The 25 Greatest Punk Guitar Solos

Punk is known for rejecting the guitar solo, yet some of its most famous records turn on one, from Pete Shelley's two-note joke to Tom Verlaine's extended improvisations. The list covers proto-punk through hardcore and ranks songs by their appearances on published solo lists.

Informed by: Rolling Stone – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2026), Classic Rock – The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock (2018), uDiscover Music – The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments, Magazyn Gitarzysta – 100 solos of all time, Guitar Tricks – 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time, NME – 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time (2017), NME – 10 Brilliantly Shambolic Guitar Solos (2012), Guitar World – The greatest guitar solos of the 21st century... so far, Musician Tuts – The 51 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time

1. 1
   Marquee Moon

   Television · solo by Tom Verlaine · 1977
2. 2
   Another Girl Another Planet

   The Only Ones · solo by John Perry · 1978
3. 3
   Search and Destroy

   Iggy and the Stooges · solo by James Williamson · 1973
4. 4
   Anarchy in the U.K.

   Sex Pistols · solo by Steve Jones · 1976
5. 5
   Looking at You

   MC5 · solo by Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith · 1970
6. 6
   Boredom

   Buzzcocks · solo by Pete Shelley · 1977
7. 7
   Tattooed Love Boys

   Pretenders · solo by James Honeyman-Scott · 1980
8. 8
   Venus

   Television · solo by Tom Verlaine & Richard Lloyd · 1977
9. 9
   Love Song

   The Damned · solo by Captain Sensible · 1979
10. 10
    EMI

    Sex Pistols · solo by Steve Jones · 1977
11. 11
    Complete Control

    The Clash · solo by Mick Jones · 1977
12. 12
    Blank Generation

    Richard Hell and the Voidoids · solo by Robert Quine · 1977
13. 13
    Banned In DC

    Bad Brains · solo by Dr. Know · 1982
14. 14
    Teenage Kicks

    The Undertones · solo by John O'Neill, Damian O'Neill · 1978
15. 15
    Personality Crisis

    New York Dolls · solo by Johnny Thunders · 1973
16. 16
    New Rose

    The Damned · solo by Brian James · 1976
17. 17
    Ace of Spades

    Motörhead · solo by Eddie Clarke · 1980
18. 18
    Holiday

    Green Day · solo by Billie Joe Armstrong · 2004
19. 19
    Rise Above

    Black Flag · solo by Greg Ginn · 1981
20. 20
    Holiday in Cambodia

    Dead Kennedys · solo by East Bay Ray · 1980
21. 21
    Born to Lose

    Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers · solo by Johnny Thunders · 1977
22. 22
    Youth of America

    Wipers · solo by Greg Sage · 1981
23. 23
    Eight Miles High

    Hüsker Dü · solo by Bob Mould · 1984
24. 24
    Let's Call It Love

    Sleater-Kinney · solo by Carrie Brownstein · 2005
25. 25
    Los Angeles

    X · solo by Billy Zoom · 1980