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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_chartTitlePlaylistReview
1eastBAD FEELINGBOØWY
BAD FEELINGBOØWYplay_arrow
It begins with the intro of “BAD FEELING”…
2eastBuddhaRADWIMPS
BuddhaRADWIMPSplay_arrow
RADWIMPS’s controversial 2009 work, “O…”
3eastThe End of the WorldTHEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT
The End of the WorldTHEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANTplay_arrow
Released in 1996, THEE MICH...
4eastRewriteASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
RewriteASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATIONplay_arrow
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERA…
5eastRobinsonsupittsu
Robinsonsupittsuplay_arrow
Spitz’s classic 1995 song “Robinson.” Co...
6eastCOCOARei
COCOAReiplay_arrow
The song that begins with a light, funky cutting riff...
7eastA Fact Of LifeFACT
A Fact Of LifeFACTplay_arrow
FA that begins with a guitar-strumming phrase…
8eastkamikazeNoGoD
kamikazeNoGoDplay_arrow
A track with an impressive guitar riff. Intense heav—
9eastROSIERLUNA SEA
ROSIERLUNA SEAplay_arrow
A masterpiece has been born, bursting with the allure of a guitar riff...
10eastHer “Modern…”GLAY
Her "Modern..."GLAYplay_arrow
A fierce tempo and a sound brimming with speed…
11eastGOING TO THE MOONTRICERATOPS
GOING TO THE MOONTRICERATOPSplay_arrow
Characterized by a guitar intro brimming with a sense of speed...
12eastPixels of EmotionOkazaki Taiiku
Pixels of EmotionOkazaki Taiikuplay_arrow
Producers, engineers, actors, and so on, de…
13eastCrimson Lotus FlowerLiSA
Crimson Lotus FlowerLiSAplay_arrow
The tele... that recorded a massive hit, to the point of being called a social phenomenon,
14eastMosquito Bite[Alexandros]
Mosquito Bite[Alexandros]play_arrow
You could call it a rock tune with an impressive guitar riff...
15eastwiredROACH
wiredROACHplay_arrow
Overwhelming power and emotional lyricism...
16eastsharkAmano Tsukiko
sharkAmano Tsukikoplay_arrow
It starts with an intro where the guitar makes a powerful impression…
17eastBREAK OUT!Aikawa Nanase
BREAK OUT!Aikawa Nanaseplay_arrow
Along with a powerful guitar sound, a female vo…
18eastRusty NailX JAPAN
Rusty NailX JAPANplay_arrow
The 1994 X JAPAN song “Rus…”
19eastPink Spiderhide with Spread Beaver
Pink Spiderhide with Spread Beaverplay_arrow
About hide, the guitarist of X JAPAN...
20eastdistress (at sea/in the mountains); being lost; stranded; a disaster situationToukyou Jihen
distress (at sea/in the mountains); being lost; stranded; a disaster situationToukyou Jihenplay_arrow
“Distress” is a Tokyo-set work released in 2004…
21eastPerfect-Sense DreamerONE OK ROCK
Perfect-Sense DreamerONE OK ROCKplay_arrow
The energetic guitar riff is insanely cool…
22eastSugar Song and Bitter StepUNISON SQUARE GARDEN
Sugar Song and Bitter StepUNISON SQUARE GARDENplay_arrow
Energetic riffs seize the listener's heart...
23eastTemptationGLAY
TemptationGLAYplay_arrow
The rending sound resonates with the soul—'Temptation'...
24eastSPARKTHE YELLOW MONKEY
SPARKTHE YELLOW MONKEYplay_arrow
Heavy, driving, and energetic, making use of the low strings…
25eastastronomical observationBUMP OF CHICKEN
astronomical observationBUMP OF CHICKENplay_arrow
Even if you call it an iconic phrase of Japanese guitar rock…
26eastRolling starYUI
Rolling starYUIplay_arrow
The exhilarating, riff-driven guitar intro leaves a strong impression...
