So, you’re a couple who doesn’t want a snooze-fest of a wedding reception. You want your guests to be rocking out, air-guitaring, and maybe even creating a moshpit on the dance floor. Well, you need a wedding playlist that’s as loud and vibrant as your love for each other. And what better genre to get the party started than rock ‘n’ roll?
Whether you’re looking for alternative rock or heavy metal, let Encore Musicians guide you through the best rock wedding songs, plus the best rock bands to help you bring your favourite bangers to life.
Alternative Rock Wedding Songs
- Iris by Goo Goo Dolls: This emotional ballad is a lovely choice for a first dance or a meaningful processional song.
- You Get What You Give by New Radicals: This upbeat anthem celebrates finding your true love and the joy of commitment.
- Everlong by Foo Fighters: A slow-burning rock ballad with hopeful lyrics, perfect for a heartfelt vow exchange or first dance.
- Fastball – The Wallflowers: A sweet and hopeful song about finding love unexpectedly, great for a first dance or a recessional.
- Somewhere Only We Know – Keane: A beautiful and atmospheric ballad about a shared secret place, perfect for a first dance with a touch of sentiment.
- Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol: A soaring and emotional song about finding comfort in love, ideal for a first dance or a touching vow exchange.
- Head Over Heels – The Goo Goo Dolls: A sweet and catchy song about falling head over heels in love, perfect for your wedding ceremony.
- The Only Exception – Paramore: A powerful and emotional ballad about finding your forever person, perfect for a first dance with a touch of rock angst.
- Say Anything – A Great Big World: A sweet and hopeful song about professing your love, ideal for a first dance or a touching wedding vow.
- Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers: An introspective and vulnerable ballad about longing for connection, great for a slow dance with raw emotion.
Classic Rock Wedding Songs
- Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison: This timeless classic rock song is a crowd-pleaser and a great choice for a laid-back first dance or a lively sing-along.
- Your Song by Elton John: A beautiful and romantic serenade that expresses enduring love, ideal for a first dance or a special dedication.
- Crazy Love by Van Morrison: A passionate and soulful declaration of love, perfect for a first dance or a heartfelt toast.
- Let It Be – The Beatles: A timeless and hopeful anthem about finding peace and acceptance, perfect for a recessional song or a toast to the future.
- Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond: A classic singalong tune with a joyful message, great for getting all your guests on the dance floor.
- You’re My Best Friend – Queen: A heartwarming and uplifting song about friendship and love, ideal for a first dance or a touching toast to your partner.
- Tiny Dancer – Elton John: A whimsical and nostalgic song about a magical woman, perfect for walking down the aisle.
- Just the Two of Us – Bill Withers: A soulful and intimate song about finding happiness in shared moments, ideal for a slow dance or a quiet moment between the couple.
- Hotel California – Eagles: This epic rock journey explores themes of escape and belonging, offering a unique choice for a recessional song.
- Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf: A rebellious and free-spirited rock anthem, ideal for a surprise entrance song or a high-energy dance floor moment.
Hard Rock Wedding Songs
- Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi: This anthemic rock song celebrates overcoming challenges and finding strength in each other, perfect for a recessional song or an energetic dance floor moment.
- You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC: A playful and cheeky tribute to passionate love, suitable for a fun dance floor moment or a surprise entrance song for the happy couple.
- Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses: A bombastic and uplifting rock anthem, ideal for a high-energy dance floor set or a grand entrance.
- Whole Lotta Rosie – AC/DC: This raunchy and celebratory rock anthem is sure to get the party started on the dance floor!
- I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner: A passionate and anthemic rock ballad about searching for true love, perfect for a first dance with a touch of drama.
- Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard: A playful and energetic song about celebrating love and good times, ideal for a high-energy dance floor moment.
- Back in Black – AC/DC: A bombastic and rebellious rock anthem, perfect for a surprise entrance song or a party-starting opening number.
- Rock You Like a Hurricane – Scorpions: Another high-energy rock anthem with soaring vocals and catchy riffs, perfect for a grand entrance or a dance floor moment.
