50 Best Rock Songs About Hot Weather

Best Rock Tracks for Blazing Summer Days

There’s a specific kind of haze that hangs in the air when it’s too hot to think straight. Pavement shimmering, sweat clinging, someone’s car stereo leaking through open windows. The heat slows everything down but makes the music hit harder. It’s not really the chill kind of summer mood—this one’s sticky, restless, and a little delirious. You start to feel like the day itself’s vibrating, and the right guitar riff can either melt into it or slice right through. These tracks lean into that feverish kind of energy that happens when the sun’s too close for comfort.

Some songs might not talk about the weather at all, but they sound like heat feels. The fuzz of distortion that hums like cicadas, the lazy rhythm that drags in the best way. Maybe it’s the Stones sweating through a groove, or Cage the Elephant spinning out under a hazy sky. There’s something in rock that fits the burn—like it was built to soundtrack long afternoons where the air feels heavy and the world moves slower than usual. You don’t have to explain why it fits. It just does.

The best part is how these songs bleed into everything else. The tail end of a barbecue. The hum of the highway at golden hour. The clatter of ice in a gas station cup. They sit somewhere between nostalgia and exhaustion, which is kind of what summer always feels like. These aren’t the breezy vacation anthems you hear on ads. They’re pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that carry the pulse of hot weather and turn it into something that almost feels alive. Here are the best rock songs for hot weather.

1. 'Summer in the City' by The Lovin' Spoonful

2. 'Summertime Blues' by Eddie Cochran

3. 'School's Out' by Alice Cooper

4. 'Hot Blooded' by Foreigner

5. 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams

6. 'My Own Summer (Shove It)' by Deftones

7. 'Hot In The City' by Billy Idol

8. 'Heat Waves' by Glass Animals

9. 'Blister in the Sun' by Violent Femmes

10. 'Feel Good Hit of the Summer' by Queens of the Stone Age

11. 'Sunny Afternoon' by The Kinks

12. 'Boys Of Summer' by Don Henley

13. 'Dancing Days' by Led Zeppelin

14. 'In The Summertime' by Mungo Jerry

15. 'Summer Nights' by Van Halen

16. 'Black Summer' by Red Hot Chili Peppers

17. 'Summer Song' by Joe Satriani

18. 'Dirty Black Summer' by Danzig

19. '99 In The Shade' by Bon Jovi

20. 'Island In The Sun' by Weezer

21. 'A Horse with No Name' by America

22. 'Summertime Girls' by Y&T

23. 'The Heat Is On' by Glenn Frey

24. 'Hotter Than Hell' by Kiss

25. 'Burnin' for You' by Blue Öyster Cult

26. 'Down By The Seaside' by Led Zeppelin

27. 'You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)' by Meat Loaf

28. 'Heat Of The Moment' by Asia

29. 'Hot Legs' by Rod Stewart

30. 'Surfin' U.S.A.' by The Beach Boys

31. 'Here Comes the Sun' by The Beatles

32. 'Summertime, Summertime' by The Jamies

33. 'Dancing In The Street' by Van Halen

34. 'I'm On Fire' by Bruce Springsteen

35. 'Burning Down the House' by Talking Heads

36. 'Love Song' by Tesla

37. 'Fire Woman' by The Cult

38. 'The Boys Are Back In Town' by Thin Lizzy

39. 'Heatwave' by Martha & the Vandellas

40. 'Suddenly Last Summer' by The Motels

41. 'Light My Fire' by The Doors

42. 'Cruel Summer' by Bananarama

43. 'Born To Be Wild' by Steppenwolf

44. 'Walkin' On The Sun' by Smash Mouth

45. 'Hot Child In The City' by Nick Gilder

46. 'Surfer Girl' by The Beach Boys

47. 'Ventura Highway' by America

48. 'Roadhouse Blues' by The Doors

49. 'Sweet Emotion' by Aerosmith

50. 'I Got The Fire' by Montrose