Happy New Year comrades. This is DJ General Strike, host of the weekly protest music radio show, Protest Tunes on 91.3 KBCS FM in Seattle, WA. I broadcast 2 hours of radical protest music of all genres and eras every Wednesday at 9 PM. 2025 was a great year for protest music, as there was certainly a lot to protest this year in the US, given the rise of MAGA-fascism under Trump’s second term. The massive No Kings Protests in June and October inspired many great protest songs, as did the ICE-Out movement against Trump’s immigration crackdown, the cover-up and eventual limited release of the Epstein files, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs and DOGE cuts, and the attacks on the transgender and LGBT community.
Over the last year, I’ve compiled a playlist of over 1,100 of these protest songs, which you can listen to in its entirety here, and I’ve made 4 shows on my top protest songs of each season, or what I call “Molotov Hot Tracks.” I’ve painstakingly narrowed that high volume of songs down to my top 40 protest songs of 2025. I aired most of these songs on my show on New Year’s Eve, which you can listen to an archive of here.
The songs are organized by genre below for ease of listening (and alphabetically within genre), and you can also listen to all 40 on this Spotify Playlist. Without further ado, here’s my top 40 Protest Songs of 2025.
Folk
1. Hundred Year Hunger by Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg is an English protest singer-songwriter, author, and activist. The song about the Gaza genocide and the historical events that led to it was inspired by the book Hundred Year Hunger by E. Mark Windle. The song is also a benefit for the Amos Trust’s Gaza Appeal. This single was released on September 8th to coincide with the humanitarian aid Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza.
2. Little Flame by Carsie Blanton
Carsie Blanton is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New Orleans, US. About this song, just released December 5th, she said, “I’ve been learning a bunch of protest songs, and I had that itchy-brain feeling that I might be searching for a song that didn’t exist yet. I wanted to tie together the loose ends of history into one long tapestry of solidarity; a kind of unified theory of liberation movements.”
3. Everyone’s in the Street by Dispatch ft. Ani DiFranco
Dispatch is an indie/roots band from Boston, US, and this track features Grammy-winning feminist folk-rock singer-songwriter, author, and activist Ani DiFranco. This song connects modern protest movements to the legacy of social change activism. Dispatch said, “This song pays homage to some of the great activists of our time, John Lewis, Delores Huerta, Alice Stokes Paul, and Lois Curtis. It highlights the importance of gathering in community to pursue justice and wage peace.”
4. No Kings by Jesse Welles ft. Joan Baez
Jesse Welles is a protest singer-songwriter and guitarist from Arkansas, US. He released a solo version of this song the day before the October No Kings protests, and in early November, he performed it live with legendary 84-year-old folk singer and activist, Joan Baez, at his San Francisco Fillmore concert. A couple of weeks later, they recorded the duet in-studio and just released it on December 12th.
5. Amerikkka’s Veins by Jordan Smart
Jordan Smart is a singer-songwriter currently based in Ludlow, US. This song is the opening track on his album Confessions of a CEO. Jordan recorded the tracks between one and three takes at Small Blue Studio in Lexington, Kentucky, with J. Tom Hnatow. This is a powerful anthem against police brutality, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
6. Heavy Foot by Mon Rovia
Mon Rovia is a child refugee of the Liberian Civil War, who was adopted at age 7 and brought to Tennessee, US, and created a sound that he dubbed “Afro-Appalachian.” About this song, he said, “Heavy Foot’ lays bare the scars of a broken system, all under the weight of a heavy-footed government. Yet, through this gravity, it sings of unbreakable unity—reminding us that in the face of oppression, our love and solidarity can defy the forces that try to hold us down.”
7. Fire In America by Sasha Allen
This viral protest song by transgender singer-songwriter and former The Voice finalist Sasha Allen uses far-right activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September as a lens to examine the perpetual cycle of violence in America. The song sparked controversy after MSNBC’s Joy Reid praised its lyrics, leading to widespread conservative backlash online.
8. If the People Unite by Seth Staton Watkins
Seth Staton Watkins is a folk singer from St. Louis, US. Though from the States, he primarily sings and is best known for his renditions of traditional/rebel Irish tunes and sea shanties. He records and produces all of his music in his home studio. He describes this anti-Trump rallying cry as “a song to succor a weary soul through the bitter cold of winter”.
Rock
9. A World of Love and Care by Ezra Furman
Ezra Furman is a Jewish transwoman and Boston, US-based singer-songwriter and author, who previously released three albums as Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. This utopian song about building a better world is off her new album Goodbye Small Head, released in May.
