink Floyd.

Most loved songs

A spread across their catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.

Few bands have evolved as boldly or influenced as many artists. If one of their songs is stuck in your head, type it into the search box above to find it.