Modeliste's work has been influential. His signature drumming style has amassed a large following in the drumming community, in which Modeliste occasionally gives master classes. Some of his best known grooves include "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py-Py". In reviewing a compilation album of the Meters' early works, music critic Robert Christgau called Modeliste's drumming "the secret" adding "it's almost as if he's the lead". In 2016 he was listed as the 18th best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. In describing his drumming style, in 2008 Modeliste said, "It's just a collage of all the drummers that I heard play in my lifetime from [New Orleans]."
