Southern California was the home of a burgeoning underground rock scene in the 1980s. Acts pushing new directions in music were played on influential radio stations such as KROQ and set the scene for the coming alternative music revolution. Here’s a look at five of the bands that blazed a trail for other bands to follow in the 1980s and beyond:

The Dream Syndicate

Founded in 1981, the Dream Syndicate served as an important bridge between the raw punk energy of the late 1970s and the loose and adventurous alternative rock sounds of the 1980s. Led by singer and guitarist Steve Wynn, the Dream Syndicate were at the forefront of the “Paisley Underground” scene in Southern California in the early 1980s. Later acts such as the Bangles would find more commercial success bringing a pop sheen to the Dream Syndicate’s mixture of psychedelia and garage rock.

X

Few bands had the critical success of X while never quite reaching the levels of popular success they may have deserved. Fronted by the (sometimes) husband and wife duo of John Doe and Exene Cervenka, X’s music ran the gamut from rockabilly-infused punk to proto-roots rock. Acts such as Ryan Adams and Wilco that blazed the trail of “No Depression” movement in the 1990s were heavily influenced by X.

T.S.O.L.

The hardcore punk scene became on the lasting images of Los Angeles music in the 1980s. Few bands were able to define – and then redefine – the sound as well as T.S.O.L. Their 1981 debut helped to establish the blueprint for hardcore with aggressive and politically-charged vocals and a heavy and fast sound. The hardcore sound would later become integral in the development of heavy metal in the 1980s along with diverse musical movements such as emo and thrashcore.

Missing Persons

Dale and Terry Bozzio married after meeting while working on a Frank Zappa album; it’s little wonder that their eventually musical collaboration would push musical and performance boundaries. Missing Persons was one of the pioneering New Wave acts of the early 1980s, scoring hits with songs such as “Walking in L.A.” and “Destination Unknown” that featured Dale Bozzio’s distinctive voice and Terry Bozzio’s relentless beats. The band’s mixture of synthesizers and rock instruments along with Terry Bozzio’s sometimes outrageous performances would foreshadow later groups from Southern California such as No Doubt.

Wall of Voodoo

Stan Ridgway’s Wall of Voodoo only had one mainstream hit, but it was a big one: “Mexican Radio” became an MTV mainstay that can still be heard on radio stations today. The band’s quirky mixture of synth-driven rock and cinematic flourishes combined with their unique sense of humor was a direct influence on later college radio darlings like They Might Be Giants.