Punk history is long and impressive and the music we know as punk today has come a long way. In our list we are detailing easy punk songs on guitar which are the biggest hits from the genre. Each easy song comes with a video tutorial which will help you become a better guitar player. The guitar tabs for these songs are also included in the videos. Remember that punk songs such as these will sound better on electric guitars.
1. Teenagers – My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance are a band that are perfect for anyone starting out playing guitar, especially electric guitar. Teenagers was easily one of their biggest hits and the chords are really easy for a beginner to pick up. As a launching point for new players of punk music, this is a great place to start.
What’s better than the song being simple to play is that its fun as well. It will only take you a short amount of time to be able to nail this one if you practice enough.
2. Basket Case – Green Day
If you are picking up a guitar for the very first time then Green Day are a great band to start out with. They have some great tracks you can learn which can be done so in a shorter time frame than more advanced songs.
Forget what the guitar shop employee told you about learning the greats of punk first. Basket Case is much more modern and will be more popular with the younger generation. Just make sure to get your brain around the basics first.
3. The Hell Song – Sum 41
Throwing back to 2002 with this one, The Hell Song comes from the album Does This Look Infected?. It’s definitely one of the heavier songs to be featured on the album, showing off how Sum can thrash their guitars and pay homage to their metal inspirations.
The power chords may seem slightly daunting to begin with but they’re really not ad complicated as they look. Once it’s perfected, it’s very impressive to play. There are also techniques you will be able to learn and practice in this track including hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm muting and slides. Because of the skills you will pick up it’s a great song for newbies to the guitar.
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica
Metallica are a good punk and metal band for beginners because their music uses a lot of different techniques a guitar player needs to know. While this song is slightly more challenging than the ones we’ve already mentioned, it’s still fun. You’ll be playing single note riffs which will help to build on your finger strength. You’ll also be nailing that classic Metallica sound, building up techniques such as down-picking and palm-muting for that crunchy sound.
5. Unholy Confessions – Avenged Sevenfold
Beginner metal and punk guitarists find that Unholy Confessions by Avenged Sevenfold is the number one go-to song. The track is both complex and simple at the same time. We wouldn’t suggest this to be the first song you try out from this genre. However, it will be a great stepping stone to move up with your guitar skills once you’ve got a strong grasp of the basics of guitar playing.
6. Refuse/Resist – Sepultura
Some punk songs will involve a lot of complex and technical riffs, and this is one of them. The core riffs are the ones you want to play as a beginner as they are the easiest to learn. For the rest of the song, you’ll have to master the speed and fun grooves that the song has to offer. It’s just easy enough for a beginner to be able to play well with enough practice.
7. Raining Blood – Slayer
As a beginner to the guitar, trying to nail Slayer’s Raining Blood right off the bat isn’t going to go over so well. However, if you want to learn the rhythm parts of the guitar that feature in the song, there’s a lot of skill building you can get here. Slayer also uses riffs that are easy to learn to begin with but then become difficult to master. Once you have got the basics down and are working on your speed skills, this should be your go to track.
8. Astro Zombies – Misfits
Punk songs are a great genre for many guitar players to start out with because you can learn the most basic techniques like power chords, down-picking and palm muting. Misfits have a huge catalog of songs that are ideal for beginners because they don’t take too much effort. As well as being fun to play, Astro Zombies is a track where you can practice your fretboard switching without having the think about too many other guitar skills.
9. Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana
Nirvana are more of a grunge band but they certainly have pink influences. Their songs are a good starting point for fledgling guitarists. The tracks they released have gone on to become some of the most iconic anthems to ever exist in the punk and rock genres. Heart Shaped Box is one to learn early on because it will help you better understand chord structures. You will learn how to use these structures outside of just strumming all six strings of your guitar every time.
10. Creep – Radiohead
Learning guitar has a lot of steps and one of these steps will be to learn barre chords. They are important to master because they are used in a lot of popular music today. However, getting to the point where you can play them easily will require you to build on your ginger strength to hold down all of the strings on your fretboard. Creep by Radiohead is a great way to start learning barre chords because the song pretty much only features this type of chords. If you want to learn this technique, go for Creep.
