Revenge shows up in some of the most powerful stories in music. Songs about revenge cover situations from cheating to full payback, turning betrayal into clear, direct messages. Whether it’s a furious ex, a wronged woman, or someone pushed too far, artists across different genres use these songs to share stories of getting even.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Revenge Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Revenge
1. “Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood
Lyric Sample: “I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive.”
Carrie Underwood is the queen of revenge songs, and “Before He Cheats” is probably her best one. It’s a fiery track about taking a Louisville slugger to a no-good boyfriend’s car, turning heartbreak into satisfying destruction.
Related: Songs About Cheating
2. “Vigilante Shit” – Taylor Swift
Lyric Sample: “While he was doin’ lines and crossin’ all of mine, someone told his white-collar crimes to the FBI.”
Swift trades in her diary for a dagger on this dark pop cut. She teams up with a scorned woman to ruin a corrupt man’s reputation and let the feds do the rest.
3. “Ballad of Frankenstein’s Monster” – 12 Step Rebels
Lyric Sample: “I can’t stand to see my own reflection, ’cause I see the monster they tell me that I am.”
This song tells the story of a lonely outcast dealing with pain and rejection. It shows what happens when someone is pushed away and treated cruelly, and how it can spark anger and a need to fight back.
4. “Look What You Made Me Do” – Taylor Swift
Lyric Sample: “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ’cause she’s dead!”
This electropop song delivers one of the most theatrical revenge arcs in recent music. Swift flips the blame and turns the tables with unapologetic energy.
5. “Blood for Blood” – Machine Head
Lyric Sample: “I bite the hand ’cause this hand feeds off me, ignorance is bliss, and respect I gave you.”
This metal track deals with betrayal and aggression, focusing on the idea that payback comes in equal measure. It pushes a message of returning harm for harm, fitting the spirit of vengeance and revenge.
6. “Janie’s Got a Gun” – Aerosmith
Lyric Sample: “Janie’s got a gun, her whole world’s come undone.”
“Janie’s Got a Gun” is a story about a girl who takes justice into her own hands. It’s one of the more serious revenge songs, highlighting the aftermath of abuse.
7. “Get Him Back!” – Olivia Rodrigo
Lyric Sample: “I wanna meet his mom just to tell her her son sucks.”
Rodrigo’s pop-rock revenge fantasy teeters between wanting payback and wanting him back. It’s playful, messy, and exactly how heartbreak often feels.
8. “Hit ‘Em Up” – 2Pac
Lyric Sample: “First off, f*** your b**** and the clique you claim.”
This track isn’t just a diss, it’s a scorched-earth campaign. 2Pac’s fury is unfiltered, making it one of the most infamous rap songs about revenge ever created.
9. “Blown Away” – Carrie Underwood
Lyric Sample: “Some people called it taking shelter, she called it sweet revenge.”
Carrie spins a chilling tale of a daughter who lets a tornado handle her abusive father. This track takes the idea of vengeance to cinematic levels.
10. “Your Time Is Gonna Come” – Led Zeppelin
Lyric Sample: “Made up my mind to break you this time.”
This rock classic serves a calm but cold notice to a partner who’s gone too far. It’s the kind of revenge that comes with walking away and never looking back.
11. “Roses on White Lace” – Alice Cooper
Lyric Sample: “Blood drops look like roses on white lace, they won’t wash away.”
“Roses on White Lace” tells a dark story of betrayal and violent revenge. It shows how acts of violence leave marks that last long after.
12. “Trailer for Rent” – Pistol Annies
Lyric Sample: “Trailer for rent, no down payment, comes with some holes and dents where I got tired of his shit.”
This country song tells the story of a woman who gets revenge by renting out the trailer after walking away. It’s her way of pushing back and moving on.
13. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” – Nancy Sinatra
Lyric Sample: “You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’.”
Sinatra’s cool delivery makes this revenge song even sharper. It’s a stylish strut out the door, and a promise that karma’s wearing heels.
14. “Church Bells” – Carrie Underwood
Lyric Sample: “It was all bruises, covered in makeup, dark sunglasses.”
Carrie returns with another Southern gothic revenge tale involving a wealthy abuser and a bottle of sleeping pills. The bells toll for him, not her.
15. “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” – Pat Benatar
Lyric Sample: “Knock me down, it’s all in vain, I get right back on my feet again.”
This rock classic channels defiance more than destruction. The focus stays on confidence and bouncing back instead of getting revenge.
Related: Best Karaoke Songs for Women
16. “The Payback” – James Brown
Lyric Sample: “I don’t know karate, but I know ka-razor.”
In “The Payback, “James Brown makes it clear that he’s not backing down. The song takes on betrayal with a steady, no-nonsense tone and a warning not to mess with him.
