| Period | Members | Releases |
| May 1978 – November 1979 | Robert Smith – guitars, lead vocals, harmonica Lol Tolhurst – drums Michael Dempsey – bass, backing and lead vocals | "Killing an Arab" (1978) Three Imaginary Boys (1979) "Boys Don't Cry" (1979) "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (1979) The Peel Sessions (1988) |
| November 1979 – December 1980 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, harmonica Lol Tolhurst – drums Simon Gallup – bass Matthieu Hartley – keyboards | Seventeen Seconds (1980) |
| December 1980 – June 1982 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, harmonica, cello, bass Lol Tolhurst – drums, keyboards, drum machine Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards | Faith (1981) "Charlotte Sometimes" (1981) Pornography (1982) |
| June 1982 – June 1983 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine | "Let's Go to Bed" (1982) "The Walk" (1983) |
| June 1983 – January 1984 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Phil Thornalley – bass Andy Anderson – drums, percussion | "The Love Cats" (1983) |
| January – October 1984 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, violin, harmonica, recorder Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Phil Thornalley – bass Andy Anderson – drums, percussion Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone | The Top (1984) (without Thornalley) Concert: The Cure Live (1984) Live in Japan (1985) |
| October – November 1984 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, violin, harmonica, recorder Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Phil Thornalley – bass Porl Thompson – guitars, keyboards, saxophone Vince Ely – drums (touring only) | none |
| November 1984 – April 1987 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass Boris Williams – drums, percussion | The Head on the Door (1985) Half an Octopuss/Quadpus (1985) The Cure in Orange (1987) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) |
| April 1987 – April 1989 | Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Porl Thompson – guitars, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards (session/touring) | Disintegration (1989) |
| April 1989 – June 1990 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Porl Thompson – guitars, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass Boris Williams – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards | Entreat (1990) |
| June 1990 – early 1993 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Porl Thompson – guitars, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Perry Bamonte – keyboards, guitars, bass | "Never Enough" (1990) Play Out (1991) Wish (1992) Show (1993) Paris (1993) |
| Early 1993 – late 1994 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Boris Williams – drums, percussion Perry Bamonte – guitars, keyboards, bass | "Purple Haze" (1993) "Burn" (1994) |
| Spring 1995 – late 2001 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Perry Bamonte – guitars, keyboards, bass Roger O'Donnell – keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion | Wild Mood Swings (1996) Bloodflowers (2000) |
| Late 2001 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Perry Bamonte – guitars, keyboards, bass Roger O'Donnell – keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Boris Williams – percussion (guest) | Acoustic Hits (2001) |
| Late 2001 – May 2005 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Perry Bamonte – guitars, keyboards, bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards | Trilogy (2003) The Cure (2004) |
| May – June 2005 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion | Love (2005) |
| June 2005 – May 2011 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Porl Thompson – guitars | Festival 2005 (2006) 4:13 Dream (2008) |
| May – June 2011 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, harmonica Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, percussion (guest) Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion (guest) | none – Reflections shows only |
| June – November 2011 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards | Bestival Live 2011 (2011) |
| November 2011 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, harmonica Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, percussion (guest) | none – Reflections shows only |
| December 2011 – May 2012 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion | none |
| May 2012 – October 2022 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, harmonica, recorder, tambourine Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion Reeves Gabrels – guitars, bass | 40 Live (Curætion-25 + Anniversary) (2019) Songs of a Lost World (2024) largely recorded in 2019 |
| October 2022 – December 2025 | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, percussion, recorder Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards Reeves Gabrels – guitars, bass Perry Bamonte – keyboards, guitars, bass | "Novembre: Live in France 2022" (2024) |
| December 2025 – present | Robert Smith – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, percussion, recorder Simon Gallup – bass Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards Reeves Gabrels – guitars, bass | none |
