100 Greatest Rock Guitar Riffs

Criteria: - The opening riff is usually the most memorable parts of the song, and although not always difficult to play, it's enough to determine the lasting appeal of these recordings.

Newly added names are in Red
Edited By: Lew/Eric

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Retro Riffs

Last Updated 2-17-07

Click on the song or artist to listen to the music. (Top 100 only)

  1. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
  2. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
  3. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
  4. Layla - Derek And The Dominos
  5. Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
  6. Iron Man - Black Sabbath
  7. Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
  8. Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
  9. You Really Got Me - The Kinks
10. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
11. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix Experience
12. Day Tripper - The Beatles
13. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
14. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
15. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
16. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
17. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
18. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
19. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
20. Back In Black - AC/DC
21. Foxey Lady - Jimi Hendrix Experience
22. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter
23. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
24. Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood & Destroyers
25. Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
26. Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
27. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
28. Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
29. American Woman - Guess Who
30. Wild Thing - The Troggs
31. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
32. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
33. Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
34. Roadhouse Blues - The Doors
35. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
36. Breaking The Law - Judas Priest
37. Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen
38. Enter Sandman - Metallica
39. The Hellion/Electric Eye - Judas Priest
40. Outshined - Soundgarden
41. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
42. Hells Bells - AC/DC
43. La Grange - ZZ Top
44. Master Of Puppets - Metallica
45. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
46. Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
47. Rusty Cage - Soundgarden
48. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
49. Bring It On Home - Led Zeppelin
50. Man On The Silver Mountain - Rainbow
51. Panama - Van Halen
52. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
53. N.I.B. - Black Sabbath
54. Pinball Wizard - The Who
55. China Grove - The Doobie Brothers
56. Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
57. Ace Of Spades - Motorhead
58. Wipeout - The Surfaris
59. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
60. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
61. Five Minutes Alone - Pantera
62. All Day And All Of The Night - The Kinks
63. Up Around The Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival
64. Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
65. Life In The Fast Lane - The Eagles
66. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
67. Walk - Pantera
68. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses
69. I'm Broken - Pantera
70. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Experience
71. Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
72. Working Man - Rush
73. Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
74. Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
75. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
76. Whipping Post - Allman Brothers Band
77. Aenima - Tool
78. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
79. School Day - Chuck Berry
80. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
81. Honey Don't - Carl Perkins
82. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin
83. Rockin' In The Free World - Neil Young
84. Wake Up Little Susie - Everly Brothers
85. Taxman - The Beatles
86. The Ocean - Led Zeppelin
87. Lola - The Kinks
88. Hangar 18 - Megadeth
89. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
90. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
91. Politician - Cream
92. The Trooper - Iron Maiden
93. I Feel Fine - The Beatles
94. Spirit Of Radio - Rush
95. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden
96. Man On A Mission - Van Halen
97. Fear Of The Dark - Iron Maiden
98. Raining Blood - Slayer
99. Scuttle Buttin - Stevie Ray Vaughan
100. Hysteria - Muse

Metal Guitar Riffs

Rock Guitar Solos

Rock Guitarists

  1. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
  2. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
  3. Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
  4. Angus Young (AC/DC)
  5. Eric Clapton (Cream)
  6. Jimi Hendrix
  7. Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
  8. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
  9. Chuck Berry
10. James Hetfield (Metallica)
11. Slash (Guns N' Roses)
12. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
13. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy)
14. Pete Townshend (The Who)
15. Tom Morello (RATM)
16. John Lennon (The Beatles)
17. John Fogerty (CCR)
18. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
19. Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)
20. Adam Jones (Tool)
21. Duane Allman (Allman Brothers)
22. Dave Davies (The Kinks)
23. Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains)
24. Neil Young
25. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
26. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
27. Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)
28. Alex Lifeson (Rush)
29. The Edge (U2)
30. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
31. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
32. Robby Krieger (The Doors)

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101. Sweet Leaf - Black Sabbath
102. Love Me Two Times - The Doors
103. Revolution - The Beatles
104. Sad But True - Metallica
105. Seek And Destroy - Metallica
106. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
107. Revolution Is My Name - Pantera
108. All Right Now - Free
109. Paperback Writer - The Beatles
110. Miserlou - Dick Dale
111. Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
112. Spoonman - Soundgarden
113. I Can't Explain - The Who
114. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
115. Should I Stay Or Should I Go - The Clash
116. Cemetary Gates - Pantera
117. Burn - Deep Purple
118. Barracuda - Heart
119. Highway Star - Deep Purple
120. Symphony Of Destruction - Megadeth
121. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
122. Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine
123. In The Flesh - Pink Floyd
124. Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh
125. Stinkfist - Tool
126. The Animal - Steve Vai
127. South Of Heaven - Slayer
128. Statesboro Blues - Allman Brothers Band
129. Roundabout - Yes
130. YYZ - Rush
131. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
132. Come As You Are - Nirvana
133. Sabbra Cadabra - Black Sabbath
134. Crossroads - Cream
135. Mr. Brownstone - Guns N' Roses
136. Jessica - Allman Brothers Band
137. Otherside - Red Hot Chili Peppers
138. Children Of The Grave - Black Sabbath
139. Estranged - Guns N' Roses
140. Satch Boogie - Joe Satriani
141. Fire - Jimi Hendrix Experience
142. Cult Of Personality - Living Color
143. School's Out - Alice Cooper
144. Cocaine - Eric Clapton
145. Electric Funeral - Black Sabbath
146. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
147. Floods - Pantera
148. Peace Frog - The Doors
149. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
150. Substitute - The Who
151. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine
152. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
153. Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
154. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
155. Holy Diver - Dio
156. Norwegian Wood - The Beatles
157. What The Hell Have I - Alice In Chains
158. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath
159. Driving South - Stone Roses
160. Had To Cry Today - Blind Faith
161. 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
162. No Quarter - Led Zeppelin
163. Rock And Roll - Led Zeppelin
164. Speed King - Deep Purple
165. Gallon Of Gas - The Kinks
166. Changes - Jimi Hendrix
167. War Pigs - Black Sabbath
168. Man In The Box - Alice In Chains
169. Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival
170. My Michelle - Guns N' Roses
171. Rock You Like A Hurricane - The Scorpions
172. Space Truckin - Deep Purple
173. Into The Void - Black Sabbath
174. The Extremist - Joe Satriani
175. Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden
176. Home - Dream Theater
177. Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin
178. My Generation - The Who
179. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
180. Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
181. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
182. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
183. On The Hunt - Lynyrd Skynyrd
184. Even Flow - Pearl Jam
185. Animal - Pearl Jam
186. Grind - Alice In Chains
187. Alive - Pearl Jam
188. The Waiting - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
189. Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple
190. Parabola - Tool
191. Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd
192. Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
193. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
194. Suck My Kiss - Red Hot Chili Peppers
195. My Own Summer - Deftones
196. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
197. Judith - A Perfect Circle
198. Blackest Eyes - Porcupine Tree
199. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
200. Vertigo - U2

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Disclaimer: There is nothing 'Official' about these lists. They are compiled by the 'editor' using the
stated criteria, and revised considering the competent suggestions of visitors to this website only.

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