25 Rock Legends in Drag

While dressing in drag remains a polarizing topic, the practice of men wearing women’s clothing has been commonly accepted among rock stars for decades.

Some of the biggest names in rock have been ballsy enough to put on dresses. They range from those you’d expect – Elton John, Freddie Mercury, the Rolling Stones – to those you probably wouldn’t: Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Simmons, U2.

For some, dressing in drag offered a way to express themselves. Others saw it as a way to piss off authority figures, while there were also rockers who simply liked the way it felt.

During a 2022 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash revealed he’d dressed in drag as a teen to sneak into a bar after his fake ID had been rejected. “I was just crushed, so I went home and I put on a bunch of makeup, put on some of my mom’s clothes,” he recalled. “I went back up there. And it was ladies’ night, that’s what it was. So I went back and I got in.”

We’ve highlighted 25 Rock Legends Who’ve Dressed in Drag below. For our list, we had to make judgment calls on rockers who wear colorful attire and makeup, but who don’t explicitly copy the other sex. For example, Dee Snider didn’t make the list, despite his wild and fabulous fashions over the years.

Honorable mention also goes to Ringo Starr, who wasn’t included in our list even though an animated version of himself dressed in drag for the 2014 music video for “I Wish I Was a Powerpuff Girl.”