[Masterpiece Selection] A Compilation of Classic Western Rock Songs
Many music listeners, regardless of generation, probably learned the word “rock” from Western music.
To convey the enduring greatness of Western rock across any era, this article highlights gem-like masterpieces born over more than 60 years of rock history, delivering a curated selection of the best rock songs for those who want to start exploring Western rock.
Articles like this tend to focus on classic oldies, but our lineup also includes artists from the 2000s onward.
So even if you used to listen to rock back in the day, be sure to check it out!
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- Rock commercial songs. Classic and popular commercial jingles.
- [2026] Recommended for people in their 50s! A roundup of classic Western hits that always get the crowd going
- Famous Western songs everyone knows: a roundup of classic tunes you’ve heard somewhere before
- [2026] Must-Listen Western Rock: Popular and Recommended Classic Songs for Summer
- [Classic Hits of the 70s] A Compilation of Western Songs Used in Commercials
[Masterpiece Selection] A Compilation of Classic Western Rock Songs (21–30)
JumpVan Halen
A song by the four-piece rock band Van Halen, led by Edward Van Halen, who passed away in 2020.
While the band revolutionized rock guitar by creating the groundbreaking technique known as tapping, this track includes the surprise of him playing keyboards rather than guitar for half of the song.
It could also be said to showcase the band’s boundless musicality, as the keyboard riff that runs from the intro is the most famous part of the track.
It’s a song everyone should hear at least once—one that continues to live on in the hearts of rock fans around the world.
RebellionLinkin Park ft. Daron Malakian
Linkin Park, the American rock band often called “the best-selling band of the 21st century.” If you’re into alternative rock, you probably know them.
One of their iconic songs is Rebellion, released in 2014.
The track features Daron Malakian, the lead guitarist of the 90s-renowned rock band System of a Down, as a guest—what a stellar collaboration! It’s a shame we can’t see this collab performed live, as Linkin Park’s vocalist, Chester, passed away in 2017.
[Masterpiece Selection] A Collection of Classic Western Rock Songs (31–40)
Eye Of The TigerSurvivor
It’s a famous song known as the theme for Rocky III, starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone, and it’s often used in Japan on variety shows and at sports days.
It’s a rock number that somehow stirs up courage and fighting spirit when you listen to it.
Many people probably use it as background music for running.
With or Without YouU2
U2 is a national band of Ireland.
They continue to work actively, and U2 is said to be one of the highest-earning artists in the world.
Their frontman, Bono, is also famous as an international philanthropist and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times in the past.
Welcome To The Black ParadeMy Chemical Romance
The word “emo,” which is now used as if it’s a given, originally referred to a subgenre that emerged from the hardcore scene in the 1990s, and it was the emo boom that swept through the Western rock scene in the 2000s that directly propelled it into the mainstream.
Not all bands labeled as emo necessarily agreed with the term, but one of the flagship bands of that boom—and hugely popular in Japan as well, headlining the main stage at Summer Sonic and successfully playing the Nippon Budokan—was My Chemical Romance, known as My Chem.
As of 2022, My Chem have reunited and are touring, and their 2006 classic “Welcome to the Black Parade,” the song that catapulted them from promising newcomers to a top band in the rock scene, is a superb rock number that transcends the “emo” category and is something we’d love younger listeners to discover.
With a grand, almost old-school rock opera concept revived for the 2000s, it’s dramatically structured yet incredibly catchy—a work that feels like it poured in all the sensibility and craftsmanship they possessed at the time.
If you once avoided them just because they were riding a trend, now that we’re well into the 2020s, why not give them another listen?
I Was Made For Loving YouKISS
KISS is a rock band whose trademark is their flamboyant white face makeup, known as corpse paint.
They relentlessly pursued extravagance and eccentricity, and as a result, devoted fans known as the KISS Army sprang up all over the world.
In 1979, they released “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” a track that fused the disco music popular at the time with rock, and it became one of the biggest hits they ever released.
The End Of The GameWeezer
A song by the American alternative rock band Weezer.
The intro jumps right in with guitar tapping, and the melody—featuring prominent, beautiful choral work—evokes the rock scene of the late 1980s to the 1990s, making it an easy listen even for newcomers to Western music.