That first Boston album is butter.
Van Halen is a huge band that comes up when I think about that period
Id put The Cars and even Cheap Trick in there as an example of rock plus varying levels of New Wave - higher with former, a bit lower for the latter
OMG Talking Heads had mindshare among hipsters by the mid to late 80s; the weirdest punks in America
I see that studio belonged to the MIT grad in the band.
I think Eddie Van Halen's activities probably gave makers among musicians a boost as well. Can't think of a harder tinkerer. Maybe Robert Fripp?
Robert Fripp is brilliant, and is hugely present on social media. King Crimson inspired so many of the more experimental bands of the 90s, and into current day (especially harder music).
Robert Fripp also had a large hand in ambient electronic music, as well as Brian Eno, as far as ambient that reached American audiences. In regards to Talking Heads, I was born in 1979, and I can remember my dad listening to them often (along with all their videos on the brand new MTV). There are still bands with punk influences that are heavily inspired by Talking Heads.
A more modern experimental band is Melted Bodies, who incorporate punk, metal, and electronic with lyrics about current times (being popular, authoritarian control over people, insurance companies, generational trauma). They really remind me of a Talking Heads resurgence, with a grittier, more psychedelic feel (as far as psychedelia being fun and thinking differently, but also nightmarish and bad-trip territory).
Good points
Eno's Music For Airports is another butter album.
Speaking of 'Heads, if you haven't already, check out the David Byrne/Eno collab My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts ('81). It's something like a snapshot of what what was emergent and most interesting sounds from that time from what I think are American vs European persepectives; some funky drum machines and samples (Byrne/US), some funky northwest African and Middle Eastern vibes (Eno/UK). There's a nice jam called Regiment that I can imagine Khruangbin playing