10. The List by Moon Walker
Brooklyn, US-based indie-rock artist Harry Springer composes, produces, and performs all of Moon Walker’s music in his bedroom. He started Moon Walker at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, to pass the time and make some extra money selling songs to music libraries. Since then, Moon Walker has had viral success on TikTok and has now amassed over 100 million streams and sold out shows across America. He released this single about Trump’s Epstein Files cover-up in October.
11. Big Crime by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts
Young is a Legendary singer, songwriter, and musician formerly of bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. This song, released September 8th, lambasts Donald Trump, features his backing band, The Chrome Hearts, and was recorded during a sound check at a concert on Chicago’s Northerly Island.
R&B/Pop
12. Build A Ballroom by A Gift from Todd & Ken Sandberg
A Gift From Todd is a Baltimore, US-based artist and content creator. This viral a capella protest song against Trump’s demolition of the east wing of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom funded by private donors was first shared on TikTok in October. It gained significant traction on social media, leading to various duets and collaborations, notably this version with actor, singer, and podcaster Ken Sandberg, which they released together in November.
13. Sleeves Up by Crys Matthews
Crys Matthews is a former drum major and classically-trained clarinetist turned folk singer. Matthews says she is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to be “a drum major for justice.” She was born and raised in a small town in North Carolina by an A.M.E. preacher. She released this post-Trump-election call to action on inauguration day.
14. Pretrial (Let Her Go Home) by Fiona Apple
The three-time Grammy-winning genre-bending singer-songwriter and pianist released this rallying cry for pretrial reform in May, her first original song in five years. “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” is a protest anthem shaped by Fiona Apple’s activism, including years of court watching, community organizing, and listening to the women impacted by pretrial incarceration in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a volunteer with the organization CourtWatch PG.
15. Lady Liberty by Galactic & Irma Thomas
Galactic is a funk band from New Orleans, US, formed in 1994. Irma Thomas is an 84-year-old pillar of American R&B and blues history known as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”. They released this single about the erosion of democracy under Trump in January, off their collaborative album Audience With The Queen, which dropped in April.
16. Reparations by Kirby
Kirby is a soul singer-songwriter from Mississippi, US. Before pursuing a solo career, she was a songwriter for stars like Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Paul McCartney. This track, calling for reparations for slavery, was inspired by her grandparents’ story and her ancestors who were slaves on the Dockery cotton plantation. It’s off her sophomore album, Miss Black America, released in August.
Reggae/Ska
17. Last Call In America by Fishbone ft. George Clinton
Fishbone is an all black ska/funk/rock fusion band formed in 1979 by brothers John and Phillip Fisher and their friends in junior high school in Los Angeles, US. This song features the godfather of funk, George Clinton, and is off their newest album, Stockholm Syndrome, which dropped June 27. The song speaks directly to the current social, economic, and political climate in America under Trump’s second term.
18. World Citizen by Irie Souljah & Kabaka Pyramid
Irie Souljah is a Spanish Reggae artist, born and raised in Barcelona, who relocated to Jamaica in 2014. After dropping out of music school in his mid-teens, he started going to street parties with his friends, where he discovered reggae icons and started the band, Mystic Souldiers, which became one of the biggest reggae acts in Spain. The track features conscious contemporary Jamaican reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid. This single, released in July, critiques anti-immigrant policies around the world and calls for truly open borders, where every person is considered a ‘world citizen’ with freedom to move and migrate as they need or desire.
19. The Way You Tune It Out by JER
JER is a YouTuber, musician, composer, and music educator who hosts the YouTube channel Skatune Network, where they post ska covers of popular songs, earning the fan nickname “The CEO of Ska”. They also play trombone for ska-punk band We Are the Union. They released this single, about normalizing and turning a blind eye to injustice, in June, off their album Death of the Heart, which came out in August.
20. Street Cry by Young Veterans, Sizzla, Luciano & Turbulence
Young Veterans Music is an independent record label operating out of Kingston, Jamaica. They brought together 3 prominent conscious Jamaican reggae artists for this song; Luciano, Jamaican second-generation roots reggae singer whose lyrics promote consciousness and eschew slackness (vulgarity); Sizzla, a contemporary reggae artist noted for his high number of releases (56 albums to date); and Turbulence, a reggae artist known for mixing roots reggae with elements of dancehall and Rastafarian spirituality. Released in August, the song calls attention to the struggles of the poor and the need for systemic change to end poverty.
