| 1 | Pet Shop Boys | Suburbia | Please (1986) |
| 2 | Depeche Mode | A Question of Lust | Black Celebration (1986) |
| 3 | Oingo Boingo | Pain | Boi-ngo (1986) |
| 4 | Dramarama | Anything, Anything (I'll Give You) | Cinema Verité (1985) |
| 5 | The Smiths | Ask | Louder Than Bombs (1987) |
| 6 | Gene Loves Jezebel | Desire | Discover (1986) |
| 7 | The B-52's | She Brakes for Rainbows | Bouncing Off the Satellites (1986) |
| 8 | Peter Gabriel | Sledgehammer | So (1986) |
| 9 | Duran Duran | Notorious | Notorious (1986) |
| 10 | Talking Heads | Wild Wild Life | True Stories (1986) |
| 11 | The Cure | Close to Me | The Head on the Door (1985) |
| 12 | Dead or Alive | Brand New Lover | Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (1986) |
| 13 | Depeche Mode | But Not Tonight | Black Celebration (1986) |
| 14 | Modern English | Ink and Paper | Stop Start (1986) |
| 15 | Billy Idol | To Be a Lover | Whiplash Smile (1986) |
| 16 | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | If You Leave | Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 17 | The Smiths | Panic | Louder Than Bombs (1987) |
| 18 | Deborah Harry | French Kissin' in the USA | Rockbird (1986) |
| 19 | INXS | What You Need | Listen Like Thieves (1985) |
| 20 | XTC | Dear God | Skylarking (1986) |
| 21 | Erasure | Oh L'Amour | Wonderland (1986) |
| 22 | Thompson Twins | Nothing in Common | Nothing in Common (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 23 | New Order | Bizarre Love Triangle | Brotherhood (1986) |
| 24 | Public Image Ltd | Rise | Album (1986) |
| 25 | The Pretenders | Don't Get Me Wrong | Get Close (1986) |
| 26 | The Smithereens | Blood and Roses | Especially for You (1986) |
| 27 | The Bangles | Walk Like an Egyptian | Different Light (1986) |
| 28 | Fine Young Cannibals | Ever Fallen in Love | Non-album Single (1986) |
| 29 | Big Country | Look Away | The Seer (1986) |
| 30 | Siouxsie and The Banshees | Cities in Dust | Tinderbox (1986) |
| 31 | Ken Heaven | The Calling (Full Length Vocal Version) | Non-album Single (1986) |
| 32 | The B-52's | Summer of Love | Bouncing Off the Satellites (1986) |
| 33 | Sparks | Music That You Can Dance To | Music That You Can Dance To (1986) |
| 34 | R.E.M. | Superman | Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) |
| 35 | Peter Gabriel | Big Time | So (1986) |
| 36 | The Cure | Boys Don't Cry | Standing on a Beach (1986) |
| 37 | The Smiths | Bigmouth Strikes Again | The Queen Is Dead (1986) |
| 38 | Sigue Sigue Sputnik | Love Missile F1-11 | Flaunt It (1986) |
| 39 | Arcadia | The Flame | So Red the Rose (1985) |
| 40 | New Order | Shellshock | Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 41 | Oingo Boingo | Not My Slave | Boi-ngo (1986) |
| 42 | Depeche Mode | A Question of Time | Black Celebration (1986) |
| 43 | The Blow Monkeys | Digging Your Scene | Animal Magic (1986) |
| 44 | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | (Forever) Live and Die | The Pacific Age (1986) |
| 45 | Love and Rockets | Kundalini Express | Express (1986) |
| 46 | Talking Heads | Puzzling Evidence | True Stories (1986) |
| 47 | Real Life | Babies | Non-album Single (1986) |
| 48 | The Fixx | Secret Separation | Walkabout (1986) |
| 49 | The Psychedelic Furs | Heartbreak Beat | Midnight to Midnight (1987) |
| 50 | Robert Palmer | Addicted to Love | Riptide (1985) |
| 51 | Fine Young Cannibals | Suspicious Minds | Fine Young Cannibals (1985) |
| 52 | King | Alone Without You | Bitter Sweet (1985) |
| 53 | Iggy Pop | Real Wild Child (Wild One) | Blah-Blah-Blah (1986) |
| 54 | Oingo Boingo | Stay | Dead Man's Party (1985) |
| 55 | General Public | Too Much or Nothing | Hand to Mouth (1986) |
| 56 | Bronski Beat | Hit That Perfect Beat | Truthdare Doubledare (1986) |
| 57 | The Bangles | Manic Monday | Different Light (1986) |
| 58 | Howard Jones | You Know I Love You, Don't You? | One to One (1986) |
