AC/DC are an Australian  band, formed in November 1973 by brothers  and, who have remained constant members. Commonly referred to as a  or band, they are also considered pioneers of  and are sometimes classified as such, though they have always dubbed their music as simply "". To date they are one of the highest-grossing bands of all time.

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, , on 17 February 1975. Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist was replaced by in 1977 for the album . Within months of recording the album , lead singer and co-songwriter died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but buoyed by support from Scott's parents, decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist. Ex- singer was auditioned and selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released the new album, , which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott. The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all time best-seller, selling over 10,000 copies a day in its first week.

The band's next album, , was their first album to reach number one in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after drummer was fired in 1983 and was replaced by future drummer . The band experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of . Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after , who was with the band from 1989–1994, was asked to leave in favor of him, and contributed to the band's 1995 album . Since then, the band's line-up has remained the same. was released in 2000 and was well received by critics, and the band's latest studio album, , was released on 20 October 2008 and was the second-highest-selling album of that year. It was their biggest hit on the charts since For Those About to Rock, eventually reaching No.1 on all charts worldwide.

As of 2010, AC/DC had sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 71 million albums in the United States alone. Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the  – behind only 's  – and the highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 22 million units in the US alone, where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC ranked fourth on 's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and were named the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Legendary producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list, referred to AC/DC as "the greatest rock and roll band of all time." In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".