There’s something about fictional bands that makes them almost as fun as real ones (and sometimes more so). They’ve got the same outsized characters and dreams of stardom, but they’re also created with a sense of humor and self-awareness that makes them work as satires of real rockers. This list is by no means exhaustive — for more, check out The Rocklopedia Fakebandica — but the 20 groups featured here are among the best, or at least the most infamous, fictional bands ever unleashed in TV and film. Turn it up:

1. The Soggy Bottom Boys: The three main characters in the Coen brothers’ fantastic comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou? form a solid bluegrass group to make some quick cash. They score a hit with their cover of “Man of Constant Sorrow,” which gets trotted out several times throughout the film. It’s not really George Clooney and company doing the singing — lead vocals are handled by Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss’ Union Station — but still, The Soggy Bottom Boys are a great band.
2. Sexual Chocolate: Coming to America was the last good Eddie Murphy movie, but you can’t say he didn’t go out with a bang: It’s packed with hilarious moments in which Murphy plays multiple characters, including Randy Watson, the terrible lead singer of Sexual Chocolate. (Though you may know Watson as Joe the policeman from the “What’s Going Down?” episode of “That’s My Mama.”) I would kill to see Sexual Chocolate on tour, wouldn’t you?
3. The Be Sharps: “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” kicked off the fifth season of “The Simpsons,” when the series was in its creative heyday. The episode is a goofy but loving ode to ’80s culture as Homer tells the tale of his musical success as part of a barbershop group featuring Apu, Barney, and Principal Skinner. Their song, “Baby on Board,” is both a playful skewering of a fad and a nicely constructed barbershop tune.
4. Dr. Funke’s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution: One of the great gags on “Arrested Development” was Dr. Funke’s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution, a band formed solely to shill for medical corporations at conventions. The show’s devotion to detail was top-notch, and even the brief moments showing the band were amazing.
5. Jesse and the Rippers: “Full House” was many things; a good series was not one of them. The schlock-filled sitcom ran for an inexplicable eight seasons, during which time John Stamos’ Jesse Katsopolis fronted a rock band with about as much edge as you’d expect from one on a series now rerun on ABC Family. Still, there there were some inspired moments of unintentional hilarity, especially when it came to Jesse’s band. If you make it through this video without laughing, you’re tougher than most:
6. The Folksmen: It’s hard to pick just one band from Christopher Guest’s A Mighty Wind. The New Main Street Singers are a great family-style group, while Mitch & Mickey are a spot-on re-creation of a 1960s folk duo. But it’s The Folksmen who seem to have the most fun and the fewest emotional issues, so they get the shout-out. Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean are all talented musicians in their own right, which gives their fake band an added edge.
7. Stillwater: Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical Almost Famous charts the rise of fake rockers Stillwater in the early 1970s, as seen through the eyes of a teenage fan who writes about them for Rolling Stone. The band absolutely nails the sound and style of the era, so much so that many viewers probably wondered if Stillwater was a real band they’d somehow missed out on.
8. The Wonders: Here’s the thing about the Wonders: They’re really good. The band at the heart of That Thing You Do! scores a pop hit with the titular song, but the song’s got real pep thanks to writer Adam Schlesinger, of Fountains of Wayne. It’s a perfect summer song guaranteed to get in your head and stay there (trust me).
9. Infant Sorrow: Fronted by Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), Forgetting Sarah Marshall‘s Infant Sorrow is a ruthless parody of the middle-of-the-road pop rock that strives to be world-changing but is really anything but. “Inside of You” would be a great pop song if it weren’t so, well, terrible.
10. Crucial Taunt: The name isn’t as inventive as “The Shitty Beatles,” but Crucial Taunt of Wayne’s World fame is still a fun band of the generic early-’90s rock persuasion. Tia Carrere is only occasionally believable as a rock star, but she does well enough covering The Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz.”
11. Wyld Stallyns: Wyld Stallyns aren’t technically good, either in a real-world sense or in the world of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. (And the less said about Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the better.) Still, they’ve got a lot of heart, and they’re going to save the world with their music, so they get a little slack.
12. School of Rock: The title group from School of Rock is made up of kids with more musical talent than you or I will ever have, and their song “Teacher’s Pet” is a surprisingly catchy ode to the ups and downs of school life. Perfect listening for this time of year.
13. Barry Jive and the Uptown Five: Speaking of Jack Black: He was also the leader of Barry Jive and the Uptown Five in High Fidelity, though they originally called themselves Sonic Death Monkey (and briefly flirted with Kathleen Turner Overdrive). To the surprise of the other characters, he turned out to be a solid vocalist with a love of great music, as evidenced by his catchy cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
14. The Commitments: The title band from 1991′s The Commitments is one of the best blues-rock outfits in movie history. Composed of working-class Irish guys, The Commitments perform soul music with with skill to spare. Definitely a band and a movie worth checking out.
15. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem: Everyone likes Muppets, especially when it comes to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the madcap rock band from “The Muppet Show.” Really, if you’re looking for funk and boogie music performed by felt puppets, this is the band for you.
16. Dingoes Ate My Baby: Before being written off the show to do other things, Seth Green played Oz on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the soft-spoken member of affable rock group Dingoes Ate My Baby. The band’s music was actually provided by real-life alt-rockers Four Star Mary.
17. Zack Attack: Again, tough to pick just one musical group. “Saved By the Bell” also featured the dubious talents of Hot Sundae, the band that sent Jesse into a caffeine pill frenzy. But it was the dream episode in which the gang suddenly develops musical talent that gave the world Zack Attack, the fake band that trumps the series’ other contributions. The music is so phenomenally bad that the joke becomes watching the band get famous with such a lousy tune.
18. The Beets: For a certain demographic, The Beets are instantly recognizable. They’re the tongue-in-cheek band from Nickelodeon’s “Doug” that sang about killer tofu

. They’re a cute knock-off of British Invasion bands, and their song is weirdly addictive.

19. The Rutles: Created by Monty Python member Eric Idle, The Rutles were intended as a spoof of The Beatles but wound up catching on and actually selling a few records in the late 1970s. Their songs are accurate rip-offs of Beatles tunes but listenable in their own right.
20. Spinal Tap: Great fake band, or the greatest? The stars of the brilliant mock-documentary This Is Spinal Tap take fake rocking to new heights, complete with big hair, inflated egos, and enough sexual innuendo to destroy a mini Stonehenge. And if they happen to look a lot like The Folksmen, well, that’s just a coincidence.