| 59 | Pet Shop Boys | Love Comes Quickly | Please (1986) |
| 60 | A-Ha | I've Been Losing You | Scoundrel Days (1986) |
| 61 | Bananarama | Venus | True Confessions (1986) |
| 62 | The Smithereens | Behind the Wall of Sleep | Especially for You (1986) |
| 63 | Eurythmics | Missionary Man | Revenge (1986) |
| 64 | The Psychedelic Furs | Pretty in Pink | Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 65 | Wang Chung | Everybody Have Fun Tonight | Mosaic (1986) |
| 66 | The Cure | A Man Inside My Mouth | The Head on the Door (1985) |
| 67 | Icehouse | Cross the Border | Measure for Measure (1986) |
| 68 | INXS | Listen Like Thieves | Listen Like Thieves (1985) |
| 69 | Simple Minds | All the Things She Said | Once Upon a Time (1985) |
| 70 | Talking Heads | Love for Sale | True Stories (1986) |
| 71 | Genesis | Invisible Touch | Invisible Touch (1986) |
| 72 | Gene Loves Jezebel | Heartache | Discover (1986) |
| 73 | Martini Ranch | How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture | Holy Cow (1986) |
| 74 | Falco | Rock Me Amadeus | Falco 3 (1985) |
| 75 | David Bowie | Absolute Beginners | Absolute Beginners (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 76 | Divinyls | Pleasure and Pain | What a Life! (1985) |
| 77 | Venetians | So Much for Love | Calling in the Lions (1986) |
| 78 | Stan Ridgway | Drive She Said | The Big Heat (1986) |
| 79 | Feargal Sharkey | A Good Heart | Feargal Sharkey (1985) |
| 80 | Tears for Fears | Mothers Talk | Songs from the Big Chair (1985) |
| 81 | Belinda Carlisle | Mad About You | Belinda (1986) |
| 82 | Big Audio Dynamite | E=MC2 | This Is Big Audio Dynamite (1985) |
| 83 | INXS | Do Wot You Do | Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 84 | Boys Don't Cry | I Wanna Be a Cowboy | Boys Don't Cry (1985) |
| 85 | John Taylor | I Do What I Do (Theme for 9½ Weeks) | 9½ Weeks (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 86 | Run-D.M.C. | Walk This Way | Raising Hell (1986) |
| 87 | Love and Rockets | All in My Mind | Express (1986) |
| 88 | Robert Palmer | I Didn't Mean to Turn You On | Riptide (1985) |
| 89 | Tonio K | Romeo and Jane | Romeo Unchained (1986) |
| 90 | Art of Noise | Legs | In Visible Silence (1986) |
| 91 | Pet Shop Boys | Why Don't We Live Together | Please (1986) |
| 92 | Magazine 60 | Don Quichotte (No Están Aquí) (Maxi Version) | Non-album Single (1985) |
| 93 | Prince & The Revolution | Kiss | Parade (1986) |
| 94 | Arcadia | Say the Word | Pretty in Pink (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 95 | Boom Boom Room | Here Comes the Man | Stretch (1986) |
| 96 | Erasure | Who Needs Love (Like That) | Wonderland (1986) |
| 97 | Andy Taylor | Take It Easy | American Anthem (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 98 | INXS | Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain) | Listen Like Thieves (1985) |
| 99 | The Smiths | There Is a Light That Never Goes Out | The Queen Is Dead (1986) |
| 100 | Mick Jagger | Ruthless People | Ruthless People (Soundtrack) (1986) |
| 101 | Love and Money | Candybar Express | All You Need Is Love and Money (1986) |
| 102 | Billy Idol | Soul Standing By | Whiplash Smile (1986) |
| 103 | Ric Ocasek | True to You | This Side of Paradise (1986) |
| 104 | The Fixx | Built for the Future | Walkabout (1986) |
| 105 | Robbie Nevil | Time Waits for No One | Non-album Single (1986) |
| 106 | Device | Hanging on a Heart Attack | 22B3 (1986) |
| 106.7 | L.A. Dream Team | Rockberry Jam | Non-album Single (1986) |
About 1986
In 1986, KROQ continued to shape the alternative music landscape, blending synth-pop hits from Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode with emerging indie rock from The Smiths and R.E.M. The station also embraced local acts like Oingo Boingo, cementing its role as a tastemaker for both mainstream and underground sounds.