Hip-Hop
21. Inamo, Customs Enforcement by Bambu
Bambu is a Filipino-American community activist and rapper from Los Angeles, US, now based in Oakland. Bambu utilizes his music as a tool for a larger goal – to reach and support youth who face issues of poverty and gang violence that he experienced, and move them to question what goes on in the world, with the eventual goal of organizing and activism. This song against Trump’s immigration crackdown (inamo is a curse word in Tagalog) is off his newest album, They’re Burning the Boats, released in October.
22. Sick, Sad World by Bob Vylan
Bob Vylan is an English political punk-rap duo based in London, also known as The Bobs, as both of them go by the stage name Bobbie Dylan (with different spellings). Their leading the crowd in the Gaza solidarity protest chant “death, death to the IDF” during their performance at Glastonbury Festival this June resulted in their visas for an upcoming tour in the US being revoked. They released this single about the cost of living crisis on October 10th.
23. rage by Dezi
DEZI’s an Los Angeles, US-based alt-pop/hip-hop artist whose music comes from embracing every aspect of her identity. “My whole life is about riding the in-between. I’m Cuban American, I’m bisexual, I’m very femme but also very masc. For a long time, I felt like I had to choose which parts of myself to show, but now I’ve stopped trying to be some sort of perfect package.” About this song, she said, “It’s a song for the people who feel their best isn’t enough, who were sold an unattainable dream due to the systems our government created.”
24. THREAT LEVEL ORANGE by Earth to Eve
Earth to Eve is the solo project of Los Angeles, US-based indie-pop artist Eve Weisberger. Almost every aspect of her songs, the writing, lyrics, production, mixing, and mastering, is all done by her alone. She released this viral anti-Trump protest song this July, which was designed to be sung easily at protests.
25. No Kings In The USA by Gangstagrass ft. Allison Russell
Gangstagrass is a Bluegrass and hip-hop fusion group, best known for the theme song of the FX show Justified. Founded in 2006 by US producer Rench to “make super funky jams of hip-hop and bluegrass that bring together the best of both worlds.” They released this song featuring Canadian roots artist Allison Russell, to coincide with “No Kings” protests on June 14th.
26. 3.5% by Hyphen
Hyphen is an English rapper and songwriter of Indian origin who was working in finance and feeling depressed and lacking purpose, and started making music to help him deal with depression, which gave him a new sense of purpose. This track is inspired by the 3.5% rule, developed by political scientist Erica Chenoweth, which suggests that when about 3.5% of a population actively participates in a nonviolent protest movement, it’s highly likely to succeed in achieving major political change. This song is off Hyphen’s new EP, This Might Be It, released in August.
27. EVERYTHING’S ON FIRE by Lil Darkie
Lil Darkie is an experimental rapper, producer, and visual artist known for pushing the boundaries of genre and expression from Long Beach, US. Blending elements of hip-hop, punk, metal, folk, country, and electronic music, his work is raw, aggressive, and unapologetically honest. This track, about the rising cost of living and rising fascism in the US, is off his new album USD, released July 24th.
28. fucked up by Macklemore
Four-time Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Macklemore came up with the persona “Professor Macklemore” for an art project involving a superhero while attending High School in Seattle, US. He rose to international success collaborating with producer Ryan Lewis as the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Macklemore released this protest single against Trump’s second term and the genocide in Gaza in February, with all proceeds going to UNRWA.
29. START A FIRE by The Neighborhood Kids
The Neighborhood Kids are a conscious hip-hop collective from San Diego, US, on a mission to spark unity and drive social change through music. DAMAG3 is a transgender alternative hip-hop artist who started out making music in their bedroom outside of New Orleans, and released their first songs in 2021. The Neighborhood Kids and DAMAG3 released this collaborative anti-capitalist call to arms in July.
30. Sirens by SkyDxaddy
SkyDxddy is a pop/hip-hop singer/songwriter who calls her genre “Traumacore.” She says about herself “I started making music after everything I went through, so many people go through trauma, of all kinds. And we’re bred not to talk about it. That’s so harmful. My music allows the listener to feel it, process it, and feel power from the fact that they made it out.” This song about militant resistance to violence against women, is off SkyDxddy’s debut album, TRAUMACORE: RAW AND UNCUT, which she released this May.
