50 Best Rock Songs About Jokes
Rock Tracks That Laugh Through the Noise
There’s a strange kind of relief in hearing a song crack a grin. Rock has always had a sense of humor hiding in the feedback, like a smirk under the noise. It’s the wink in the lyrics, the riff that feels like it’s clowning on itself, the sneer that lands halfway between a joke and a truth. Sometimes it’s sarcasm that turns into something sharper, other times it’s the band trying to laugh through the mess. These tracks catch that tone where laughter slips into frustration and back again. A few of them never mention humor outright, but the spirit’s there, tangled in the irony and noise.
There’s something alive in the way these songs tease their own genre. A guitar solo that goes too hard on purpose. A line that sounds tossed off but cuts deeper than anyone admits. Some frontmen use jokes as armor, others as confession, but they all land somewhere in that weird space between mockery and honesty. The good ones make you grin while you’re trying to figure out if you were supposed to laugh at all. The truth hits harder when it’s wearing a grin anyway.
It’s not all punchlines and winks though. Some tracks play like inside jokes that no one fully gets until the room goes quiet. A few lean more into chaos, some even flirt with the same tone found across pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that twist humor into something raw. The connection might not be literal, but it fits the mood—the reckless, self-aware, slightly ridiculous pulse that makes these tracks unforgettable. Here are the best rock songs that play around with jokes.
Top 10 Songs Focused on Jokes and Laughter
1. 'I Started a Joke' by Bee Gees
2. 'The Joke' by Brandi Carlile
3. 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' by The Smiths
4. 'Laugh, Laugh' by The Beau Brummels
5. 'Brain Damage' by Pink Floyd
6. 'The Laughing Gnome' by David Bowie
7. 'Make Me Laugh' by Anthrax
8. 'Look Back and Laugh' by Minor Threat
9. 'I Have to Laugh' by Mudhoney
10. 'It's a Laugh' by Hall and Oates
Funny Rock Tunes and Witty Rock Songs #11 to 20
11. 'Tribute' by Tenacious D
12. 'The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'' by Dr. Hook
13. 'Don't Eat The Yellow Snow' by Frank Zappa
14. 'Short People' by Randy Newman
15. 'Stacy's Mom' by Fountains of Wayne
16. 'The Jester' by Badflower
17. 'Crazy Train' by Ozzy Osbourne
18. 'Who's Got the Last Laugh Now?' by Motley Crue
19. 'I'm a Fool' by Big Star
20. 'Laugh, I Nearly Died' by The Rolling Stones
Rock Songs About Fools and Foolish Behavior #21 to 30
21. 'Fool in the Rain' by Led Zeppelin
22. 'Fooling Yourself' by Styx
23. 'Won't Get Fooled Again' by The Who
24. 'Fool for Your Loving' by Whitesnake
25. 'What a Fool Believes' by The Doobie Brothers
26. 'Only a Fool Would Say That' by Steely Dan
27. 'Fooled Again' by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
28. 'Still a Fool' by Muddy Waters
29. 'Laugh Man' by Harry Chapin
30. 'Thick as a Brick' by Jethro Tull
Essential Rock Tracks on Humor and Wryness #31 to 40
31. 'The Tears of a Clown' by The English Beat
32. 'Clown' by Korn
33. 'Jokerman' by Bob Dylan
34. 'The Jester's Song' by Red Blind
35. 'The Joker' by Steve Miller Band
36. 'For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!' by The Beatles
37. 'Laughing' by The Guess Who
38. 'Dirty Work' by Steely Dan
39. 'Dead End Street' by The Kinks
40. 'Killer Klowns' by The Dickies
Rock Songs Capturing the Theme of Lightness #41 to 50
41. 'Circus for a Psycho' by Skillet
42. 'Psycho Circus' by Kiss
43. 'This House Is a Circus' by Arctic Monkeys
44. 'Rambozo The Clown' by Dead Kennedys
45. 'The Joker' by Harvey Danger
46. 'Billion Dollar Babies' by Alice Cooper
47. 'Gimme Three Steps' by Lynyrd Skynyrd
48. 'The Laughing Apple' by Cat Stevens
49. 'The Jester's Dance' by Iron Maiden
50. 'I'm Down' by The Beatles
© 2025 Carson McQueen