Heavy Metal Wedding Songs
- Nothing Else Matters by Metallica: A beautiful and reflective ballad about finding peace and happiness in love, ideal for a slow dance or a quiet moment between the couple.
- Dream On – Aerosmith: A hopeful and inspirational ballad about chasing your dreams and finding love, ideal for a first dance or a heartfelt toast.
- November Rain – Guns N’ Roses: A dramatic and epic rock ballad about heartbreak and loss, suitable for a first dance with a touch of theatricality.
- Cry Thunder – DragonForce: A fast-paced and electrifying power metal song, perfect for a surprise entrance song or a high-energy dance floor moment.
- Wish I Had An Angel – Nightwish: A soaring and operatic metal ballad expressing devotion and sacrifice, perfect for a couple who loves epic anthems.
- Stargazer – Rainbow: This epic space-themed song takes listeners on a journey of love and connection, offering a unique and unforgettable choice for a slow dance.
Indie Rock Wedding Songs
- Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs: A dreamy and atmospheric song about the journey of love, perfect for a first dance with a touch of indie cool.
- Hold On by Arcade Fire: An epic and uplifting anthem about resilience and the power of togetherness, ideal for a recessional song or a grand entrance.
- Mr. Brightside by The Killers: A catchy and energetic song about chasing love and taking chances, perfect for a fun dance floor moment or a lively reception opener.
- Ho Hey – The Lumineers: A catchy and upbeat folk-rock song about finding strength in togetherness, perfect for a recessional song or a lively dance floor moment.
- Riptide – Vance Joy: A breezy and atmospheric song about summer love and fleeting moments, perfect for a lighthearted first dance or a fun reception tune.
- Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol: This emotional ballad about finding comfort in love offers a beautiful choice for a first dance or a touching vow exchange.
- Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes: This iconic and catchy rock anthem with its signature riff is sure to get everyone on the dance floor.
Punk Rock Wedding Songs
- Teenage Lobotomy by the Ramones: A cheeky and upbeat song about the joy of finding someone who gets you, perfect for a playful first dance or a surprise entrance song.
- Just Like Heaven by The Cure: A darkly romantic and atmospheric song about finding solace in love, ideal for a first dance with a touch of punk edge.
- Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis: A nostalgic and hopeful anthem about leaving the past behind and embracing the future, perfect for a recessional song or a toast to new beginnings.
- All the Small Things – Blink-182: A playful and nostalgic song about appreciating the little things in love, great for a fun first dance or a lighthearted toast.
- Basket Case – Green Day: A fast-paced and energetic song about anxiety and finding solace in love, ideal for a surprise entrance song or a high-energy dance floor moment.
- I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges: This raw and primal love song offers a unique and intense choice for a first dance, showcasing the raw energy of punk.
- Sheena is a Punk Rocker – the Ramones: This playful and celebratory song about female empowerment is a fun choice for a dance floor moment or a toast to strong women.
- Ruby Soho – Rancid: This punk rock love song tells the story of a runaway finding freedom and love, offering a rebellious yet romantic choice for a first dance.
- American Idiot – Green Day: A politically charged and anthemic song about questioning authority and fighting for what you believe in, offering a unique and rebellious choice for a recessional song.
Our Top Rock Bands
Take your special day to the next level by hiring one of our electrifying rock bands. Our rock bands are all talented, experienced and reliable musicians who provide phenomenal performances every time. We provide bands from all sub-genres of rock and many of our bands play across genres. Take a look below at some of our finest rock bands on offer.
Twist of Rock
Twist of Rock is a band that plays powerful rock anthems and rocked-up pop classics that are perfect for singing and dancing. They have an extensive song list of rock music wedding songs that can be customised to suit any event.
To make their live performances even better, the band does not use any backing tracks or pre-recorded material. This means that you can expect 100% live music when you hire Twist of Rock.
