The best karaoke songs of all time are the ones a whole room will sing with you — led, as always, by “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Mr. Brightside,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and “Dancing Queen.” Below is my ranked top 50, built from years of watching what actually lands and cross-checked against the most-requested lists published by KaraFun, Lucky Voice, Billboard, and Time Out. Every one is chosen for the same reason: crowd familiarity plus a big, shared payoff.
How I ranked these
A great karaoke song isn’t the same as a great song. It needs a chorus people know cold, a range most of us can survive, and a moment — a key change, a shout-along, a “so good, so good” — that turns singing into a group event. I leaned on published rankings from Billboard and Time Out, plus the most-sung data karaoke apps publish each year, then ordered them by how reliably I’ve seen them work in a real room.
The top 10 — the untouchables
1. “Don’t Stop Believin’” — Journey
The undisputed king of karaoke. Every room knows it and loses it at the final chorus.
2. “Sweet Caroline” — Neil Diamond
The “so good, so good” is a built-in crowd response. You are never singing alone.
3. “Mr. Brightside” — The Killers
Undefeated at making a room erupt, and it’s mostly talk-sung until the chorus.
4. “Livin’ on a Prayer” — Bon Jovi
That late key change is one of the great moments in karaoke — save your power for it.
5. “Dancing Queen” — ABBA
Timeless and inescapable; the intro alone lights up the room.
6. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen
The ultimate group number — nobody hits every note, and that’s the fun.
7. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” — Whitney Houston
Pure joy. High, but the crowd’s energy carries you over the top.
8. “Wonderwall” — Oasis
Everyone thinks they can do it better than Liam Gallagher — that’s karaoke at its finest.
9. “I Will Survive” — Gloria Gaynor
A defiant anthem with a story arc the whole room commits to.
10. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” — Bonnie Tyler
Big, dramatic, and gloriously over the top — a duet in disguise.
11–20: the reliable crowd-pleasers
11. “Piano Man” — Billy Joel
12. “Africa” — Toto
13. “Shallow” — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
14. “Rolling in the Deep” — Adele
15. “Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
16. “Hey Jude” — The Beatles
17. “Wannabe” — Spice Girls
18. “Shake It Off” — Taylor Swift
19. “Since U Been Gone” — Kelly Clarkson
20. “Summer Nights” — from Grease
This is the meat of any good night: songs so familiar you’ll hear the whole bar humming along by the second line.
21–30: rock and singalong staples
21. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” — Guns N’ Roses
22. “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” — Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
23. “Come On Eileen” — Dexys Midnight Runners
24. “Zombie” — The Cranberries
25. “Valerie” — Amy Winehouse / Mark Ronson
26. “You’re the One That I Want” — from Grease
27. “Angels” — Robbie Williams
28. “Mr. Jones” — Counting Crows
29. “Torn” — Natalie Imbruglia
30. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — Elton John & Kiki Dee
31–40: pop anthems and dance floor fillers
31. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” — Cyndi Lauper
32. “Like a Prayer” — Madonna
33. “...Baby One More Time” — Britney Spears
34. “Toxic” — Britney Spears
35. “Livin’ la Vida Loca” — Ricky Martin
36. “I Want It That Way” — Backstreet Boys
37. “Bye Bye Bye” — NSYNC
38. “Flowers” — Miley Cyrus
39. “Bring Me to Life” — Evanescence
40. “Mr. Brightside’s heirs — Hey Ya!” by OutKast
41–50: country, R&B, and modern picks
41. “Friends in Low Places” — Garth Brooks
42. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — John Denver
43. “Jolene” — Dolly Parton
44. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” — Shania Twain
45. “Wagon Wheel” — Darius Rucker
46. “No Scrubs” — TLC
47. “Say My Name” — Destiny’s Child
48. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” — Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
49. “Before He Cheats” — Carrie Underwood
50. “Killing Me Softly” — The Fugees
Turn this list into a night out
Want to go deeper on a genre? I have full breakdowns of the best rock karaoke songs, best country karaoke songs, and best duet karaoke songs. If you’re new to the mic, the easiest karaoke songs are the safest openers — and steer clear of the hardest karaoke songs until you’re warmed up. Then find a spot on our Find Karaoke by City maps and go claim a slot.