One often overlooked corner of the post-apocalyptic media market is that of music videos. There’s actually a solid number of bands out there with videos that showcase a “Mad Max” feel. This was a huge trend in the mid-80s when Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was released, and again in the last 10 years or so.
Being a huge music fan myself, I’ve always wanted to showcase my favorite post-apocalyptic music videos, so I decided to compile a list as ranked by just a couple simple criteria:
- They must feature costumes and a setting that you’d like to see in a Mad-Max-style movie (while excluding videos that simply show clips from a movie).
- The song must be halfway decent.
- They should tell a story, but telling a unique story is even better.
The musical style itself doesn’t matter to me; I’m looking for videos that best represent that perfect post-apocalyptic aesthetic. So here’s my list of the top 25 post-apocalyptic music videos of all time in reverse order. Enjoy!
25. Public Enemy: GRID
24. Don Henley: All She Wants to do is Dance
23. Heart: What About Love
22. Linkin Park: The Catalyst
21. My Chemical Romance: Na Na Na
20. Pearl Jam: Do the Evolution
19. Billy Idol: Dancing with Myself
18. Scandal: The Warrior
17. Britney Spears: Till the World Ends
16. Gary Numan: My Name is Ruin
15. Within Temptation: Paradise (What About Us?)
14. Falling Still: I Am the Dr
13. Duran Duran: The Wild Boys
12. V2A: Toxic
11. Rick Springfield: Bop Till You Drop
10. Undercode: Driven
9. Unleash the Archers: Tonight We Ride
8. AHTCK: Antagonist
7. Lindsey Sterling: The Arena
6. Lionface: No Hope State
5. Five Finger Death Punch: House of the Rising Sun
4. Mushroomhead: The Heresy
3. Foster the People: Helena Beat
2. 2PAC: California Love
1. Tom Petty: You Got Lucky
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