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There have been a ton of unforgettable guitar riffs in the history of rock music, but one has perhaps rocked a little harder than the rest as an iconic riff from a very well-known 90s alternative track has been crowned the "Best Guitar Riff Of All Time."
Nirvana's 1991 hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has taken the top spot on UDiscoverMusic (owned by Universal Music Group). As noted by the site, the band's Kurt Cobain was trying to come up with the "ultimate pop song," and told Rolling Stone in 1994, "I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it." Ironically, the Pixies did not make this list.
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The guitar riffs to make the top ten (in order from number two to ten) are Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode" (1958), The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), Deep Purple's "Smoke On Water" (1972), Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" (1988), Link Wray's "Rumble" (1958), Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" (1969), The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Purple Haze" (1967), ZZ Top's "La Grange" (1973), and The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (1964).
Other notable guitar riffs that made the list beyond the top ten include Metallica's "Enter Sandman" (1991), Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" (1980), AC/DC's "Back In Black" (1980), Queen's "Killer Queen" (1974), Heart's "Barracuda" (1977), Bonnie Raitt's "Something To Talk About" (1991) and more.