50 Best Rock Songs About Envy

Rock Tracks Fueled by Envy

There’s a twitch in the gut when envy creeps in. Not the kind you admit out loud, but the small sting when someone else gets the break you swore was yours. Rock has always leaned into that sour rush, guitars snarling like teeth grinding. The feeling isn’t clean, it isn’t noble, but it’s raw enough to light up a riff and carry a hook. Some of these tracks hammer the mood directly, others circle it sideways, but they all catch that restless edge where admiration blurs into bitterness.

Envy doesn’t land the same way for everyone. Sometimes it’s loud, ugly, and impossible to hide, sometimes it’s buried under fake smiles that strain at the edges. You can hear it in the sneer of a chorus, the crack in a vocal, or the slow burn of a bassline. These aren’t polite themes, which is why rock makes sense as the vehicle. Other genres lean on it too—pop, rock, country, and R&B songs have found different ways of pulling from the same emotion—but guitars seem to give it teeth. A few of the tracks here aren’t literally tied to envy, yet the energy lines up so well that they slide right into place.

There’s nothing smooth about the feeling. It can be petty, dramatic, overblown, even funny if you step back, but when you’re in it, the sound feels like the only outlet that makes sense. These songs aren’t there to tidy it up or offer perspective. They sit in the mess, spit it out loud, and blast it until the walls hum. Here are the best rock songs about envy.

1. 'Hey Jealousy' by Gin Blossoms

2. 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers

3. 'Jessie's Girl' by Rick Springfield

4. 'Lounge Act' by Nirvana

5. 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police

6. 'My Best Friend's Girl' by The Cars

7. 'Jealous Guy' by John Lennon

8. 'Jealousy' by Queen

9. 'Green Is the Colour' by Pink Floyd

10. 'No One Else' by Weezer

11. 'Jealousy' by Natalie Merchant

12. 'Satellite of Love' by Lou Reed

13. 'I Want You' by The Beatles

14. 'Jealous Again' by The Black Crowes

15. 'The Jealous Kind' by Joe Cocker

16. 'I Want You' by Elvis Costello

17. 'You Oughta Know' by Alanis Morissette

18. 'Want What You Got' by The Doobie Brothers

19. 'Jealous Bone' by Patty Loveless

20. 'The Girl Is Mine' by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney

21. 'Creep' by Radiohead

22. 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' by Nirvana

23. 'Possession Obsession' by The E Street Band

24. 'Misery Business' by Paramore

25. 'Just a Friend' by Biz Markie

26. 'I Want The One I Can't Have' by The Smiths

27. 'Somebody Told Me' by The Killers

28. 'Everybody's Got Nice Stuff But Me' by The Dead Milkmen

29. 'Broken Hearted Savior' by Big Head Todd and the Monsters

30. 'Feel the Pain' by Dinosaur Jr.

31. 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' by The Ramones

32. 'Peg' by Steely Dan

33. 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt

34. 'I Can't Make You Love Me' by Bonnie Raitt

35. 'Everything You Want' by Vertical Horizon

36. 'Love Stinks' by The J. Geils Band

37. 'Tell Her No' by The Zombies

38. 'Run For Your Life' by The Beatles

39. 'Jealousy' by Frankie Miller

40. 'I'm Jealous of Everyone' by Grace Blue

41. 'That's Him Over There' by Nina Simone

42. 'The World Has Turned and Left Me Here' by Weezer

43. 'Suspicious Minds' by Elvis Presley

44. 'You Belong to Me' by The Doobie Brothers

45. 'Jealous Words' by The Fray

46. 'I'm In Line' by The Bangles

47. 'Jealousy' by Iggy Pop

48. 'Possession' by Bad Religion

49. 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne

50. 'I'll Bet He's Nice' by The Beach Boys