Queen is an English rock band formed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. The band became popular during the mid-to-late 1970s and to this day retains an extremely large international fanbase. Although formerly overlooked by critics, especially those in the United States, Queen has more recently been acclaimed as a pioneer of arena rock, glam rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and progressive rock.