Until now, this honorific has fallen to The Beatles. Their crown is only threatened by arguments made in favor of The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin Those have been the only three bands with the artistic, commercial, and musical chops to lay claim to being the greatest rock band of all-time.

The Who, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Eagles, AC/DC, The Clash, The Police, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Deftones, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Radiohead are all on the second-tier thanks to at least one glaring weakness (a relative glaring weakness like being short-lived, lacking commercial appeal, inconsistency, etc.). Yet, if we look at U2's resume they not only enter the argument, they win it.

Commercial Success

U2 has sold more than 170 million records. There's only seven bands that have sold more music then they have. All of those bands started moving product years before U2 even formed.

Also, as a band, U2 is fairly young (compared to the other acts we've mentioned). They've got a lot of good years in front of them to add to their numbers.

Touring Success

The "U2 360 Tour" is the highest grossing concert tour of all-time. Adjusting for inflation, it grossed $784,027,536. Their "Vertigo Tour" is the sixth highest grossing concert tour of all-time.