Who doesn’t love some good music? Whether you prefer jazz, pop, rock, EDM, bubblegrunge, indie sleaze, Broadway musicals, or baroque pop (we’re getting carried away here) is your business. However, no matter your favorite genre, there’s a way for you to get your music trivia fix.
To us at Trivia Bliss, it’s just as much fun to be quizzed about song facts and lyrics as it is to listen to our favorite songs themselves. If you’re a music nerd who feels the same way that we do, we’ve got quite the collection of trivia games for you to try.
Below are our eight picks for music trivia games for you and your friends to try next. Each game has something unique and fun to bring to the table—both the proverbial table and your coffee table at your next trivia night, that is!
Keep scrolling to find our which of the eight best music trivia games is right for you.
Lyrically Correct Oldies but Goodies Edition
Ever get your favorite older songs stuck in your head? If you’re a lyrically-minded music listener who loves a good blast from the past, then you’ll love Lyrically Correct Oldies but Goodies Edition. This fun card game asks players to recall details revealed through the lyrics of famous songs, like “when the Jackson Five were sitting around with their head hanging down, what did they wonder?”. You’re gonna need a sharp memory to succeed in playing this fun game!
Each trivia card lists a lyrics-related question regarding a song from the 1960s or 70s. Sometimes the song’s name is listed, and other times it isn’t, making this game more fun for music aficionados than newer listeners. The answer to each question is located at the bottom of the card.
In addition, there are also challenge cards that implore players to know details such as when a song was released, what album it was on, or what the rest of the song’s lyrics entail.
If music from the ’60s and ’70s isn’t your jam, no worries—Lyrically Correct Oldies but Goodies Edition has several editions of the game that instead center around ’80s music, ’90s music, and the gospel revival.
- Lyrically Correct is a head to head trivia game to see who really remembers the lyrics to some of your favorite songs.
- 2 PLAYERS OR MORE
- 140 PLAYING CARDS + 10 CHALLENGE CARDS
- IN THE BOX: Playing cards and instructions
- HOW TO PLAY: Grab two or more players (pick your teammates wisely) and take turns answering questions about 60s & 70s hits.
MTV: The Music Throwback Party Game
Did you come of age watching MTV? If so, why not get nostalgic with MTV: The Music Throwback Party Game? It’s a board game that’s got plenty of fun and challenging components that are sure to get your mind racing as you try to remember your favorite songs of yesteryear!
In MTV: The Music Throwback Party Game, your goal is to collect an artist card from each of the eight genres with your team. The eight genre categories are as follows: Best of Unplugged, Teenage Angst, Pop Anthems, Headbangers, Hip Hop Hips, Queens of MTV, Award-Winning Videos, and Across the Pond. To collect a card from each category, each team must succeed in several different trivia rounds. These rounds include musical charades (which may or may not involve impersonating some iconic musicians), rapid-fire song naming (i.e. name as many songs as possible that feature a certain word, such as “tonight”), and performing songs for your teammates to guess their titles. Best of all, this game uses a buzzer, giving the entire game-playing experience a game-show feel.
With so many fun components, this game is perfect for the adventurous, gregarious music enjoyer. It features songs from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, so there’s plenty of variety, and you won’t get sick of any musical micro-era.
MTV: The Music Throwback Party Game is made by Big Potato Games. It’s intended for four or more players aged 14 and older.
- I WANT MY MTV Switch over to a music party game for adults and teens that’s filled with all the biggest MTV hits from the '80s, '90s and '00s
- FOR ANYONE WHO'S EVER HEARD A SONG: In the head to head round two players face off in a quick-fire MTV Challenge category battle naming song titles
- TRIPLE CHARADES JEOPARDY Afterwards, players have 30 seconds to describe in one word, speak the lyrics and perform songs from three famous bands for their team to guess
- TOTAL REQUEST LIVE The first team to collect an artist from all eight cassette categories wins the game Requires 2 x AAA batteries (not included)
- EASY TO LEARN, QUICK TO PLAY A new party board game for 2020 made specially for adults of the MTV generation 4+ Players, ages 13 and up
Professor Puzzle Ultimate Music Trivia
If you’re looking for a gateway to general music trivia, look no further than Professor Puzzle’s Ultimate Music Trivia. With questions like “in what song does a girl take a midnight train goin’ anywhere?” and “which new wave band was fronted by David Byrne?”, it’s sure to please all sorts of music fans.
