Best Karaoke Songs: 43 Picks for Every Vibe

I've sorted these karaoke songs to sing by vibe instead of dumping an alphabetical list on you. Start with the 10 quick picks below if you just need something tonight. Every one of them has a difficulty rating and the length of the original recording, so you know what you're signing up for. Then scroll down for the full lineup: crowd-pleasers, party bangers, power ballads, duets, group anthems and 80s throwbacks, each with a note on where the hard part is.

Short on time? These work every single time, in every single bar, for pretty much every singer. You can't go wrong here.

"Don't Stop Believin'" — Journey

The undisputed king of karaoke, and the crowd will sing the chorus whether you want them to or not. The verses sit comfortably; the only stretch is Steve Perry's high chorus line, and by then the whole bar is covering you.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen

Yes, it's ambitious, and nearly six minutes long. But the crowd does half the work on the operatic middle section, so the real job is committing to the theatrics. Bring two friends and split the parts.

"Sweet Caroline" — Neil Diamond

The verse barely moves, and the chorus has a built-in call-and-response the bar will yell back at you. It's the safest pick on this whole page if you want the room to do the heavy lifting.

"Livin' on a Prayer" — Bon Jovi

That key change into the last chorus is where legends are made. Even if you can't quite hit it, the crowd will be screaming along loud enough to carry you over the top.

"Mr. Brightside" — The Killers

The energy when that guitar starts is unmatched, and anyone born between 1985 and 2000 will lose their mind. The words come fast and there's barely a breath, so know them cold before you go up.

"I Want It That Way" — Backstreet Boys

Simple melody, universally known, and the nostalgia is through the roof. Anyone can sing it, and it's even better with the whole boy band's worth of friends on stage.

"Dancing Queen" — ABBA

Pure joy in song form. The verses are comfy, the chorus climbs a bit higher than you remember, and the tempo is forgiving enough that it's impossible not to smile.

"Wonderwall" — Oasis

Talk-sing friendly, narrow range, and everyone knows every word. It's the one guy-with-a-guitar song that actually works better with a whole bar singing it back.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" — John Denver

Even in cities nowhere near West Virginia, the entire bar will belt the chorus. The melody is gentle and short, which makes it a great first-ever karaoke song.

"Summer Nights" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

Grab a partner and let the crowd play the backing gang. The back-and-forth between the two leads is built-in audience participation, and nobody needs a big voice to pull it off.

Nervous about going first? Every Easy pick above is a good start, and there are plenty more in my list of easy karaoke songs.

These turn the energy up to eleven. Save them for when the room is warmed up and ready to go.

"Wannabe" — Spice Girls

Fast, chaotic, and a blast with a group. Nobody cares if you fumble the rapid-fire verses because the chorus is easy, and it's under three minutes, so it's over before anyone gets tired.

"Shake It Off" — Taylor Swift

Upbeat, forgiving range, and the bridge is basically spoken word. Great for a nervous first-timer because the whole room already knows the moves.

"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

This is a swagger song more than a singing song. The verses are rhythmic and chanty, the hype breaks are where you hit your moves, and yes, you will try to dance.

"Since U Been Gone" — Kelly Clarkson

The verses are quiet and easy, then the chorus is cathartic screaming disguised as singing. Pick it when you need to channel a feeling into pure volume.

"Yeah!" — Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris

Half singing, half hype-man energy, and the crowd shouts the hook for you. Ludacris's verse is the one tricky part, so bring a friend who knows it.

"Toxic" — Britney Spears

That string riff gets a cheer before you've sung a note. The verses are breathy and talk-sing friendly, and the chorus is pure fun.

"All Star" — Smash Mouth

The internet made this song immortal. Talk-sing the verses, let the meme energy carry you, and enjoy the whole room singing the chorus a little too loud.

"Hey Ya!" — Outkast

The verses fly by fast, but the call-and-response breakdown is the part everyone's waiting for, and the crowd will shout every line of it with you.

If the room wants pure silliness, go to the funny karaoke songs. For more chart hits, try the pop karaoke songs.

For when you want to hold the room in the palm of your hand. These build, they crescendo, and if you nail the big note, you're a hero.

"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney Houston

The Mount Everest of karaoke. It opens a cappella, so there's nowhere to hide, and the key change near the end is a sustained belt at the top of most voices. Hit it and you'll get a standing ovation; miss it and you'll still get respect.

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" — Bonnie Tyler

Dramatic, building, and the chorus is iconic. Bonnie Tyler's rasp means you don't need a pretty voice, just commitment, and friends love shouting the answering lines back.

"My Heart Will Go On" — Celine Dion

The slow, quiet start gives you time to warm up, then the key change and final chorus ask for full-power belting. Leave it all on stage.