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17. “Mariner’s Revenge Song” – The Decemberists
Lyric Sample: “We are two mariners, our ship’s sole survivors.”
This theatrical folk song follows a man avenging his mother’s death inside the belly of a whale. It’s storytelling revenge with a maritime twist.
18. “Gunpowder & Lead” – Miranda Lambert
Lyric Sample: “I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun.”
Lambert doesn’t wait around in this fierce country revenge song about domestic violence. It’s about a woman’s resolve to take control and fight back when pushed too far.
19. “Five Minutes Alone” – Pantera
Lyric Sample: “You cry for compensation, I ask you please just give us five minutes alone.”
This heavy metal track is about intense anger toward those who have caused harm or unfair judgment. It centers on demanding space to confront pain and settle the score without interruption.
20. “Revenge” – Pink
Lyric Sample: “Let me count the ways how I’ll get you, or how I’ll make you pay.”
Pink’s tongue-in-cheek track turns payback into a funhouse ride. With biting lyrics and unexpected twists, it makes revenge sound like a game.
21. “Iron Man” – Black Sabbath
Lyric Sample: “Now the time is here for Iron Man to spread fear.”
Though often mistaken for a superhero song, it’s really about betrayal and revenge. Iron Man returns to destroy those who wronged him.
Related: “Iron Man” Song Meaning
22. “Dirt Room” – Blue October
Lyric Sample: “I’m like a ghost, I’ll be living in a dirt room, waiting for the day to be closer.”
“Dirt Room” tells a story of someone ready to confront a person who wronged their family and stole from them. The determination to turn the tables and hold that person accountable drives the track.
23. “A Bullet for Ramona” – Warren Zevon
Lyric Sample: “Oh, today I shot Ramona, Ma, she ain’t gonna cheat on me.”
“A Bullet for Ramona” is a ’70s track about a man who takes deadly revenge after discovering his partner’s betrayal. It tells a dark story of heartbreak and the consequences of vengeance.
24. “The Alchemist” – Blue Öyster Cult
Lyric Sample: “May never a noble of your murderous line, survive to reach a greater age than thine.”
In “The Alchemist,” a curse is placed on a royal bloodline as revenge for past crimes. It tells a dark tale of retribution that spans generations and refuses to end.
25. “Two Black Cadillacs” – Carrie Underwood
Lyric Sample: “One is for his wife, the other for the woman who loved him at night.”
This country revenge song is about two women who discover they were both involved with the same man. They join forces to take revenge, turning secrets into a deadly confrontation.
26. “Bust Your Windows” – Jazmine Sullivan
Lyric Sample: “I bust the windows out your car, after I saw you layin’ next to her.”
This R&B revenge song shows a woman taking direct action after heartbreak. Anger and pain push her to make the person who hurt her face the fallout.
Related: Songs About Cheating
27. “Goodbye Earl” – The Chicks
Lyric Sample: “That Earl had to die, goodbye Earl, those black-eyed peas, they tasted alright to me.”
“Goodbye Earl” is about two friends who take matters into their own hands to stop an abusive husband. It tells a story of standing up to violence and making sure the abuse ends.
Related: Best Songs About Friendship
28. “Buenas Tardes Amigo” – Ween
Lyric Sample: “You killed my brother last winter, you shot him three times in the back.”
This ’90s vengeance track is about a man seeking revenge for his brother’s murder. It tells a story where justice and personal revenge blur on a day meant for celebration.
29. “Screaming for Vengeance” – Judas Priest
Lyric Sample: “We are screamin’, screamin’ for vengeance, the world is a manacled place.”
“Screaming for Vengeance” is about fighting back against oppression and injustice. Revenge becomes the only answer after enough damage is done.
30. “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
Lyric Sample: “That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia, that’s the night that they hung an innocent man.”
This Southern Gothic classic follows a sister avenging her brother’s wrongful execution. It’s a twist-filled story where she takes justice into her own hands.
Related: Best Songs About Georgia
31. “The Vengeful One” – Disturbed
Lyric Sample: “I’m the hand of God, I’m the dark messiah, I’m the vengeful one.”
“The Vengeful One” is about a brutal reckoning delivered by a figure who sees himself as divine justice. Corruption and chaos fuel his mission to destroy what’s left of a broken world.
The Satisfaction Behind a Great Payback Track
There’s something powerful about hearing a story where the tables finally turn. Whether it’s a dramatic showdown, a small act of payback, or simply walking away stronger, these are the types of songs that stick with you long after the last note.
If you liked this list, you may also enjoy our Songs About Cheating, Songs About Divorce, and Songs About Envy collections.
