For folks in the '80s and '90 who didn't live near a commercial alternative radio station, or a college station or an independent record store, MTV's 120 Minutes was one of the few ways to hear (and see) alternative / indie music. For most of its original run (1986 - 2000), the show aired Sunday nights from midnight - 2 AM with a few different hosts over the years, including Kevin Seal, gothy Brit Dave Kendal, Lewis Largent, Matt Pinfield and Jim Shearer.
As noted by '80s-alt-centric blog Slicing Up Eyeballs (whose name is a reference to 120 Minutes' iconic opening credits), YouTube user Chris Reynolds has put together a playlist he says features every video that ever aired on the show. I'm not enough of a 120 Minutes obsessive to properly fact check this, but the playlist does feature 2,512 videos, ranging from mid-'80s standards The Smiths, Depeche Mode, R.E.M., The Replacements, The Cure, New Order, Cocteau Twins, The The, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Love & Rockets, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Pixies to Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders, Bjork, Dead Milkmen, Social Distortion, Oasis, Blur, Pulp,...and thousands more, including lots of bands you may have forgotten about or are completely unaware of (Guadalcanal Diary, Stump, Ultra Vivid Scene, anyone?).