Cinderella

It was the decade of the guitar hero — but sometimes one wasn't enough.

The genre was more than hits and filler.

They were defined by their tireless work ethic and defiant attitude.

Many of the scene's biggest bands caught lightning in a bottle on their first try.

There's way more substance here than haters would lead you to believe.

The genre's best bands had a penchant for reinvention — making this list especially difficult.

May the birthdays be filled with plenty of candles for these rock stars celebrating this month.

Embrace the heartache, pain and in some cases, true life stories.

Back to an era of big hair and even bigger video hits. How well do you remember the '80s hair metal videos playing on MTV?

Fromage in hard rock ballad form.