50 Best Rock Songs About Tattoos
Iconic Rock Tracks That Celebrate Ink and Identity
There’s something raw in the sound of a song that feels like skin getting marked for the first time. Not the cliché of rebellion, but that split-second before the needle hits and the buzz fills the room. The stories behind tattoos, real or imagined, live in the same noisy corner as rock riffs and late-night decisions. Some of these tracks talk straight through the ink, others orbit the feeling—commitment, regret, pride, or the quiet thrill of doing something permanent while everything else keeps changing.
You can hear it in the rough edges, the lyrics that sound like confessions muttered over cheap beer. Rock has always carried that ache for identity, and tattoos slide right into that noise. The songs that stick don’t come out polished or perfect—they throb, stumble, smirk, or sting. A few of these might not literally trace a tattoo needle, but they fit the pulse of it. The way ink becomes a memory you can’t shake, a piece of you that hums when the right track plays loud enough.
This list dives into the rock anthems that make that connection burn a little brighter. Some of them blur the line between skin and story, others lean into the chaos that follows. Together they sit in the same restless space as the wildest pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that mark time and identity in their own way. Here are the best rock songs tied to tattoos and the feeling that never fades.
Top 10 Tattoo Rock Songs
1. 'Tattoo' by Van Halen
2. 'Rose Tattoo' by Dropkick Murphys
3. 'New Tattoo' by Mötley Crüe
4. 'Tattooed Love Boys' by The Pretenders
5. 'New Tattoo' by Saving Abel
6. 'Permanent Scar' by The Dangerous Summer
7. 'Tattoo' by The Who
8. 'That Old Tattoo' by Rodney Crowell
9. 'Sailor's Tattoo' by The Menzingers
10. 'Brand New Name on an Old Tattoo' by Cheap Trick
Songs About Personal Marks and Identity #11 to 20
11. 'Body Art' by Midnight Blu
12. 'Ink My Whole Body' by Li'l Debbie
13. 'Permanent Stain' by Backstreet Boys
14. 'Inked Up' by B-Nasty
15. 'Tattooed' by The Band Perry
16. 'Black Tattoo' by FM Static
17. 'Scarred for Life' by George Collins Band
18. 'Marked' by Wage War
19. 'Needles and Pins' by The Searchers
20. 'Scars' by Papa Roach
Body Art and Self-Expression Rock Music #21 to 30
21. 'A Permanent Reminder' by The Amity Affliction
22. 'Ink' by The Strumbellas
23. 'Under Your Scars' by Godsmack
24. 'Needle and Thread' by The Hold Steady
25. 'My Tattoo' by The Ataris
26. 'Scar Tissue' by Red Hot Chili Peppers
27. 'Tattooed Heart' by Ariana Grande
28. 'Paint It, Black' by The Rolling Stones
29. 'I Will Be Your Tattoo' by The Dollyrots
30. 'Animal' by Neon Trees
More Rock Songs About Tattoos and Identity #31 to 40
31. 'Tattoo Removal' by Saves the Day
32. 'Old Tattoo' by The Devil Makes Three
33. 'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf
34. 'The Way We Tattoo' by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
35. 'Tattoo Your Name' by The Used
36. 'The Mark' by Manic Street Preachers
37. 'My Own Tattoo' by Good Charlotte
38. 'Ink and Marble' by In Hearts Wake
39. 'Tattooed Queen' by Big B
40. 'Tattoo of My Name' by Kid Ink
Tattoo-Themed Rock Songs Final Section #41 to 50
41. 'Permanent' by David Cook
42. 'Tattoo Kiss' by Jack Off Jill
43. 'Mark on the World' by Nonpoint
44. 'Cover Up' by The Bouncing Souls
45. 'Tattooed Millionaire' by Bruce Dickinson
46. 'Inked in Blood' by Death
47. 'Tattoo Song' by The Ramones
48. 'The Scar' by Gary Numan
49. 'Go Get a Tattoo' by The Drones
50. 'Permanent Vacation' by Aerosmith
© 2025 Carson McQueen
