I tend to either love or hate cover versions, if they are too similar to the original I'll label them as shite, or if a band has put their own distinctive mark on them I usually love them.
Here is a totally random selection, by no means the best and probably not even including all my favourites (just ones that sprung to mind without having to search too hard).
A lot with punk influence but enough of other genres to make it interesting.
Everyone has their favourites and their own opinions I looked up a couple of articles on top rated covers and to be honest hated most of them.
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal
Anti Nowhere League - Streets Of London
Bad Manners - The First Cut Is The Deepest
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
Beat - Tears Of A Clown
Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone
Bomb The Bass - Say A Little Prayer
Clash - Police And Thieves
Cramps - Route 66
Damned - Ballroom Blitz
Devo - (I Can't Get Me No) Satisfaction
Dickies - Nights In White Satin
Echo And The Bunnymen - People Are Strange
Elbow - Independent Woman
Fall - Gotta See Jane
Flying Lizards - What's New Pussycat
Green Day - Working Class Hero
Green Jelly - Three Little Pigs
Jam - Batman Theme
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers - Wheels On The Bus
King Kurt - Ghost Riders In The Sky
Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes
Madness - It Must Be Love
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Leaving On A Jet Plane
Modettes - Paint It Black
Motorhead - God Save The Queen
Muse - Feeling Good
Ramones - What A Wonderful World
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground
Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Saints - Lipstick On Your Collar
Sid Vicious - My Way
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Helter Skelter
Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Television Personalities - Mr Brightside
Tenpole Tudor - Rock Around The Clock
Tori Amos - Rattlesnakes
Toy Dolls - Blue Suede Shoes
White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
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Abrasive Wheels - Jailhouse Rock
All Seeing I - Beat Goes On
Amateur Transplants - London Underground (Going Underground)
Amy Winehouse - Cupid
Avalanches - Do You Know The Way To San Jose
B52's - Downtown
Billy Bragg - She's Leaving Home
Bjork And PJ Harvey - Satisfaction (Live)
Buzzcocks - Ballroom Blitz
Cult - Born To Be Wild
Dead Kennedys - Viva Las Vegas
Devo - Working In A Coalmine
Eddie And The Hot Rods - Gloria
Elvis Costello - She
Farmer's Boys - In The Country
Fatima Mansions - Everything I Do
Flying Lizards - Sex Machine
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Suffragette City
Fun Lovin Criminals - We Have All The Time In The World
Ian Brown - Billie Jean
Judge Dread - Al Capone
Kate Bush - Rocket Man
Little Nell - Fever
Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (Theme From Mash)
OK Go - Ant Music
Plastic Bertrand - Sha La La La Lee
Presidents Of The USA - Video Killed the Radio Star
Rezillos - Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight
Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding
Rocket From The Crypt - Press Darlings
Sex Pistols - (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone
Specials - Return Of The Django
Splodgenessabounds - Two Little Boys
Stranglers - 96 Tears
Thirty Nine Lyon Street (Billy McKenzie) - Kites
Vice Squad - Teenage Rampage
Vinnie Jones - Wooly Bully
Wall Of Voodoo - Ring Of Fire
Weezer - Uptown Girl
Who - Summer Time Blues (Live)
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Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias - Anarchy In The UK
Bad Manners - Wet Dream
Beautiful South - Everybody's Talking At Me
Billy Bragg And The Blokes - Billericay Dickie
Carter USM - The Impossible Dream
Count Bishops - Route 66
Damned - Eloise
Dickies - Paranoid
Divine Comedy - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Faith No More - Easy
Fratellis - Solid Gold Easy Action
Jane Aire And The Belvederes - Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache
Jet Bumpers - Radar Love
John Otway - Space Oddity
Leningrad Cowboys - These Boots Are Made For Walking
Manic Street Preachers - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (Unplugged)
Offspring - I Wanna Be Sedated
Radio Stars - Dear Prudence
Ramones - Baby I Love You
Rezillos - I Like It
Selecter - James Bond
Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Delilah
Sex Pistols - Substitute
Sexgang Children - As Tears Go By
Sham 69 - You're A Better Man Than I
Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Passenger
Snow Patrol - Isolation
Soft Cell - What
Specials - Double Barrel
Spizzenergi - Virginia Plain
Splodgenessabounds - Wiffy Woman (Pretty Woman)
Stranglers - Walk On By
Stray Cats - Something Else
Suggs - Cecilia
Vandals - Hocus Pocus
Vic Reeves - Born Free
Wedding Present - Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Wreckless Eric - Clever Trevor
XTC - All Along The Watchtower
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Ataris - The Boys Of Summer
Billy Idol - Mony Mony
Bjork - You Only Live Twice
Blue Rondo A La Turk - I Spy (For The FBI)
Blues Brothers - Rawhide
Bronski Beat - It Ain't Necessarily So
Clash - I Fought The Law
Colourfield - Windmills Of Your Mind
Decemberists - Human Behaviour
Human League - Get Carter
J Church - Girlfriend In A Coma
Jam - David Watts
Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros - Redemption Song
Kaiser Chiefs - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Keane - With Or Without You
Killers - Shadowplay
Kirsty MacColl - A New England
L7 - Hanging On The Telephone
Lawnmower Deth - Up The Junction
Manic Street Preachers - Umbrella
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Marianne Faithfull - The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
Marilyn Manson - Down In The Park
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Seasons In The Sun
Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain
Morrissey - That's Entertainment
Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes
Nazareth - This Flight Tonight
New York Dolls - (Give Him A) Great Big Kiss
No Doubt - It's My Life
No Way Sis - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing
Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now
Siouxsie And The Banshees - This Wheel's On Fire
Skids - All The Young Dudes
Stranglers - All Day And All Of The Night
Suggs - Alright
Supergrass - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Terry Hall - Music To Watch Girls By
The King - Come As You Are
Toyah - Echo Beach
U96 - Das Boot
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