Top 10 ALT Music Videos of 2018

Over the past 365 days, some of our favorite artists have put out some pretty stunning music videos. Some made us laugh, while others made us cry — the really funny ones made us do both. We saw bands use puppets, animation and guest stars to enhance their visuals, while others created jaw-dropping minimalistic clips. Artists who aren't with us anymore were commemorated, and those that still are were honored. From Weezer's Weird Al starring "Africa" video to Billie Eilish's macabre "When The Party's Over," these are our favorite ALT videos of 2018.


Panic! At The Disco — "Hey Look Ma, I Made It"

Panic! At The Disco put out some pretty great music videos this year. "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" saw singer Brendon Urie pulverize burglars, and "High Hopes" saw him scale a building...on his feet, but our favorite 2018 visuals from the band are "Hey Look Ma, I Made It." Because, muppets. The muppet Urie gets into all kinds of bad situations that come from living that crazy rockstar lifestyle, but he thankfully figures it all out in the end. 


Billie Eilish — "When The Party's Over"

Billie Eilish may have a gentle, soothing voice, but the video for "When The Party's Over" is anything but calming. The clip sees the 16-year-old dressed in all white and chains, sitting in a sterile, all white room, with a glass of black liquid placed on a table in front of her. She warily takes a sip, and then after a moment of hesitation chugs the glass as terror glazes over her face. Almost instantaneously, the same dark fluid begins to seep out of her eyes. She smears it on her face and on her clothing, and as the song progresses it gushes with more intensity. As the video nears its end, the camera veers downward, focusing on the white table, and its climax — though not terribly graphic — may be the most disturbing part of the whole clip.


The 1975 — "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)"

The 1975 put out one of the most highly anticipated (and well-received) albums of the year in A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, and along with it came a series of wonderful music videos. While each clip had its own themes and storyline, the band got meta with "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)," which not only paid homage to the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense, but also directly called back to the previously released "Sincerity Is Scary" visuals, as singer Matty Healy opens a door and is watching himself practice his dance moves on the set of that video. The clip comes full circle and ends where it begins, making the viewer wonder if it was all a dream.


Muse — "Pressure"

While Muse was gearing up to release their eighth studio album, Simulation Theory, they took the album's neon-tinged '80s theme to the next level with their video for "Pressure." Actor Terry Crews stars in the clip, which is set at a 1984 high school homecoming dance. Muse plays the battle of the bands winner, Rocket Baby Doll — a group none of the teenaged guests are excited to see. As they begin to perform the song, the mood changes and the uninterested teens begin to dance. Two mischievous high schoolers sneak into the science lab, and that's when all hell breaks lose. A series of events cause a mutant creature to attack the school, and it's up to Crews to save the day.


Chris Cornell — "When Bad Does Good"

The rock community was in disbelief when Chris Cornell took his own life last year, and as the dust began to settle and his family sifted through his illustrious discography to curate a retrospective box setthey shared a previously unreleased song called "When Bad Does Good." On the day the career-spanning project came out, so did the new single's video, which stars the late rockstar's son portraying his father. He rides through the streets of Seattle delivering newspapers — a job held by his dad in his youth — while lyrics scrawl across pavement and some of the landmarks associated with the Soundgarden frontman's music.


Fall Out Boy — “Bishops Knife Trick”

Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump proved that he should go into acting in the video for "Bishops Knife Trick." The frontman gives a hilarious performance as a frustrated director trying to work with a band of unruly llamas. Though all five and a half minutes are funny, the best part is Stump's tantrum near the end of the clip. "I'm sick of this!" he squeals after the furry bandmates begin to brawl. "I didn't apply to film school for this," he yells. "I applied to great schools, too." File this in the laugh 'til you cry category.


Twenty One Pilots — "My Blood"

When Twenty One Pilots announced their fifth album, Trench, they treated fans to a trio of music videos centered around their Bandito theme—"Jumpsuit," "Levitate," and "Nico and the Niners." For the album's fourth single, "My Blood," the Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun decided to do something a little different. The clip follows the stories of two brothers—one rebellious and one shy—and has one of the most jaw-dropping twists at the end.


Bishop Briggs — "Baby"

"Baby" is the first single Bishop Briggs released after unleashing her debut album Church of Scars earlier this year, and it's hard to get out of your head. So is its music video. The clip is the perfect visualization for the singer-songwriter's sultry ode to zombie loving, black magic wielding, f**king crazy men, as it shows an animated version of her cruisin' with her monster of a man. 


Weezer — "Africa"

Weezer made one fan's dreams come true when they granted a request to cover Toto's "Africa" back in May. A few months after releasing the single, the band gave it the video treatment. And it stars none other than Weird Al Yankovic. The comedy rocker and a band of doppelgängers play Rivers Cuomo and company in a clip that recreates Weezer's 1994 "Undone (The Sweater Song)" video, blue backdrop and all. At first, the video looks innocuous enough to the untrained eye, but as it progresses Weird Al gets, well, weirder, as he begins to wiggle and gyrate as he sings. At one point he even busts out his signature accordion for a solo. By the end of the video, the keyboardist is laying on the ground and the drummer walks away from his kit, air drumming the rest of the song. It's perfect.


Imagine Dragons — "Zero"

The lyrics for Imagine Dragons' Ralph Breaks the Internet-penned single, "Zero," may be poignant, but its video is not. The band stars as employees and gamers at an '80s style arcade, with each member wearing the same outfit he did in the hilariously absurd lyric video. Singer Dan Reynolds, however, makes a small (er, big) change to his character, who has an oversized, Pacman-esque head. It's bizarre, it's ridiculous, and it's laugh out loud funny.

Photo: YouTube


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