50 Best Rock Songs About Gun Violence
Rock Tracks That Confront Gun Violence
There’s a heaviness that trails through songs that deal with weapons and the chaos they leave behind. It’s not the cinematic kind of danger, but the raw kind that cuts through news reports and small-town rumors. These tracks pick up the tension that lives in the air after something breaks. The sound of a riff turning mean, a drumbeat that won’t sit still, a voice cracking through the static. Some of these songs tell stories head-on, while others circle the subject in fragments. A few might not even spell it out, but the feeling lands the same way—a mix of fear, grief, and that hollow echo when silence hits too late.
There’s no single way rock handles violence. Some bands go blunt, guitars hitting like gunfire, while others slip it through melody so smooth you catch the weight of it only on the second listen. The same thread runs through pop, rock, country, and R&B songs—artists finding their own way to pull at the edge of something brutal without glamorizing it. You hear it in voices that sound worn out, like they’ve seen too much, or in lyrics that stay vague enough to sound like any town, any story, any loss. The music holds the unease the way the world never really does.
Not every track preaches or points fingers. Some sound almost casual, like the singer’s trying to talk around what happened and ends up saying everything anyway. The riffs might feel alive, but there’s a ghost sitting somewhere in the mix. These songs tap into that uneasy truth, where the noise fades and you’re left with what violence leaves behind. Here are the best rock songs about gun violence.
Top 10 Gun Violence Rock Songs
1. 'Pumped Up Kicks' by Foster the People
2. 'Janie's Got A Gun' by Aerosmith
3. 'I Don't Like Mondays' by The Boomtown Rats
4. 'Saturday Night Special' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. 'Jeremy' by Pearl Jam
6. 'American Skin (41 Shots)' by Bruce Springsteen
7. 'Bullet in the Head' by Rage Against the Machine
8. 'Get Your Gunn' by Marilyn Manson
9. 'Guns of Brixton' by The Clash
10. 'Zombie' by The Cranberries
Rock Songs About Conflict and Social Turmoil #11 to 20
11. 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath
12. 'One' by Metallica
13. 'Civil War' by Guns N' Roses
14. 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun' by The Beatles
15. 'The Nobodies' by Marilyn Manson
16. 'The Unknown Soldier' by The Doors
17. 'Ohio' by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
18. 'Polly' by Nirvana
19. 'To the Teeth' by Ani DiFranco
20. '18 and Life' by Skid Row
Powerful Rock Songs About Violent Tragedy #21 to 30
21. 'Bang Bang' by Nancy Sinatra
22. 'Glorified G' by Pearl Jam
23. 'God Is a Bullet' by Concrete Blonde
24. 'Nuguns' by System of a Down
25. 'Tommy Gun' by The Clash
26. 'I Shot the Sheriff' by Bob Marley & The Wailers
27. 'Weapon' by Stick To Your Guns
28. 'Ticking' by Elton John
29. 'Love is a Good Thing' by Sheryl Crow
30. 'Side of a Bullet' by Nickelback
Rock Songs Addressing Societal Violence Issues #31 to 40
31. 'The Bullet' by Carrie Underwood
32. 'Bulls On Parade' by Rage Against the Machine
33. 'Hero of War' by Rise Against
34. 'Fortunate Son' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
35. 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' by Warren Zevon
36. 'Gimme Shelter' by The Rolling Stones
37. 'Melt the Guns' by XTC
38. '100%' by Sonic Youth
39. 'Weapons of Choice' by Fatboy Slim
40. 'The Longest Day' by Iron Maiden
More Rock Songs on Conflict and Guns #41 to 50
41. 'Savage' by Judas Priest
42. 'The Kids Need Guns' by The Chats
43. 'Rust In Peace...Polaris' by Megadeth
44. 'War' by Idles
45. 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine
46. 'Hey Joe' by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
47. 'Gimme Back My Bullets' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
48. 'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield
49. '21 Gun Salute' by Catch Your Breath
50. 'Elephant Gun' by Beirut
© 2025 Carson McQueen
