Van Halen was the main protagonist of the 80's guitarwankfests. He was directly responsible for jackass virtuosos applying strange devices like vibrators and electric drills fitted with picks to their instruments.
He did have a huge influence, and thankfully, it largely went away.
Hendrix, Vaughn, Iommi, and Lennon pretty much defined the genres of today.
BTW - Vic Wooten is the shit.