Makes you want to play it! Japanese rock with the coolest guitar riffs
For guitarists, the spotlight—the very face of a song—is the guitar riff.
Songs with riffs that symbolize the track really stick in your memory, and many classic hits in the rock scene come hand in hand with amazing riffs!
In this article, we’ve rounded up a bunch of songs with killer guitar riffs.
Just listening to cool riffs is enough to get your blood pumping, but if you’re a guitarist, why not pick up your guitar and try playing along?
There aren’t just single-note phrases—there are riffs built around power chords and octaves too, so try tackling all kinds of riffs from different songs!
Playlist
| Makes you want to play it! Japanese rock with the coolest guitar riffs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1east | BAD FEELINGBOØWY | play_arrow | It begins with the intro of “BAD FEELING”… |
| 2east | The End of the WorldTHEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT | play_arrow | Released in 1996, THEE MICH... |
| 3east | BuddhaRADWIMPS | play_arrow | RADWIMPS’s controversial 2009 work, “O…” |
| 4east | RewriteASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION | play_arrow | ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERA… |
| 5east | Robinsonsupittsu | play_arrow | Spitz’s classic 1995 song “Robinson.” Co... |
| 6east | COCOARei | play_arrow | The song that begins with a light, funky cutting riff... |
| 7east | A Fact Of LifeFACT | play_arrow | FA that begins with a guitar-strumming phrase… |
| 8east | ROSIERLUNA SEA | play_arrow | A masterpiece has been born, bursting with the allure of a guitar riff... |
| 9east | kamikazeNoGoD | play_arrow | A track with an impressive guitar riff. Intense heav— |
| 10north_east | Her “Modern…”GLAY | play_arrow | A fierce tempo and a sound brimming with speed… |
| 11north_east | GOING TO THE MOONTRICERATOPS | play_arrow | Characterized by a guitar intro brimming with a sense of speed... |
| 12south_east | Pixels of EmotionOkazaki Taiiku | play_arrow | Producers, engineers, actors, and so on, de… |
| 13east | Mosquito Bite[Alexandros] | play_arrow | You could call it a rock tune with an impressive guitar riff... |
| 14east | BREAK OUT!Aikawa Nanase | play_arrow | Along with a powerful guitar sound, a female vo… |
| 15east | Crimson Lotus FlowerLiSA | play_arrow | The tele... that recorded a massive hit, to the point of being called a social phenomenon, |
| 16east | wiredROACH | play_arrow | Overwhelming power and emotional lyricism... |
| 17east | sharkAmano Tsukiko | play_arrow | It starts with an intro where the guitar makes a powerful impression… |
| 18east | astronomical observationBUMP OF CHICKEN | play_arrow | Even if you call it an iconic phrase of Japanese guitar rock… |
| 19east | Rusty NailX JAPAN | play_arrow | The 1994 X JAPAN song “Rus…” |
| 20east | Perfect-Sense DreamerONE OK ROCK | play_arrow | The energetic guitar riff is insanely cool… |
| 21north_east | Sugar Song and Bitter StepUNISON SQUARE GARDEN | play_arrow | Energetic riffs seize the listener's heart... |
| 22north_east | asking for the moonKANA-BOON | play_arrow | A rock band formed in a high school light music club, … |
| 23north_east | Rolling starYUI | play_arrow | The exhilarating, riff-driven guitar intro leaves a strong impression... |
| 24south_east | EmotionsMAN WITH A MISSION | play_arrow | Of course, the heaviness of drop D tuning is a giv— |
| 25east | Pink Spiderhide with Spread Beaver | play_arrow | About hide, the guitarist of X JAPAN... |
| 26east | Adam’s appleSeikima II | play_arrow | “Adam’s Apples” was released in 1986… |
| 27east | MOVEB’z | play_arrow | When it comes to Takahiro Matsumoto, he is Japan’s greatest pride on the world stage... |
| 28east | SupernovaELLEGARDEN | play_arrow | A melodic hardcore band that was active in the 2000s, ELL… |
| 29east | distress (at sea/in the mountains); being lost; stranded; a disaster situationToukyou Jihen | play_arrow | “Distress” is a Tokyo-set work released in 2004… |
| 30east | TemptationGLAY | play_arrow | The rending sound resonates with the soul—'Temptation'... |
| 31east | Flowers of EvilBUCK-TICK | play_arrow | The rock band BUCK released in 1990... |
| 32east | Stratocaster SeasideSuspended 4th | play_arrow | Hear it with ultra-high-speed cutting and brushing techniques… |
| 33east | InfernoMrs. GREEN APPLE | play_arrow | Lift your spirits with energetic guitar rock... |
| 34east | DAHLIAX JAPAN | play_arrow | The last album before X JAPAN broke up… |
| 35east | How gasoline sloshesBLANKEY JET CITY | play_arrow | Blankey Jet City's 199... |
| 36east | SPARKTHE YELLOW MONKEY | play_arrow | Heavy, driving, and energetic, making use of the low strings… |
