Led by the gangly Ric Ocasek, this Boston quintet became one of the biggest bands of the late '70 and '80s. Their 1978 self-titled debut sold millions, mixing punk's stripped-down aesthetic with glam, pop, guttural synths and beat poetics - it cleared a path at radio for new wave to follow. Endlessly quirky but always catchy, The Cars released five more albums between '79-'87, which masterfully wrapped lyrical desperation and heartbreak into tight, synth-pop sing-alongs. They disbanded in '88, though a 2011 reunion yielded a new album and a sound that picked up where they'd left off.