50 Best Rock Songs About Riots
Rebellious Rock Anthems That Echo Through the Chaos
There’s a pulse that kicks in when crowds start to move as one. It’s not clean or organized, more like static jumping from person to person, each one feeding the next spark. Every shout and crash and snare hit feels wired to something bigger, something restless. Rock has always lived in that noise, feeding on it, spitting it back through distorted amps and cracked voices. Some of these tracks tell the story straight, while others only hint at it through tension, volume, or the kind of rhythm that sounds ready to snap. Not every one of these songs speaks of riots in plain words, but they all carry that same fire in their gut.
The feeling sits somewhere between outrage and release. You can almost smell the smoke and sweat, the bassline shaking through old speakers while someone yells out lyrics that barely keep up with the drums. It’s chaos that feels alive. The world’s too heavy, too loud, too scripted, so the guitars claw back some control by tearing through it. You hear it in punk breakdowns, in garage riffs, in the raw punch of a live crowd that doesn’t care who’s watching. There’s a strange kind of unity in the noise, a heartbeat that finds rhythm in rebellion even when nothing makes sense.
These tracks hit that nerve the way few others can. They rattle windows, blur the lines between anger and energy, and remind you why rock never learned to stay quiet. And somewhere in that noise, the playlist starts to form. Some are straight-up riot songs, others sneak in from the edges of pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that still burn with that same unrest. Here are the best rock songs that carry the riot spirit.
Top 10 Riot Rock Songs
1. 'Street Fighting Man' by The Rolling Stones
2. 'London Calling' by The Clash
3. 'Killing in the Name' by Rage Against the Machine
4. 'B.Y.O.B.' by System of a Down
5. 'White Riot' by The Clash
6. 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' by Gil Scott-Heron
7. 'Anarchy in the U.K.' by Sex Pistols
8. 'Ohio' by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
9. 'Gimme Shelter' by The Rolling Stones
10. 'Blowin' in the Wind' by Bob Dylan
Rock Music Expressing Public Discontent #11 to 20
11. 'Burn the Night' by Ozzy Osbourne
12. 'Bullet in the Head' by Rage Against the Machine
13. 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke
14. 'Redemption Song' by Bob Marley & The Wailers
15. 'Uprising' by Muse
16. 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath
17. 'Holiday in Cambodia' by Dead Kennedys
18. 'Power and the Glory' by Phil Ochs
19. 'Runnin' Down a Dream' by Tom Petty
20. 'The Sound of Silence' by Simon & Garfunkel
Songs About Civil Disorder and Rebellion #21 to 30
21. 'Fortunate Son' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
22. 'Know Your Enemy' by Rage Against the Machine
23. 'Rock the Casbah' by The Clash
24. '99 Red Balloons' by Nena
25. 'God Save the Queen' by Sex Pistols
26. 'People Have the Power' by Patti Smith
27. 'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield
28. 'Get Up, Stand Up' by The Wailers
29. 'I Fought the Law' by The Crickets
30. 'We're Not Gonna Take It' by Twisted Sister
Top Rock Tracks About Social Upheaval #31 to 40
31. 'Revolution' by The Beatles
32. 'Masters of War' by Bob Dylan
33. 'Where Is the Love?' by The Black Eyed Peas
34. 'All Along the Watchtower' by Jimi Hendrix
35. 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' by Bob Dylan
36. 'Give Peace a Chance' by Plastic Ono Band
37. 'Liar' by Rollins Band
38. 'Cochise' by Audioslave
39. 'Straight Outta Compton' by N.W.A
40. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' by U2
Protest and Resistance Themed Rock Songs #41 to 50
41. 'Institutionalized' by Suicidal Tendencies
42. 'The Unforgettable Fire' by U2
43. 'American Idiot' by Green Day
44. 'Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution' by Tracy Chapman
45. 'Maggie's Farm' by Jethro Tull
46. 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol
47. 'State of the Union' by Rise Against
48. 'Sound of Da Police' by KRS-One
49. 'Police and Thieves' by The Clash
50. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana
© 2025 Carson McQueen