| 37east | RideauPorukadotto Sutingurei | play_arrow | Quirky guitar riffs and a bass line with dramatic highs and lows... |
| 38east | Stay GoldHi-STANDARD | play_arrow | In the ’90s, what was called melodic hardcore— |
| 39north_east | BE MY BABYCOMPLEX | play_arrow | “BE MY BABY” repeatedly at the beginning... |
| 40north_east | ShuraDOES | play_arrow | “Shura,” which lets you fully savor the charm of the guitar, is... |
| 41north_east | cobalt blueThe Back Horn | play_arrow | Countless songs with captivating guitar riffs are irresistibly compelling to listen to... |
| 42south_east | Song of the Depressingly/Beautiful PeopleMakishimamu Za Horumon | play_arrow | So hyped I just want to jump up and down... |
| 43south_east | SmokyChar | play_arrow | The dawn of rock in Japan during the 1970s... |
| 44east | RUSSIAN ROULETTEHotei Tomoyasu | play_arrow | An energetic guitar riff stirs the soul... |
| 45north_east | CRAZY NIGHTSLOUDNESS | play_arrow | A Japanese hard rock ba... |
| 46south_east | In the night sky after the rainRC sakuseshon | play_arrow | Kiyoshiro Imawano, who sadly passed away in 2009... |
| 47north_east | Sparkle DancerFurederikku | play_arrow | Rock known for its cool guitar riffs... |
| 48north_east | Myself ROCKONE OK ROCK | play_arrow | "You don't need any hesitation"—head straight toward your dream... |
| 49north_east | garnetaoie us fear | play_arrow | A song with a lyrical guitar riff that gets stuck in your head. Da— |
| 50south_east | IsolationNothing’s Carved In Stone | play_arrow | Here stands Shinichi Ubukata, a master of arpeggios! |
| 51east | Jet EcstasyGotō Terumoto | play_arrow | I heard it was a song by a comedian, and it piqued my interest… |
| 52east | Get Off of My WayMAN WITH A MISSION | play_arrow | A mysterious band called MAN with the head of a wolf and the body of a human... |
| 53east | Boyfriend-girlfriend relationshipBase Ball Bear | play_arrow | With a diverse musicality unbound by genre, their… |
| 54east | Ready Steady GoL’Arc〜en〜Ciel | play_arrow | “READY STEADY GO” is, 2… |
| 55east | Waltz of Life9mm Parabellum Bullet | play_arrow | The roaring twin guitars of 9mm leave no room for doubt... |
| 56east | POISON ~In a world like this where you can’t even say what you want~Sorimachi Takashi | play_arrow | Speaking of actor Takashi Sorimachi’s songs, this one is… |
| 57east | Ride on shooting starthe pillows | play_arrow | A masterpiece highlighted by a jagged, gritty guitar riff... |
| 58east | PearlTHE YELLOW MONKEY | play_arrow | A rock num... marked by a distinctive atmosphere and a sense of speed |
| 59east | earnest desireSUPER BEAVER | play_arrow | A guitar riff that, once you hear it, is guaranteed to loop in your head... |
| 60east | frecklesJUDY AND MARY | play_arrow | A powerful guitar riff that gets you pumped... |
| 61east | RE-BIRTHSPYAIR | play_arrow | Powerful guitar tones and emotional... |
| 62east | Please, Time MachineSadisutikku Mika Bando | play_arrow | In the 1970s, he was a hit-making producer, but... |
| 63east | Jaguar’13Haruahata Michiya | play_arrow | Michiya Haruhata of TUBE released under his solo name... |
| 64east | Yoko of the Port, Yokohama, YokosukaDaun Taun Bugiugi Bando | play_arrow | The Dow, which sparked a major boom in 1975… |
| 65east | INVERSIONSuspended 4th | play_arrow | Known by the abbreviation “Sas-fo,” a street performer… |
| 66east | todayyyyy[Alexandros] | play_arrow | The emotional guitar riff is striking. Four members... |
| 67east | HandroidDAITA | play_arrow | Known as a member of SIAM SHADE... |
| 68east | ForceSuperfly | play_arrow | Speaking of Japanese rock with guitar riffs that stick in your head, … |
| 69east | COLD BEATZAZEN BOYS | play_arrow | With its sharp timbre and distinctive sense of rhythm, once you hear it, you’ll… |
| 70east | CHAINSAW BLOODVaundy | play_arrow | Vaund, with guitar strokes keeping the rhythm… |
| 71east | STARSw.o.d. | play_arrow | The opening guitar riff leaves a striking impression in '…' |
| 72east | ONE SHOTRIZE | ![]() | J…, whose father is the world-renowned guitarist Char |
| 73east | ANOTHER WORLDGACKT | play_arrow | The elec— of an electric guitar where you can feel a burning heartbeat... |
| 74north_east | OutPorukadotto Sutingurei | play_arrow | A distinctive, crisp guitar riff and the drums... |
| 75south_east | HIT IN THE USABEAT CRUSADERS | play_arrow | The exhilarating guitar sound and the catchy me... |
| 76east | BOXER’S ROADYamaarashi | play_arrow | It’s considered one of the leading figures of Japanese mixture rock, and... |
| 77east | STRONGMIYAVI vs KREVA | play_arrow | Gaining worldwide fame along with the nickname “Samurai Guitarist”… |
| 78east | KICK IT OUTBOOM BOOM SATELLITES | play_arrow | The beat and guitar send the crowd into a frenzy |


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