27eastEmotionsMAN WITH A MISSION
EmotionsMAN WITH A MISSIONplay_arrow
Of course, the heaviness of drop D tuning is a giv—
28eastSupernovaELLEGARDEN
SupernovaELLEGARDENplay_arrow
A melodic hardcore band that was active in the 2000s, ELL…
29eastasking for the moonKANA-BOON
asking for the moonKANA-BOONplay_arrow
A rock band formed in a high school light music club, …
30eastStay GoldHi-STANDARD
Stay GoldHi-STANDARDplay_arrow
In the ’90s, what was called melodic hardcore—
31eastMOVEB’z
MOVEB'zplay_arrow
When it comes to Takahiro Matsumoto, he is Japan’s greatest pride on the world stage...
32eastAdam’s appleSeikima II
Adam's appleSeikima IIplay_arrow
“Adam’s Apples” was released in 1986…
33eastRideauPorukadotto Sutingurei
RideauPorukadotto Sutingureiplay_arrow
Quirky guitar riffs and a bass line with dramatic highs and lows...
34eastDAHLIAX JAPAN
DAHLIAX JAPANplay_arrow
The last album before X JAPAN broke up…
35eastJet EcstasyGotō Terumoto
Jet EcstasyGotō Terumotoplay_arrow
I heard it was a song by a comedian, and it piqued my interest…
36eastGet Off of My WayMAN WITH A MISSION
Get Off of My WayMAN WITH A MISSIONplay_arrow
A mysterious band called MAN with the head of a wolf and the body of a human...
37eastReady Steady GoL’Arc〜en〜Ciel
Ready Steady GoL'Arc〜en〜Cielplay_arrow
“READY STEADY GO” is, 2…
38eastFlowers of EvilBUCK-TICK
Flowers of EvilBUCK-TICKplay_arrow
The rock band BUCK released in 1990...
39eastStratocaster SeasideSuspended 4th
Stratocaster SeasideSuspended 4thplay_arrow
Hear it with ultra-high-speed cutting and brushing techniques…
40eastHow gasoline sloshesBLANKEY JET CITY
How gasoline sloshesBLANKEY JET CITYplay_arrow
Blankey Jet City's 199...
41eastPOISON ~In a world like this where you can’t even say what you want~Sorimachi Takashi
POISON ~In a world like this where you can’t even say what you want~Sorimachi Takashiplay_arrow
Speaking of actor Takashi Sorimachi’s songs, this one is…
42eastBE MY BABYCOMPLEX
BE MY BABYCOMPLEXplay_arrow
“BE MY BABY” repeatedly at the beginning...
43eastInfernoMrs. GREEN APPLE
InfernoMrs. GREEN APPLEplay_arrow
Lift your spirits with energetic guitar rock...
44eastcobalt blueThe Back Horn
cobalt blueThe Back Hornplay_arrow
Countless songs with captivating guitar riffs are irresistibly compelling to listen to...
45eastSong of the Depressingly/Beautiful PeopleMakishimamu Za Horumon
Song of the Depressingly/Beautiful PeopleMakishimamu Za Horumonplay_arrow
So hyped I just want to jump up and down...
46eastCRAZY NIGHTSLOUDNESS
CRAZY NIGHTSLOUDNESSplay_arrow
A Japanese hard rock ba...
47eastShuraDOES
ShuraDOESplay_arrow
“Shura,” which lets you fully savor the charm of the guitar, is...
48eastSmokyChar
SmokyCharplay_arrow
The dawn of rock in Japan during the 1970s...
49eastIn the night sky after the rainRC sakuseshon
In the night sky after the rainRC sakuseshonplay_arrow
Kiyoshiro Imawano, who sadly passed away in 2009...
50eastgarnetaoie us fear
garnetaoie us fearplay_arrow
A song with a lyrical guitar riff that gets stuck in your head. Da—
51eastIsolationNothing’s Carved In Stone
IsolationNothing’s Carved In Stoneplay_arrow
Here stands Shinichi Ubukata, a master of arpeggios!
52eastSparkle DancerFurederikku
Sparkle DancerFurederikkuplay_arrow
Rock known for its cool guitar riffs...
53eastMyself ROCKONE OK ROCK
Myself ROCKONE OK ROCKplay_arrow
"You don't need any hesitation"—head straight toward your dream...
