What is the best American indie album of all time?

From Midwestern heartland rock to New York art scenes to Southern California DIY, American indie has a rich regional tapestry. Which US indie album stands tallest?

1

Murmur

R.E.M.'s 1983 Athens, Georgia debut, the bedrock of American college rock and indie music.

2

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth's 1988 New York noise-rock double album, the artsy vanguard of American independent music.

3

Doolittle

Pixies' 1989 Boston indie rock masterpiece, a blueprint for alternative rock's loud-quiet dynamics.

4

Slanted and Enchanted

Pavement's 1992 Stockton, California debut, the quintessential lo-fi American indie rock record.

5

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 Athens, Georgia folk-rock epic, one of the most cherished American indie records.

6

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco's 2002 Chicago-rooted art-rock landmark, a distinctly American experimental rock album.

7

The Moon & Antarctica

Modest Mouse's 2000 Issaquah, Washington existentialist epic, vast and lonely like the American West.

8

Either/Or

Elliott Smith's 1997 Portland-era acoustic indie folk album, intimate and deeply American in its heartbreak.

9

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens' 2005 orchestral folk concept album dedicated to the state of Illinois, a distinctly American vision.

10

Bee Thousand

Guided by Voices' 1994 Dayton, Ohio lo-fi monument, a scrappy Midwestern indie classic.

11

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem's 2007 New York dance-punk masterwork, a deeply NYC indie album.

12

Boxer

The National's 2007 Brooklyn-born melancholic indie rock album, articulate and deeply American.

13

Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers' 2020 Los Angeles-infused indie folk album, a new American indie classic.

14

Puberty 2

Mitski's 2016 raw indie rock album about American alienation, identity, and desire.

15

Lost in the Dream

The War on Drugs' 2014 Philadelphia-rooted Heartland rock album, hazy and majestic.

16

Exile in Guyville

Liz Phair's 1993 Chicago debut, a defining statement of American indie feminism.