The standard pricing for Twist of Rock includes everything you need for a great event. You will get 2 hours of live music, a free DJ playlist service when the band is not performing, a powerful p.a. system that can accommodate up to 600 people indoors or 400 people outdoors, dynamic computer-controlled stage and dance floor lighting, and haze/smoke machines to create a great party atmosphere.
Rock With Us
A roaming rock band, Rock With Us offers a unique, interactive experience where your guests become part of the performance. The band also provide an unparalleled level of customer service and attention to detail with customised song lists, DJ sets, colour-coordinated lighting schemes, disco balls, fog machines, and speech microphones.
Rock With Us has solidified their position at the forefront of the UK’s events industry by performing for such artists as Jamie Osborne, Courtney Love, and Charley Hull and brands such as IKEA, Lucozade, Silverstone, Bloomberg, KPMG, BrewDog, just to name a few.
Uprising
From Norwich, England, comes Uprising, an energetic 4 piece indie/rock band. Established in 2009, they have become one of the most sought-after “alternative” option for weddings and parties with a wealth of experience under their belt.
In addition to classics such as Mr Brightside by The Killers, Naive by the Kooks and Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis, they cover Britpop bangers by Blur, Oasis and Pulp and rock classics such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, and Metallica!
Queens of Rock
Queens of Rock are dedicated to female rock legends and powerful vocalists throughout the last four decades. With the most experienced and sought-after rock singers performing, the show takes the audience on an incredible journey through the hits of Cher, Bonnie Tyler, Heart, Pat Benatar, Pink, Tina Turner, Blondie, Stevie Nicks, and many more. The Queens of Rock will be a hit at any venue thanks to their amazing lights, video projection, costumes, and stage presence.
AMPED UP
With years of experience behind them, AMPED UP know how to throw a party like no other. Whether you’re rocking out to the classics like Artic Monkeys and The Killers, or you’re dancing the night away to modern hits from The 1975, The Killers, George Ezra or James Bay, your guests of all ages can dance the night away.
The Department
The Department was formed in 2015 and has since established themselves as one of the best rock cover bands in the North. This band give an excellent show, in addition to the highly professional appearance and sound, venues say they appreciate the variety throughout the night as they cover a wide range of genres and eras. Audiences love the way The Department plays material – they can play the double lead solo on Hotel California, the fantastic high-octane end to Paradise City, and even tackle Highway Star’s vintage glory.
The Riot Dogs
The Riot Dogs are a new 3-piece band featuring powerful vocals with a wide range of range and talented musicians. The Riot Dogs have an extensive set of over 100 tracks covering the best of pop and rock music with a touch of soul, reggae, funk, disco, punk and jazz. Ewan is the bassist and backup vocalist for the band and also acts as the band DJ. If you would like to book him, he will bring his booth and decks with him so he can keep your dance floor occupied during and after live performances.
De Rossi Incident
Hailed as the ultimate real deal hard rock and hair metal cover band, De Rossi Incident are a 4 piece hard rock, hair metal and grunge cover band based in Manchester. The band play everything from Fleetwood Mac, Pearl Jam, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, and Motörhead to Alice in Chains and Foo Fighters but fronted by an incredible female vocalist. Rather than being a typical tribute to one band, they prefer the mix and crowd engagement of playing an ecliptic mix, guaranteeing you and your guests a night you won’t forget.
SlippyUnderfoot
With extensive experience in the industry, SlippyUnderfoot has created a sound that combines the classic and modern elements of rock with a modern twist. The band quickly gained a following and began to play in clubs, bars and festivals where they were known for their energetic performances and stage presence. The band’s setlist features a variety of classic rock hits as well as modern hits, including Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Paramore and more.
Final thoughts
We hope this blog has given you some inspiration for your wedding playlist. And remember, the most important rule of rock and roll? There are no rules! No matter what rock wedding songs you choose, the most important thing is that they reflect your unique love story and make you and your guests want to get up and dance. So crank up the guitars, let loose, and have a rockin’ time on your big day.
Reading to have your favourite rock songs played live? Take a look at our talented wedding rock bands here or get in touch with one of our experts today for personalised recommendations.