11. My Curse – Killswitch Engage
One of the more advanced songs we are featuring on our list is My Curse by Killswitch Engage. It isn’t as easy as the other tracks we’ve mentioned but it’s a good one to practice if you want to advance your guitar playing journey. There are some tricky parts that will take some effort to learn but it’s still suitable for players at a beginner level.
12. Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath will always be a band that every guitar player should learn a song from, and this is for a very good reason. Songs like Paranoid offer you the simplicity of playing some fun guitar riffs. However, they also teach you all of the guitar basics you will need to progress past the beginner stage of playing the instrument. Also, the solo in this track isn’t overly difficult and it makes for a strong start into Black Sabbath’s world. Make sure to understand what the differences are between the lead and rhythm guitar parts.
13. Chelsea Smile – Bring Me the Horizon
If you want to attempt this track from Bring Me the Horizon you will need to drop tune your guitar quite drastically. This track is a really solid one that you can easily tear through as a beginner. There are some single note riffs which are simple and it will help you with stretching out those fingers so that you can reach across the fretboard easily.
14. Another Bottle Down – Asking Alexandria
Metalcore and punk combine in this track from Asking Alexandria. The song itself is straightforward. What you will need to learn here is to use a tremolo bar on some of the riffs to get it sounding just like the original. Most of the parts of this song can be picked up by you as a beginner while some other sections will require more advanced playing skills.
15. Nervous Breakdown – Black Flag
Old school punk is a great place for anyone to start when they first dive into the genre. Black Flag is one of those songs that is super easy and can be learned in a relatively short time frame. Nervous Breakdown is one that has gone down in punk history. If you want to pick up some more punk skills, this is track to go for.
16. Sugar – System of a Down
A lot of System of a Down songs will suit beginners and Sugar is an easier choice that features heavy chords that you can bash out on the guitar. There is also some single note riffing that are quite quirky which are fun to play. Fans of metal music will find this to be a solid starter song as well. It’s an iconic song from the band and once you’ve got it nailed, it will be a real crowd pleaser.
17. 94 Hours – As I Lay Dying
For those players who have pretty much got all of the easiest guitar techniques sorted and want to stick to punk songs, 94 Hours is a good track for branching out. There are some of those simple techniques thrown in but it’s a great intro to the more intermediate world of guitar playing. You’ll be using pull-off riffs as a new skill and layering harmonics to make the song a bit more complex.
18. Subliminal – Suicidal Tendencies
Subliminal is a song that broke away from the simplicity of songwriting that was common in the hardcore punk era. The solos are insane so I wouldn’t suggest trying these out right away but you can definitely learn when attempting new rhythm structures. You will have to build up speed while bashing out the different chords and then skip strings as well which can be tough. Players will have to switch between fast and slow riffs and it’s these changes that can be hard to get used to.
19. Shout at the Devil – Motley Crue
If you were ever a fan of the game Guitar Hero then you will recognise this track as one of the one’s featured there. It was towards the start of the game which probably shows how simple it is going to be. The solos featured in the track should be manageable for a beginner and it’s also a fun song to learn.
20. I Feel So – Box Car Racer
Box Car Racer was the side project of Blink-182 front man Tom DeLonge. It has a much heavier sound than what we’re used to hearing from him. It’s a good starting point for songs that are faster. You’ll definitely want to slow it down as you learn and then slowly increase your speed to match the recording.
Conclusion
That’s where our list of easy punk songs for guitar ends. There are so many punk tracks out there that can be translated onto guitar in a beginner friendly way. If you find any more, make sure to let us know.
FAQs
How do you play easy punk on guitar?
You can use easy online guitar tutorials which we have included in our list above. Another great place to start is with the most common power chords which are used in rock music and punk tracks.
What is the easiest song to play on the guitar in the punk genre?
We’ve given you an extensive list of the easiest punk songs to play on the guitar in our list above. We also have other guides detailing easy metal songs and easy rock songs here on our website if you enjoy music from these genres.
Is punk guitar easy?
Punk guitar can be tricky because it’s powerful to play. You really have to get into the mindset of a punk rocker. While they are fun songs, you really have to have your basic guitar skills down before attempting to play these tracks.
What are three punk chords?
The I tonic, IV subdominant and V dominant chords are the three punk chords which will cover most of the progressions used in this type of music. Mastering these on the electric guitar means you will have the right knowledge of basic power chords, allowing you to pick up on every punk fun song a lot easier.