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" — Aerosmith

Steven Tyler's rasp is actually easier to fake than a clean tone, but the chorus sits high and stays there. Great for a big-voiced guy who wants the room to go quiet.

"Purple Rain" — Prince and the Revolution

For the bold, and for the end of the night. The singing itself sits in a comfortable range; the challenge is the length, so plan your air guitar for the long outro.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" — Sinéad O'Connor

Stripped-down emotion with almost no production to hide behind, so all eyes and ears are on you. The melody isn't wide, but the jumps into the chorus need control.

"Unchained Melody" — The Righteous Brothers

One of the great karaoke moments, as long as you can build to it. The last big sustained note is way up high, so it's for tenors and brave altos.

Everything's better with a partner. These are built for two voices, and the back-and-forth is what makes them karaoke gold.

"A Whole New World" — Brad Kane & Lea Salonga

Disney magic in under three minutes. Both parts sit in comfortable ranges, the harmony at the end is easy to find, and the whole bar knows it.

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" — Elton John & Kiki Dee

Call and response makes the timing almost impossible to mess up, and neither part is demanding. Pure fun with a friend or a date.

"Shallow" — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper's part is low and manageable for non-singers, then Gaga's part lets a strong vocalist shine. The wordless build before the last chorus is the whole song, so the high part needs a real belter.

"Islands in the Stream" — Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton

Country-pop crossover gold. Both parts are melodic, the harmonies are simple, and the chorus turns into a room-wide sing-along.

"Under Pressure" — Queen & David Bowie

Challenging but legendary. The bass line gets a cheer on its own, the scat-singing trade-off is the fun part, and the ending climbs high, so give that to whoever has the bigger range.

"Endless Love" — Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

The quintessential romantic duet. Smooth, slow, and forgiving, with just enough harmony at the end to feel like a moment.

"Somebody That I Used to Know" — Gotye feat. Kimbra

The verses are hushed and narrow, then the chorus jumps up into a big falsetto-ish cry. The twist is Kimbra's angry verse, which makes this the best unexpected duet on the list.

Want more duet picks? Check out the full guide to the best duet karaoke songs.

Karaoke doesn't have to be a solo sport. These are built for a group of friends sharing one mic (or five).

"We Are the Champions" — Queen

The ultimate group anthem, and it gets louder as it builds. Nobody cares about the verses; the chorus is where the whole room joins in.

"Piano Man" — Billy Joel

The harmonica intro gets everyone quiet, then the wordless sing-along brings the whole bar together. It's the perfect last song of the night.

"Friends in Low Places" — Garth Brooks

Country's greatest group karaoke song. That low rumble of a chorus is accessible for everyone, and the crowd will howl along by the second verse.

"Lean on Me" — Bill Withers

Simple, soulful, and a perfect end-of-night song. The melody walks up and down a scale, so anyone can find it, and the last stretch becomes a group moment every time.

"We Are Family" — Sister Sledge

Pull your whole crew up. The chorus is three words, the energy is infectious, and it works just as well at a birthday as at a bar.

"Build Me Up Buttercup" — The Foundations

The crowd sings the responses even if they don't realize they know this song. Short, bouncy, and built-in call and response.

Singing with a whole crew? The group karaoke songs list has anthems for three, four or twenty people.

The decade that built karaoke. These get a cheer from the first bar of the intro.

"Take On Me" — a-ha

That high note in the chorus is the ultimate karaoke dare. Even if you crack, the crowd respects the attempt, and the synth riff has them on your side from the start.

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" — Cyndi Lauper

Pure 80s energy. The verses are easy, the chorus hops up a bit, and a group of friends on backup makes it even better.

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" — Def Leppard

Hair metal at its finest. More attitude than vocal precision required, and the chanted chorus is basically a crowd shout.

"Eye of the Tiger" — Survivor

Pump-up energy, talk-sing verses, and an iconic guitar hit. The chorus pushes higher than you think, so start it at a comfortable volume.

"Sweet Child o' Mine" — Guns N' Roses

The guitar riff is so iconic people cheer before you start singing. Axl's part sits high and screechy the whole way, so it's a pick for rock tenors who don't mind a long instrumental break.

Want a specific decade? Go deeper with 80s karaoke songs, 90s karaoke songs or the older classic karaoke songs.

The secret to a great karaoke performance isn't having a great voice. It's picking the right song for the voice you have.

One more thing: read up on karaoke etiquette before your first night out. It's short, and it'll save you from being the person who picks the same song as the singer right before them.

Every song list on FindKaraoke

Looking for a specific genre, decade or voice type? Every song list on the blog is right here:

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