Who would you say is the first alternative rock band?

Pink Floyd?

Television or Big Star.

Devo or Television

Nah, they were the first underground band.

The Cult

ETA: They're not New Wave, but they weren't Cheese Rock either.

Back to the OP, REM and The Smiths are both solid answers.

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Velvet Underground

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That's a pretty good call. If John Cale wasn't alternative then I don't know what is.

Roxy Music when Eno was with them.

If the question was who was the first alternative rock band that most everyone heard of, then REM is the only answer.

There were dozens of groups in the late 70s - early 80s plowing similar ground (guitar-based, not punk, not new wave, but not traditional rock either). I know, I was in one of them.

But REM is the one that ultimately defined the genre, and made it commercially at the same time.

Alternative is a term.

When was it coined? There has always been a band or bands that were different. Add to that some punk bands rolled into it as well as college radio. Punk could be Social Distortion? College radio was REM and Violent Femmes. Tragically Hip?

"Alternative" became anything obscure. Then Seattle music. I actually can't recall alternative being a term until Seattle/Grunge was a thing.