Best Music Documentaries About the ’80s
The best music documentaries about the ’80s capture the power, fun and wild lifestyle of the decade along with the great music of the era. – Author: Anne Erickson, Motley Crue photo via Ross Halfin
The 1980s were a special period in music, when hair metal reigned supreme and popular music was loud, flashy and aggressive. In the 1980s, rock and metal music ruled the top 40 charts, which wasn’t the case for many other decades. So, the best music documentaries about the ’80s capture that power, fun and wild lifestyle along with the great music of the era. In honor of these movies that captured a period in time, Audio Ink Radio presents its tally of the best music documentary about the ’80s.
Best Music Documentaries About the ’80s
“The 80s – Music’s Greatest Decade?”
Some would say the ’80s were music’s greatest decade, and that’s the premise of this celebrated film about the sounds of the 1980s. This is a more recent mini-series documentaries, since it was released in 2021, but it’s jam-packed with goodness. Author Dylan Jones takes viewers through the music of the era and what life was like back then, before cell phones or even the Internet were a thing. “The 80s – Music’s Greatest Decade?” also covers a range of genres, including metal, rock and hip-hop.
“Biography: I Want My MTV”
Remember when MTV used to play music videos? That was all the network was doing for a while, and the 1980s were a time when music videos were everything to bands and artists. Getting on MTV meant breaking the careers of many bands, and that’s showcased in the documentary, “Biography: I Want My MTV.” MTV was the focal point of the music industry in the 1980s, and this documentary depicts that well. Bands like Motley Crue and Poison really broke big on the network.
“American Hardcore”
For anyone who wants to know more about the hardcore punk scene that exploded in the ’80s, check out “American Hardcore.” This film is really held up as one of the best movies of all time to explain the punk movement, and it highlights punk and hardcore bands at their defining moment in time. Punk was all about protesting and breaking the norm in the ’80s, and this documentary covers everything from the music to the movement and ideology.
“Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ’80s Hair Metal”
This is a brand new documentary, since it arrived in 2024, so it’s good to get some new names on this tally. It’s actually a three-part series, directed by Jeff Tremaine, and is based on the Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock book of the same name. It offers exclusive interviews with Poison frontman Bret Michaels, Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Skid Row guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo, TV and more names from the era.
“U2: Rattle and Hum”
This isn’t a documentary about the era, but it’s a film about one of the greatest rock bands from the ’80s: U2. The flick, “U2: Rattle and Hum,” arrived in 1988 and documents the famed Irish rock group’s band members, including Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, going on the North American leg of their tour in support of “The Joshua Tree.” U2 is a special band, and this documentary really showcases the group as their career took on monstrous appeal.
- Best Music Documentaries About the ’80s - December 27, 2024
- Most Anticipated Rock Albums of 2025 - December 24, 2024
- Bands That Could Surprisingly Be Called Classic Rock - December 22, 2024
