If you were asked to name the Mt. Rushmore of British bands, that's an easy answer: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and The Clash. This is not debatable.
But if you were to name the Mt. Rushmore of American bands, then that is more tricky. You can only name four bands. Emphasis on bands — solo performers or bands named after singular guys do not count for this debate: Elvis, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, Michael Jackson, or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are ineligible. They can go get their own mountain.
The criteria are not necessarily the best band or the bands that sold the most records. Above all, you must be willing to carve these bands into a stone mountain once occupied by native people. These bands must deserve to be immortalized in stone.
I maintain that the four bands on the Mt. Rushmore of American bands are: Ramones, The Beach Boys, Nirvana, and Van Halen.
Tell me I'm wrong. Anyone who includes The Eagles on their list is a non-serious person. Get real, Eagles fans.