Professor Puzzle’s Ultimate Music Trivia features 300 individual music trivia questions, making for plenty of fodder for several trivia nights. Each music trivia card features a trivia question and its answer. This means that one cannot read the card they’re seeking to answer, so players must switch off as they quiz each other to play functionally.
The 300 trivia cards are split into three categories: Timeless Tunes, Big Hitters, and Music Legends. Each collection of category cards comes in its own individual box, helping to differentiate them. This is especially helpful if you’re only playing using a single category, which is a great way to switch up the game.
Professor Puzzle’s Ultimate Music Trivia is full of all sorts of music-related questions, from lyrics to melodies and band names to artist fun facts. It’s sure to entertain musically-minded teens and adults alike.
2000s Pop Music Trivia
Do you find yourself yearning for the simpler days of the early aughts? Us too—that’s why we love this 2000s Pop Music Trivia game from Ridley’s.
This is a briefer trivia card game, making it perfect for a smaller trivia night or a secondary play after completing a longer game. It can be played with two or more players, though groups of four or more are encouraged so that teams can be formed.
Why teams? Well, this game revolves in part around call-and-response singing. Some trivia cards ask players to sing the next line of a song. The player in possession of the card sings part of the song, and to earn points, another player from their team must finish the lyric and continue to sing the song!
Other cards feature multiple-choice, music-related questions, so if you’re feeling stumped, you’ve got some answer options handed to you.
If you don’t feel like keeping track of points, this game can be modified to become a more casual play. Just stop keeping score and enjoy some good company and even better trivia questions!
Summer of Music Trivia Game
What’s your favorite song of the summer? With Summer of Music Trivia Game from Talking Tables, you can let your friends and family know, all while refreshing your memory regarding other hits of summers past.
Summer of Music Trivia Game features 60 trivia cards, each printed with two trivia questions and answers for your gaming pleasure. These questions have a pretty wide range of difficulties. For example, a newer music trivia fan might be able to answer the question “which city in Tennessee is known as the home of country music?” (Nashville) but might struggle to answer “what joint in the body is the name of an indie band fronted by Guy Garvey?” (Elbow). No matter how much you think you know about music, this set of cards is sure to have some challenges in store for you.
Looking for a trivia game you can take on the go? Summer of Music Trivia Game comes in one small, portable box, making it easy to pack to bring on a summer road trip or outdoor picnic. Make sure to blast your favorite songs of the summer as you play!
Rock Trivia Madness
Do you know why the IRA threatened to kidnap Bono, the lead singer of U2? Or the event that inspired the Red Hot Chili Peppers to write “Give It Away”? If these questions pique your interest, Rock Trivia Madness is the music trivia game for you.
Written by trivia author Bill O’Neill with the help of Ray Connor, Rock Trivia Madness goes beyond your average lyrics-based trivia game to quiz you on some of the most bonkers facts about rock music from the 60s through the 90s. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to learn a little more about the genre, though rock ‘n roll fanatics may find that they have an easier time succeeding playing this game. Its questions range from fairly general to extremely niche, so prepare to get stumped, no matter how much you think you know about rock music.
Rock Trivia Madness is available as a paperback or via eBook. That’s right, it’s not a set of cards or board game like many of the other games featured on this list. To play, you’re gonna have to get a little creative. Consider circling up and taking turns creating trivia questions as you read from the book or asking a friend to fill in a blank as you read them the start of a fun fact. With such a wealth of rock knowledge at your fingertips, the absence of cards won’t feel like an inconvenience; on the contrary, it’ll be nice to switch it up using a less conventional trivia game format.
