What do you think? This is purely opinionated...
There are a ton of great bands, but these stood out for me in their respective decades....
1960s - The Who
They entered into rock music by promptly shocking Brits with their on stage antics. They were the first ones to destroy their set and their instruments. Countless bands copied them and tried to be just like them. None of them succeeded.
1970s - Led Zeppelin
The local rock station here plays them so much that I can't hear them anymore, but there's no denying them. My Mom was a huge fan, and it got passed on to me. I remember listening to "Led Zepellin II" on 8-track with headphones on when I was about 7 years old and wondering why that guy was crying so loud during "Whole Lotta Love"...
1980s - U2
You can't argue with the massive amount of records they have sold. Not to mention the incredible worldwide tours they've done. My first U2 album was "War". I couldn't believe it when I listened to it for the first time.
1990s - Stone Temple Pilots
Most might go.. "wha?" to this one, but I just think that everything they released to date has been spectacular. At any given time, I have an STP CD in the car. Hard to pick a favourite CD, but "Tiny Music..." comes to mind as one that's amazing from the first track to the last.