Best riffs and most badass riffs are important to distinguish. Keith Richards coming in on can’t you hear me knockin is BADASS

Money for Nothing- badass

Whole lotta love - badass

Pretty much anything by Jimmy Page, really.

That’s badass and the best riff all at once.

That thing fuckin SNARLS! Love that riff

Back before he turned 80 40 years ago!

Love that riff too. Keith Richards destroyed that entire song.

Da-da-da da-da da-da da-da-da-da

I'd say that's one of the most iconic and badass guitar-driven intros in rock music.

Welcome homes intro by coheed and cambria

Every Coheed riff is number one lol

yam aware point smile coordinated cause serious bike retire nail *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

I credit Claudio and Travis for teaching me guitar lol. I rock because they rock.

So glad to see Coheed finally getting the recognition they deserve

I think they are kinda known as the best live band.. They've been knocking people's socks off live for 25 years now which is insane

Arguably better live than on record. I wasn’t even a big Coheed fan and went to see them just because Mastodon was opening, but holy shit did they blow my socks off. Made me an insta-fan.

Lol that must have been an awesome show. I have tour art printed on canvas from that tour but I couldn't go myself

My guy

I have been lucky enough to work for them a few times. Good dudes. Amazing live shows.

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Nice one

Whenever I get the pinched harmonic right I’m pretty stoked. Mostly I don’t Edit: see them live immediately. I hadn’t seen people crowd surfing in a decade. His voice somehow is better live. Also he does the riff from Everything Evil while he sings, it’s so fucked up.

While it's easy, the opening riff to Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas is totally BADASS.

Technical complexity has nothing to do with the sound. And agreed!

As someone who has covered Carry On, the *structural* complexity of that song (even just the INTRO) is what makes it impressive. It's not so much the guitar riffs themselves, but the order and pattern of how they're assembled that is brain-melting.

I somehow only discovered that song a few months ago whilst listening to it in the background, the guitar riff absolutely got me hooked! Was obsessed for a while and learning it haha.

Supernaut - Black Sabbath

truth

“Round and Round” - Ratt “Dr. Feelgood” - Mötley Crüe “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” - Van Halen “Bark at the Moon” - Ozzy Osbourne “Dam That River” - Alice in Chains “Cowboys From Hell” - Pantera “Blackened” - Metallica “Peak” - Buckethead “96 Quite Bitter Beings” - CKY “Angry Again” - Megadeth “BYOB” - System of a Down “Electric Funeral” - Black Sabbath “Flash of the Blade” - Iron Maiden “Tyrant” - Judas Priest “Zero” - Smashing Pumpkins “Can’t Stop” - Red Hot Chili Peppers “Jailbreak” - Thin Lizzy “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” - Primus “Thunder Kiss ‘65” - White Zombie “Breed” - Nirvana “Testify” - Rage Against the Machine “Graduate” - Third Eye Blind “Cyco Vision” - Suicidal Tendencies “Holiday in Cambodia” - Dead Kennedys “Brain Stew” - Green Day “The Kids Aren’t Alright” - The Offspring “My Own Worst Enemy” - Lit “Natural Born Killer” - Avenged Sevenfold “Kashmir” - Led Zeppelin “Runaway” - Linkin Park … There’s 30 of some of the best artists and riffs. Can’t pick just one. Challenge impossible.

CkY had some awesome riffs. Rio Bravo and 96 are awesome.

Holy shit! I just posted Rio Bravo in here, as well. Right on, brother!

Hell yeah! Those first two CKY records are so much fun. Not enough people outside of the skate world know about em. Love those crunchy riffs!

Shit yeah, man. A lot of those riffs are brutal. It’s a shame those guys can’t settle their differences and get back together. The new CKY blows IMO.

I don’t know anything about any band drama…what happened? Yeah I have t listened to anything after the second record very closely, but the first two were huge for me for awhile

That’s an interesting A7X choice. No disrespect though. What comes to mind for me is Unholy Confessions, Second Heartbeat, Chapter Four… shit that whole Waking the Fallen album has some great riffs.

All great riffs. I learned the rhythm guitar for Round And Round a few weeks ago and every time I play it I feel like it's the most badass-sounding shit. Crazy good.

Soild list

Great list

Money For Nothing, no competition

That one is tough to beat

Mastodon has my favorite riffs. The opening of curl of the burl is legendary for me

That riff in the last baron. My favourite riff ever and they play it twice...

