Collider has ranked the ten best rock music videos of the 1980s, highlighting how MTV transformed the decade by giving bands a visual identity that boosted their popularity and let rock music take on a more playful, theatrical dimension. The list focuses specifically on rock rather than pop-leaning acts (such as Peter Gabriel or A-Ha), celebrating videos that became iconic in their own right alongside the songs they promoted.

Entries include Def Leppard's high-energy "Pour Some Sugar on Me" from 1987's Hysteria, Van Halen's charismatic performance video for "Jump" from 1984, and Guns N' Roses' gritty breakthrough "Welcome to the Jungle" from Appetite for Destruction. Tom Petty's Alice in Wonderland-themed "Don't Come Around Here No More" won an MTV Video Music Award for its special effects, while Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" featured groundbreaking computer animation and famously namechecked MTV itself.

– Collider ranks the ten best rock music videos of the 1980s.
– MTV's rise let rock bands build visual identities and reach new fame.
– Featured acts include Def Leppard, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, Tom Petty and Dire Straits.