- O'Neill, Bill (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 156 Pages - 04/09/2017 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
Scene It? Music, The DVD Game
Anyone remember Scene It?, the classic movie trivia game from the early 2000s? Turns out they’ve got a music edition, too.
Scene It? Music is a DVD game, meaning you must have a DVD-compatible disc player and a computer or television handy. There’s also a board game component, so clear off your coffee table and get ready for some trivia fun.
There are plenty of game elements in Scene It?, including trivia from three different categories. These categories are Songs and Lyrics, Pop Culture, and Take Three. There are also memory games, puzzles, and music video-related challenged that the DVD game intersperses with the traditional trivia questions. This keeps gameplay from getting dull and can help to extend game time for as long as you desire.
While it’s no longer manufactured, Scene It? Music can be found via several online resellers. A quick search on eBay will yield plenty of results if you’re interested in purchasing the game. Because it was released in the early aughts, plenty of the questions in Scene It? Music may seem dated. However, that doesn’t mean it’s unsuitable to play. Why not have a throwback night? Dress up like it’s 2004 and put on a playlist of your favorite hits of yesteryear.
With over 1100 trivia questions to cycle through, you’ll never get bored playing Scene It? Music
- Features hundreds of artists including Johnny Cash, Madonna, Tina Turner, Blondie and Tim McGraw
- Also clips from memorable movies and performances such as Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire and Kevin Bacon's dance moves in Footloose
- Includes the Party Play feature and a Flextime Game Board
- Over a thousand film scenes, stars, images and other music culture references
- Game includes 4 collectible metal tokens
Kulture Karaoke Game
If you’re looking for an untraditional music trivia game that can be modified to fit your group’s needs, try your hand (or, rather, your voice) at Kulture Karaoke.
This game isn’t a traditional trivia game that provides questions about music facts that beg to be answered. Instead, Kulture Karaoke asks players to sing a song that fits the descriptors offered on each of 150 game cards.
For example, one card might ask a player to “perform a song by an artist who was signed to So So Def Records” and another card might implore someone to “perform a song by an artist who only had one big hit.” While these questions are relatively open-ended and have more than one answer, they still require players to think critically about music trivia to sing their responses.
This unique facet of the game makes it ideal for outgoing trivia lovers ready to test their performance skills. A player doesn’t have to have a pretty voice to play the game, though any subpar singers are sure to garner lots of friendly laughs!
Other questions, like “perform a song that was included on the first CD you ever bought” and “perform a song you had no business singing as a child,” are less trivia-based and more personal. Switching it up between trivia and personal questions can keep the game light and exciting, although diehard trivia fans may want to omit these cards in favor of a more difficult game.
Kulture Karaoke is appropriate for players ages 14 and up and can be played with as few as two players, making it great for a date night. It’s centered around 90s and 2000s hip-hop and R&B, so get your throwback playlist ready!
- Kulture Karaoke will take your next game night or karaoke night to the next level!
- Fun song categories like "Pick a song by a 90's R&B girl group" or "Biggie vs. Pac"
- Contents: 150 cards with classic Hip Hop and R&B categories and detailed instructions
- Bad singer? No problem! This is not a talent show. Just fun, going back down memory lane
Final Words
There you have it, folks: our eight favorite picks for music trivia games. Whip one of these out at your next karaoke night, at-home pub trivia night, or trivia-centric hang, and you’re sure to get your friends and family talking (not to mention singing!).
Have you enjoyed playing one of these quality games with your pals in the past? Or do you have a favorite music trivia game that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Additionally, if you’ve got a favorite album or playlist you like to listen to while you play trivia, drop a link. We’re always on the hunt for trivia-friendly tuneage and would love to hear about your preferences.
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