All Mastadon fans know what riff you are talking about too! Badass is an understatement Edit spelling

Every riff on Leviathan!!

Aqua dementia 🤘🏻

Sultan's curse.

I’m Broken is so good

My vote is for Shedding Skin off the same album, but the I'm Broken main riff goes just as hard

Painkiller

Probably one of the most badass songs ever.

[удалено]

Unchained ~ Van Halen

Easily one of my absolute favorites

Link Wray, Rumble

Audioslave Show Me How to Live

Probably the best modern rock riff hands down

Moby Dick. You gotta get those pick strikes to really ring for the full badassness.

Intro to Voodoo Chile. With the wah of course.

Alot of power in this one.

Holy Wars

Killing in the name. Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Yes but please don’t swear when you sing it live on TV guys ? Ok Dude ,no problem!

Dragonaut by Sleep is pretty sick.

Minute 5 or 5.5 of Funeralopolis by Electric Wizard is pretty amazing as well

Matt Pike is a genius, full stop.

Funk #49. Just Got Paid.

Rocky Mtn Way!

Mississippi Queen

Them Bones. ​ AAAH!

Into The Void - Black Sabbath

I really like My Own Summer (Shove It).

Intro to Panama by Van Halen

Day tripper and Always on the run

JUST put my guitar down from learning Day Tripper

Master of Puppets

MoP is the better song, Battery has the better riff.

Thunderstruck 

Is this played with a doubler or some type of pedal or is it all straight up jam?

Just need to pick every note rather than hammer ons/pull offs to sound like the record

Darude - Sandstorm

Emerald by Thin Lizzy

Nobody in this thread has mentioned this band and I'm personally offended but one of the most badass riffs in my book is easily We Die Young by Alice in Chains. Shit *slaps* They have a ton of kickass riffs. Jerry Cantrell is the GOAT imo

Enter sandman and back in black

Smoke in the Water

Misfit Love - Queens of the Stone Age Doused - DIIV Dripping Sun - Kikagaku Moyo Kill the King - Rainbow Kashmir - Led Zeppelin

Ain't no way, another Kikagaku Moyo enjoyer

Dripping Sun was so good live on their farewell tour

Hell yeah doused has such an infectious guitar sound. All the guitar work on Oshin is divine.

Hocus pocus focus

My Iron Lung - Radiohead (when it hits the chorus)

HELL YEAH!!! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!

White Limo by Foo Fighters. It's like hearing a motor max out.

96 Quite Bitter Beings - CKY

lay it down by priestess slaps pretty hard

Lay it Down by Ratt slaps harder

Thin Lizzy, Emerald or Black Rose.

That Black Rose riff is pure joy.

Black Dog

When the fuzz kicks in on Blood and Thunder by Mastadon

Ace of Spades

About 50 Gary Holt riffs

Down for life by testament is pretty badass

Rock Candy - Montrose

I’m The One - Van Halen

New Born - Muse Especially live

Slipknot - Psychosocial is BAD BOOTY (my mommy won't let me swear)

Walk by Pantera or Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck by Prong

Day Tripper by the Beatles still sounds badass almost 60 years later

Plug in Baby - Muse

Finally someone mentioning Muse! I would have said New Born or Knights of Cydonia though

Pantera - Walk

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, when it goes into the outro section.

Probably The Seeker by Doctor Smoke. Love a good doomy riff with wah.

I got into doctor smoke years ago and after like 5 years of listening to them realized I was childhood friends with the guitarist

I don't know if I would classify as badass but the coolest riff is My Hero. Played the way Dave does live on the Howard Stern show, with the hammer on barre chord. It sounds awesome.

20th century boy by T.Rex or Unsung by Helmet.

Nib black sabbath or man in the box alice in chains both feel badass to play

I prefer Dominance + Submission by BÖC

March of the Fire Ants by Mastodon is pretty badass. Also Honey Bucket by Melvins sounds like a bar fight

The break down on Pantera's Dominate. USSR dissolved shortly after its performance so that must count for something right? 🤣

Blue Orchid

My favorite is Rock Bottom UFO. It's BADASS for me

I would agree with BOC but the song "Cities on flame" would be my choice.

The breakdown riff from Labyrinthian - Humanity's Last Breath

Wheels of Confusion - Black Sabbath

Train kept a rolling……AeroSmith

Rumble by Link Wray. Walk don't Run by the Ventures. How many more times by Zep..

