Dave Grohl’s been around …

His amazing trajectory, from sideman to frontman is remarkable in and of itself. But his insistence on not resting on these laurels and consistently challenging himself with new musical endeavors, both out front and as a drummer has helped him compile one of the longest and most diversified discographies in modern rock. And we've ranked all of those projects in order of awesomeness.

At first, the teenaged Grohl appeared content to simply find a place within Washington, D.C.’s legendary hardcore community, when he exaggerated his age in order to join local contenders Scream for the final two albums of the band's career.

Then, all of a sudden, the still relatively unknown Grohl was tapped to join Nirvana, just in time for the Seattle power trio to shock the world, conquer it, and promptly squander it all within a matter of three short years and just two world-changing studio albums with Grohl behind the kit. But then, things got interesting, because Grohl successfully jumped out in front to sing lead and write songs for his own group, Foo Fighters, which emerged against all odds as latter-day alternative rock hit makers.

And then, when Grohl found himself struggling with the responsibilities and challenges of leadership, he tempered his ego and found creative solace playing drums with other bands Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke), while trying his hand a  movie soundtracks, or rediscovering his fandom via 2004’s metallic Probot project.

In time, the workaholic Grohl learned to juggle all of these interests at once, later participating in the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, spearheading the Sound City documentary and soundtrack project, while continually guiding the Foo Fighters with hit album after hit album.

This juggling act has singled out Grohl among the few musicians to enjoy truly global stardom while retaining much of his indie rock credibility. It’s with a view of re-examining and understanding this unusual feat that we’re looking back on all the albums he has had a major performing hand in, and ranking them by importance and overall quality.

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