Sonic Youth
The band that bridged No Wave and whatever came next. Thurston and Kim and Lee and (eventually) Steve Shelley spent thirty years taking every alternate tuning, prepared-guitar trick, and feedback exploration they could think of and turning them into actual songs. EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation on SST in the late 80s are untouchable. Goo and Dirty brought them to the majors without losing the plot. A Thousand Leaves and Murray Street are the quiet masterpieces. Ended in 2011 after Thurston and Kim split — messy, but the catalog is frozen in amber and it's one of the best in rock.
People
Sonic Youth's tall half. Invented more alternate tunings than he can probably remember, wrote a lot of the band's iconic riffs, served as the scene's unofficial hype man and record-store oracle for thirty years. Solo career, Chelsea Light Moving, endless guest spots. The band ended messily in 2011 but the catalog stands.
Sonic Youth's other half and the coolest person in rock music for approximately thirty consecutive years. Bassist, guitarist, vocalist, visual artist, author of Girl in a Band which is the best memoir to come out of the scene by a wide margin. Solo records since 2019 are as good as anything she's ever done.
Sonic Youth's third guitarist and the quiet MVP. Sings a few songs per record and they're usually the best ones (Eric's Trip, Rain on Tin, Karen Revisited). Solo ambient / experimental work has been going since the 80s.