54eastRUSSIAN ROULETTEHotei Tomoyasu
RUSSIAN ROULETTEHotei Tomoyasuplay_arrow
An energetic guitar riff stirs the soul...
55eastJaguar’13Haruahata Michiya
Jaguar'13Haruahata Michiyaplay_arrow
Michiya Haruhata of TUBE released under his solo name...
56eastBoyfriend-girlfriend relationshipBase Ball Bear
Boyfriend-girlfriend relationshipBase Ball Bearplay_arrow
With a diverse musicality unbound by genre, their…
57eastPearlTHE YELLOW MONKEY
PearlTHE YELLOW MONKEYplay_arrow
A rock num... marked by a distinctive atmosphere and a sense of speed
58eastRide on shooting starthe pillows
Ride on shooting starthe pillowsplay_arrow
A masterpiece highlighted by a jagged, gritty guitar riff...
59eastHandroidDAITA
HandroidDAITAplay_arrow
Known as a member of SIAM SHADE...
60eastWaltz of Life9mm Parabellum Bullet
Waltz of Life9mm Parabellum Bulletplay_arrow
The roaring twin guitars of 9mm leave no room for doubt...
61eastearnest desireSUPER BEAVER
earnest desireSUPER BEAVERplay_arrow
A guitar riff that, once you hear it, is guaranteed to loop in your head...
62eastINVERSIONSuspended 4th
INVERSIONSuspended 4thplay_arrow
Known by the abbreviation “Sas-fo,” a street performer…
63eastfrecklesJUDY AND MARY
frecklesJUDY AND MARYplay_arrow
A powerful guitar riff that gets you pumped...
64eastRE-BIRTHSPYAIR
RE-BIRTHSPYAIRplay_arrow
Powerful guitar tones and emotional...
65eastONE SHOTRIZE
ONE SHOTRIZE
J…, whose father is the world-renowned guitarist Char
66eastPlease, Time MachineSadisutikku Mika Bando
Please, Time MachineSadisutikku Mika Bandoplay_arrow
In the 1970s, he was a hit-making producer, but...
67eastYoko of the Port, Yokohama, YokosukaDaun Taun Bugiugi Bando
Yoko of the Port, Yokohama, YokosukaDaun Taun Bugiugi Bandoplay_arrow
The Dow, which sparked a major boom in 1975…
68eastHIT IN THE USABEAT CRUSADERS
HIT IN THE USABEAT CRUSADERSplay_arrow
The exhilarating guitar sound and the catchy me...
69easttodayyyyy[Alexandros]
todayyyyy[Alexandros]play_arrow
The emotional guitar riff is striking. Four members...
70eastCHAINSAW BLOODVaundy
CHAINSAW BLOODVaundyplay_arrow
Vaund, with guitar strokes keeping the rhythm…
71eastCOLD BEATZAZEN BOYS
COLD BEATZAZEN BOYSplay_arrow
With its sharp timbre and distinctive sense of rhythm, once you hear it, you’ll…
72eastANOTHER WORLDGACKT
ANOTHER WORLDGACKTplay_arrow
The elec— of an electric guitar where you can feel a burning heartbeat...
73eastForceSuperfly
ForceSuperflyplay_arrow
Speaking of Japanese rock with guitar riffs that stick in your head, …
74eastSTARSw.o.d.
STARSw.o.d.play_arrow
The opening guitar riff leaves a striking impression in '…'
75eastKICK IT OUTBOOM BOOM SATELLITES
KICK IT OUTBOOM BOOM SATELLITESplay_arrow
The beat and guitar send the crowd into a frenzy
76eastOutPorukadotto Sutingurei
OutPorukadotto Sutingureiplay_arrow
A distinctive, crisp guitar riff and the drums...
77eastBOXER’S ROADYamaarashi
BOXER'S ROADYamaarashiplay_arrow
It’s considered one of the leading figures of Japanese mixture rock, and...
78eastSTRONGMIYAVI vs KREVA
STRONGMIYAVI vs KREVAplay_arrow
Gaining worldwide fame along with the nickname “Samurai Guitarist”…