I'd probably say to work in decades.
the horrors, alabama shakes, raconteurs, brmc, interpol, dead weather, libertines, arcade fire, babyshambles, tame impala, foxygen, unknown mortal orchestra
blur, placebo, oasis, dandy warhols, nirvana, smashing pumpkins, brian jonestown massacre, morphine, spiritualized, flaming lips, ween, suede
the cure, the smiths, xtc, spacemen 3, pixies, talking heads, joy division, new order, my bloody valentine, the jesus and mary chain, primal scream, sonic youth, rem, stone roses, the fall, the la's, violent femmes
the modern lovers, sparks, pink floyd, elo, 10cc, elvis costello, roxy music, supertramp, t.rex, ramones, wire, blue oyster cult, iggy pop, stooges, undertones, sex pistols, the jam, the clash, can, black sabbath, dire straits, bowie
jefferson airplane, velvet underground, beatles, rolling stones, kinks, beach boys, ccr, procol harum, the hollies, cream, zombies, yardbirds, animals, byrds, the doors, the turtles, donovan, frank zappa, lovin spoonful, the residents, group 1850, captain beefheart, the sonics, hendrix, bob dylan, moody blues, incredible string band
rob orbison, johnny cash, buddy holly
reckon it's easiest to start with 80s and 90s then work your way back. some of these bands are in more than one decade but those are just the decades i associate them with
+ lol yeah would be useful to know what kind of rock you're interested in listening to. you might hate all of these