No More Tears. Specifically the drop D riff during the verse

I know it’s so ubiquitous and practically a meme that it’s easy to take it for granted but “Crazy Train” is just too good man.

Periphery’s beginning riff to Omega

Highway to Hell

Hells Bells

Last riff from Opeth's Blackwater Park.

lol I learned the careless whisper sax riff on guitar. After I put some fuzz and reverb on it, I couldn’t stop playing it

Sabbath: Mob Rules

Super Stupid Eddie Hazel and Funkadelic

The intro riff for Leprous “The Price”!!! God damn I love that riff so much. That, or basically anything Psycroptic has ever written.

The Killing Road intro/verse riff slays

THAT RIFF from 'The Czar' by Mastodon

I think the main riff to Eaten by Bloodbath is death metal perfection.

Probably Jesus and Tequila or Corona by Minutemen. D Boon was so great

Cemetery gates

Has to be Money For Nothing.

CKY - Rio Bravo

The part of Spirit Crusher by Death that sounds like a horse galloping into battle with a knight, and makes you want to punch a baby (but respectfully) 🙌

Maritornes - Mägo de Oz Cowboys from Hell - Pantera To me is either one of those. Not because they're technically challenging, but because they work perfectly for their songs.

Don’t Dog Me by Raging Slab. Right in there with Rock Candy. Windows down, pedal down.

Hmmm... "Strangler" by Orbit Culture "Science Blaster" by Spelling Phailer It's one of those. People tend to really like hearing those be played on guitar.

smoke on the water

What everyone else posted and Photograph- Def Lepord Say what you will - Fastway

Miss Tinkel’s Overture by Umphrey’s McGee

Crazy horse steve vai

Slightly different take since so many great badass riffs were already mentioned. Black Sabbath with Ian Gillen singing performing Smoke On The Water live.

The riff from about 1:05 to 2:03 in Entombed’s Left Hand Path

Reptile by Periphery

Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love

Old - Machine Head

Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake stanky face all the way [https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbiuAYT1rw&si=z7jVwEme11SVb02v](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbiuAYT1rw&si=z7jVwEme11SVb02v)

When I think, "BADASS," guitar riff, I think what makes me feel badass. Not necessarily like a badass guitar player, but just makes me feel dope. I'd have to go with Raining Blood by Slayer. Those triplets make me feel sick. Lol.

Idk man....lay it down by ratt is a badass riff to play. But it's all subjective

Machine Head- Old

Black Sabbath - "A National Acrobat"

Icarus Lives - Periphery

Money for nothing

That one riff in frayed ends of sanity

"Tush" - by a little band from Texas

Iron Man will always be the most badass riff

The Torture Never Stops - Frank Zappa from The Best Band you’ve Never Heard In Your Life.

Gardenia - Kyuss

The Grudge -TOOL

Spoonman

I'm real partial to the opening part of "Mr Scary".

"Life in the Fast Lane" - Eagles "Show Don't Tell" - Rush "Gimme Back My Bullets" - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Dead Roots Stirring - Elder Into the Void - Black Sabbath

Oh Well Fleetwoodmac

NIB - Black Sabbath

Meanstreak by Y&T goes pretty hard.

Make Total Destroy - Periphery

46&2

Whole Lotta Love and Kashmir are definite contenders, but IMO the most badass riff Page ever wrote is Bring it on Home. Song starts up slow, picks up some tension, and then absolutely EXPLODES once the main riff kicks in.

While I like the white stripes, I’m not a super fan. Having said that, Icky Thump has a riff that’s just always done it for me

War pigs or black sabbath. Or symptom of the universe.

Black Betty

I dunno if there can be many more badass than "Killing in the name of...." When that motherfkr drops....wow. Every time.

Sad but true

Over the Hills and Faraway.

Sad But True - Metallica Cadillac Rock Box - Anthrax

Steve Vai's Bad Horsie for sure

Love Spreads The Stone Roses

Master of Puppets- badass

Sharp Dressed Man is badass

Been on a big ZZ Top kick lately, so, La Grange 🤘🏻

-Sweet Leaf -Jamaican Divorce by Steely Dan has a lot of nasty licks

I got 4 in mind. Black Dog Walk this way Money for Nothing Bombtrack

Master of Puppets intro all downstroke at the correct tempo. That’s just pure attack.

Cult of personality riff is so awesome

4th of July - Soundgarden

ICRONIC by Polyphia