The Misfits' 1986 'Collection' Ranked 35th in Rolling Stone's Top Punk Albums List

Rolling Stonejust released its ranking of the top 100 punk albums of all time, and of course, any such ranking would be incomplete without mentioning The Misfits. The group's 1986 self-titled compilation album - colloquially known as Collection or Collection I - ranked at No. 35 on the list.

Despite only being active from 1977 to 1983, The Misfits left an indelible skull-shaped mark on punk rock. Specifically, Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and company are considered the pioneers of horror punk. Rather than challenging the sociopolitical status quo like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, they sang about true crime and popular horror movies.

Take, for example, their popular song "Horror Business," which is filled with references to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Aside from name-dropping the hit film in the verses, the refrain warns, "You don't go in the bathroom with me."

Why? Because if you do, "I'll put a knife right in you," a clear reference to the movie's famous shower scene.

Collection contains other songs with scary inspirations. The opening track "She" is about Patty Hearst and her crime spree with the Symbionese Liberation Army, "Bullet" is about John F. Kennedy's assassination, and "Night of the Living Dead" is, obviously, about the movie Night of the Living Dead.

Even the group's iconic skull logo has horror roots, coming directly from the 1946 film The Crimson Ghost. Even if you've never heard a Misfits song, you've no doubt seen their name and logo on everything from bags to shirts to hats. Virtually every edgy teenager in America has owned a Misfits shirt, in large part because Only has famously licensed the group's logo, ultimately leading to a nasty lawsuit between himself and Danzig.

While the original Misfits lineup hasn't put out new music in over 40 years, Danzig suggested in a 2025 interview on The Abe Kanan Show that a new Misfits song could be a possibility. "Maybe I'll record a song or two and just release it," he teased.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 2:23 PM.