10 Prog Rock Bands That Went Pop

Progressive rock bands going pop is a well-established phenomenon. And it's one that still happens today, believe it or not.

Do you have a favorite prog band that subsequently dabbled in popular music? While the mainstream world of rock might seem anathema to progressive rockers, the journey that several trod from one side to the other appears to betray that notion.

What bands can you think of that made the switch? In retrospect, there's undoubtedly one era of rock music that seemingly saw more proggers go pop than any other.

That would be the 1980s, which was by far the most visible period where prog rock bands went pop on a large scale. Perhaps the pull of successful '80s music was too much for some prog bands to bear — it was a decade filled with progressive rockers crossing over.

After all, the late '70s were a "tough time to be a prog rocker," as uDiscoverMusic explained. "The tricky time signatures, epic conceptual suites and knuckle-busting riffs that defined prog rock in its early-to-mid '70s heyday fell from favor."

Of course, a prog rock band going pop doesn't mean they can't switch back to prog in the long run. That's been the case with many prog acts who tried their hand at pop.

Anyway, without further ado, here are 10 such prog rock bands that went pop. Who would you add to the list?