Metal/Hardcore
31. PO$T AMERICAN by Dead Pioneers
Dead Pioneers emerged as an extension of vocalist Gregg Deal’s performance art, blending music with critical cultural commentary. Rooted in themes of identity and resistance, the band’s sound acts as a platform for addressing the complexities of Indigenous experience. They released this single against white nationalism and American patriotism in January, which is also the title track of their newest album released in April.
32. Clockworked ft. LANDMVRKS
Stray from the Path is a Political hardcore band formed in 2001 in Long Island, US. “Their music fuses hardcore with metallic precision, hip-hop swagger, punk urgency, and political commentary.” This song against apathy and conformity to rising fascism is the title track off their new and final album, Clockworked, released May 30th, and features French metalcore band LANDMVRKS.
33. Scene 1 by SUMAC & Moor Mother
Pacific Northwest trio Sumac is a post-metal supergroup formed in 2014. It features the Vancouver, Canada-based Nick Yacyshyn, Seattle, US-based Brian Cook, and Vashon Island, US-based Aaron Turner. Moor Mother is a Jazz poet, rapper, musician, and activist from Philadelphia, US, of the bands Irreversible Entanglements and 700 Bliss. This song against European colonialism and anti-black racism is off their collaborative concept album The Film, released in April.
34. HOSTAGE (they will not erase us) by TX2
TX2, AKA Timothy Evan Thomas, is a queer musician who blends hip hop, metal, and punk rock from Fort Collins, US. TX2’s first went viral on TikTok Tok and he now has 1.3 million followers and 45 million likes on the platform. TX2 also started the “X Movement”, which is all about bringing awareness to mental health issues, and has been donating proceeds from this song to The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for the LGBTQ+ community. About this track, which is a rallying cry for equality, visibility, and justice, for the queer and trans community, which he released in April, TX2 said, “This is our anthem. They will not erase us.”
Punk
35. Down to Riot by Cheap Perfume
Cheap perfume is an unapologetically political feminist punk band out of Denver, US, formed in 2015. About this single, released July 18th, off their album Don’t Care. Didn’t Ask (released this October). Guitarist-vocalist Jane No said, “This working-class anthem was inspired by hearing so many people after the pandemic complaining that ‘No one wants to work anymore.”
36. Protect Trans Kids by Evan Greer & Ryan Cassata
This song is a collaboration of two trans activist-musicians: Ryan Cassata, a trans masc singer-songwriter, actor, YouTuber, speaker, and activist based in New York, US; and Evan Greer, a trans fem digital rights activist, writer, and musician from Boston, US. They released this punk anthem this Trans Day of Visibility (March 31st). About the track, Greer said, “The goal of this song is to remind people that it’s actually pretty f–ing simple: Let [trans] kids be kids. Stop bullying them. Just leave them alone.”
37. BRAINROT by Grandson
Grandson is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper, and activist based in Los Angeles, US, who began releasing music in 2015. BRAINROT was his first new release in two years since the Venom film theme song, and the lead single off his album INERTIA, which dropped in September. About the song, Grandson said, “‘BRAINROT’ is about the distraction of the internet, the way our attention span is weaponized and attacked by technology companies to prevent any real momentum building on the pressing issues of our generation.”
38. Bad Apple by Lambrini Girls
Lambrini Girls are an English punk rock duo formed in Brighton by Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez, who are both LGBT and neurodivergent. They took their name from Lambrini, a brand of sweet sparkling pear cider, associated with low-class women. This anti-police brutality track is off their album Who Let the Dogs Out, released in January.
39. Not In Your Mouth, None Of Your Business by Peaches
Peaches is a queer feminist Canadian electroclash musician, performance artist, director, and producer known for her sexually transgressive persona. She began her musical career in the 1990s as part of the folk trio, Mermaid Cafe, and is now 59 years old. She released this single in October, the lead single off her first album in over a decade, No Lube So Rude, due in 2026. This song is a rousing battle cry for bodily autonomy and a protest against the Trump administration’s attacks on trans and queer people’s freedom.
Jazz
40. A Plea by Flea
This Eight-minute jazz single was released on December 2nd by the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and second-best bassist of all time (according to Rolling Stone). He was first called “Flea” as a teenager for his seeming inability to sit still, and the nickname stuck. This track is the first preview of his forthcoming solo jazz album. Flea describes the song’s lyrics as “yearning for a place beyond, a place of love, to help us all to live harmoniously and productively in a way that’s healthy for the world.”
