50 Best Rock Songs About Being Bad
Rock Songs That Describe Being Bad
There’s a kind of thrill that comes with songs that lean into being bad. Not bad as in sloppy, but bad as in trouble, the kind that tempts you to push past rules and play reckless. These tracks swagger through late nights, neon signs, and mistakes you know you’ll laugh at later, and they’re built on riffs that sound like they were meant to get scuffed up in some basement bar. They’re loud, shameless, and full of that crooked grin energy that fits as well in a dive as it does blasting through headphones when you want to feel untouchable.
What makes it fun is how wide the reach goes. Some tracks are unapologetically on the nose, strutting straight into outlaw territory, while others bend the vibe around sharp guitars or sneaky hooks that give off the same spirit. And it doesn’t matter if the world labels them as pop, rock, country, and R&B songs because attitude doesn’t care what genre it came wrapped in. Some of these cuts never mention the word bad at all, but the way they lurch forward, spit fire, or roll their eyes at consequence makes them fit right in.
Think of it less as a collection of moral lessons and more like a playlist that refuses to behave. These songs carry messy charm, sometimes funny, sometimes dark, and always with that pulse of rebellion under the noise. They don’t wink at you, they dive headfirst into trouble and dare you to keep up. Here are the best rock songs about being bad.
Top 10 Rebellious Rock Songs
1. 'Bad to the Bone' by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
2. 'Anarchy in the U.K.' by Sex Pistols
3. 'Fortunate Son' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
4. 'Folsom Prison Blues' by Johnny Cash
5. 'Bad Company' by Bad Company
6. 'Breaking the Law' by Judas Priest
7. 'Rebel Rebel' by David Bowie
8. 'I Fought the Law' by The Clash
9. 'Street Fighting Man' by The Rolling Stones
10. 'Ace of Spades' by Motörhead
Songs About Defiant Behavior #11 to 20
11. 'Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2' by Pink Floyd
12. 'I Won't Back Down' by Tom Petty
13. 'We're Not Gonna Take It' by Twisted Sister
14. 'Psycho Killer' by Talking Heads
15. 'T.V. Eye' by The Stooges
16. 'Riot' by The Dead Boys
17. 'You're No Good' by Linda Ronstadt
18. 'Cherry Bomb' by The Runaways
19. 'Bad Reputation' by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
20. 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath
Songs About Being a Villain #21 to 30
21. 'Mama' by Genesis
22. 'Stranglehold' by Ted Nugent
23. 'Criminal' by Disturbed
24. 'Excitable Boy' by Warren Zevon
25. 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' by AC/DC
26. 'I'm the Slime' by Frank Zappa
27. 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by AC/DC
28. 'Running with the Devil' by Van Halen
29. 'Sympathy for the Devil' by The Rolling Stones
30. 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine
Songs About Being a Problem #31 to 40
31. 'Born Under a Bad Sign' by Albert King
32. 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine' by The Killers
33. 'Take the Money and Run' by Steve Miller Band
34. 'Been Caught Stealing' by Jane's Addiction
35. 'The Ripper' by Judas Priest
36. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' by Alice Cooper
37. 'American Girl' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
38. 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by Blue Öyster Cult
39. 'Mr. Bad Example' by Warren Zevon
40. 'Janie's Got a Gun' by Aerosmith
Songs About Bad Lifestyles #41 to 50
41. 'You Don't Own Me' by Lesley Gore
42. 'The Kids Are Alright' by The Who
43. 'Trouble' by Elvis Presley
44. 'I'm a Man' by Bo Diddley
45. 'I Hate Everything About You' by Three Days Grace
46. 'Bitch' by The Rolling Stones
47. 'Gimme Shelter' by The Rolling Stones
48. 'I Fought The Law' by The Bobby Fuller Four
49. 'Sweet Jane' by The Velvet Underground
50. 'Bad, Bad Boy' by Nazareth
© 2025 Carson McQueen
