6 Guitar Riffs That Defined Rock ‘N’ Roll as We Know It

Guitar solos tend to get all the glory, but we’d argue that guitar riffs are even more important. These melodic snippets often define an entire track and, in the case of these six iconic riffs, entire genres. From the easily playable to ones that take a little work to get under the fingers, these guitar riffs have defined rock ‘n’ roll as we know it today.

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“Rumble” by Link Wray

In addition to being one of the earliest examples of heavy distortion in a rock ‘n’ roll track, the descending blues riff in Link Wray’s instrumental, “Rumble”, has become a quintessential lick for any rock ‘n’ roll guitar player. Distortion is optional, technically, but strongly, strongly encouraged to get the right feel. 

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones

Part of what makes the guitar riff to The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is the fact that Keith Richards came up with this rock ‘n’ roll-defining lick in his sleep. Thank goodness he woke up enough to record the melody before dozing back off, or else it might have been lost forever.

“Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple

It wouldn’t be a genre-defining list of rock guitar riffs if it didn’t have “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple. This riff has become so synonymous with beginner guitar players that it’s almost become a joke in the musical world. But if you take that ubiquity out of the picture, this guitar riff is just objectively good.

“Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin

One of the more technically complicated guitar riffs on this list, Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” features a lick that virtually everyone recognizes, regardless of whether they consider themselves a rock ‘n’ roll fan. The strange timing of the turnarounds captures a particularly experimental period of mainstream rock music that remains unmatched even to this day.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses

If “Black Dog” defined the 1970s, then Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” defined the 1980s. Slash’s signature guitar riff sets the scene for the rest of the song in a memorable, melodic way. According to rock ‘n’ roll legend, the lick started as a warm-up that eventually evolved into one of their biggest hit songs.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana

Closing out this list of rock-defining guitar riffs is, naturally, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. This 1991 song helped usher in grunge music to the mainstream, embodying the last decade of the 20th century and all of its defiant moodiness. You can certainly hear the rock influences upon which Kurt Cobain drew for the lick, but he still managed to make his guitar riff totally unique to the Seattle-based rock band.

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