200 Music Trivia Questions and Answers

As a self-proclaimed “music nerd”, there is nothing I love more than the music category at my local trivia night. So, if you looking to test your music knowledge with some trivia, you have come to the right place!

In this article, I have rounded up 200+ music trivia questions and answers. Here you’ll find everything from fill-in-the-lyrics questions to music industry facts and much more! Ready to put your music expertise to the test?

Music trivia questions and answers

Whether you need some inspiration for your own music quiz or simply want to test your skills, you are sure to learn something new with these 200 music trivia questions.

1. Whose guitar is buried with Dimebag Darrel?

Answer: Eddie Van Halen’s “Bumblebee” guitar was buried with Dimebag Darrell, who considered EVH to be one of his major influences.

2. What city are The Beatles from?

Answer: Liverpool

3. What is the best-selling album of all time from a female artist?

Answer: The Bodyguard Soundtrack by Whitney Houston

4. What famous heavy metal guitarist and frontman was the original lead guitar player for Metallica?

Answer: Dave Mustaine

Check out my list of the best heavy metal guitarists for more on this!

5. True or false: Is “Madonna” the famous singer’s real name?

Answer: True

6. Which three musicians were killed in a plane crash on “the day the music died” in 1959?

Answer: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper

7. What is the theme of each Ed Sheeran album?

Answer: Math symbols

8. What song was used for the popular “rick-roll” meme?

Answer: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley

9. What is Snoop Dogg’s real name?

Answer: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.

10. What year did John Lennon Die?

Answer: 1980

11. How many languages can Shakira speak fluently?

Answer: 5

12. The hip-hop subgenre “bounce” is most associated with which US city?

Answer: New Orleans

13. Which award show did Lady Gaga wear her infamous meat dress at?

Answer: MTV Music Awards

14. Who wrote Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s “This Is What You Came Here For”?

Answer: Taylor Swift

15. What was the best-selling album of 2008?

Answer: Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne

16. What is the first ABBA song sung in the musical Mamma Mia?

Answer: “Honey, honey”

17. What is singer-songwriter Adele’s last name?

Answer: Atkins

18. “Diva”, “Sweet Dreams”, and “Why Don’t You Love Me” are songs off of which album?

Answer: “I Am Sasha Fierce” by Beyonce

19. Which instrument is featured on Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow?”

Answer: Ukelele

20. What country is Björk from?

Answer: Iceland

21. Who was the first member of One Direction to leave the band?

Answer: Zayn Malik

22. What prestigious award not normally associated with music did Bob Dylan win in 2016?

Answer: Nobel Prize for Literature

23. What musical contest first started in 1956?

Answer: The Eurovision Song Contest

24. Who was the original drummer for The Beatles?

Answer: Pete Best

25. What is Elton John’s real name?

Answer: Reginald Kenneth Dwight

26. What year did MTV first air?

Answer: 1981

27. What musician does Nirvana and The Foo Fighters have in common?

Answer: Dave Grohl

28. The debut album by The Rolling Stones was titled The Rolling Stones but was called something else in the US. What was the album title?

Answer: England’s Newest Hit Makers

29. What famous music festival was held in upstate New York in 1969?

Answer: Woodstock

30. Hallelujah has been covered many times, who originally wrote the song in 1984?

Answer: Leonard Cohen

31. Who is the lead singer of Oasis?

Answer: Liam Gallagher

32. What genre came out of early Jamaican rhythm and blues in the early 1950s?

Answer: Ska

33. Name the artist and song from these lyrics: “Nights alone that we miss more and days we save as souvenirs”

Answer: “Peaches” by Justin Bieber

34. What year were both Smash by The Offspring and Dookie by Green Day released?

Answer: 1994

35. Name the artist and song from these lyrics: “They wanna see us end up like we Regina on Mean Girls”

Answer: Woman by Doja Cat

36. Who bought The Beatles music catalog for 47.5 million dollars in 1987?

Answer: Michael Jackson

37. What are the “big three” music record labels?

Answer: Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group

38. Which composer died from cholera after drinking unboiled water?

Answer: Tchaikovsky

39. Which famous artist was thrown out of school for holding the hand of a white girl?

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

40. Which composer and pianist famously had such small hands that he had pianos custom-made with smaller keys?

Answer: Josef Hofmann

41. What three things did Ariana Grande’s exes teach her in “Thank U Next”?

Answer: Love, patience, and pain

42. Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to what kind of music?

Answer: Heavy metal

43. Most American toilets flush in what key?

Answer: E-flat

44. What band is named after Paul McCartney’s fake name for when he checks into hotels?

Answer: The Ramones

45. How many strings does a modern harp have?

Answer: 47

46. An erhu is a musical instrument. Is it a percussion instrument, wind instrument, stringed instrument, or electronic instrument?

Answer: A stringed instrument

47. Van Halen’s 1984 was #2 on the Billboard 200 in 1984, what album was #1 that Eddie Van Halen also played guitar on?

Answer: Thriller by Michael Jackson (EVH played the solo on Beat It)

48. Which country has a larger national orchestra than its army?

Answer: Monaco

49. Which country has the longest national anthem by length of text?

Answer: Greece at 158 stanzas

50. Which Cher music video was banned from MTV because of her revealing outfit?

Answer: “If I Could Turn Back Time”

51. What is the missing lyric? “Jesus freaks out in the street, __”

Answer: “Handing out tickets for God”

52. At what age did Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix all die?

Answer: 27

53. What is the most-viewed music video of all time on YouTube?

Answer: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

54. What song has the Guinness World Record for the song containing the most words?

Answer: “Rap God” by Eminem (1,560 words!)

55. Taylor Swift fans are called “Swifties”, what are Beyonce fans called?

Answer: Beyhive

56. True or False: One Direction won their season of the X Factor.

Answer: False (the band came in third place)

57. What famous singer’s real name is Peter Gene Hernandez?

Answer: Bruno Mars

58. What song are these lyrics from: “We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out, because I love you too much, baby”

Answer: “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley

59. What century did the Romantic period take place in music?

Answer: 19th century (1820 to 1900)

60. All four members of this rock band have the same last name. The band consists of three brothers and their cousin. Which band is it?

Answer: Kings of Leon

61. How many strings does a balalaika have?

Answer: 3

62. What early punk band recorded a punk-rock version of “God Save the Queen”?

Answer: The Sex Pistols

63. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac make up what band?

Answer: Hanson

64. What kind of strings do classical guitars use?

Answer: Nylon

65. How many inches long is Gene Simmons’ tongue?

Answer: 7 inches

66. Which of these famous musicians is NOT from the USA: Brandon Flowers, Rod Stewart, and Lana Del Ray

Answer: Rod Stewart

67. The first Foo Fighters album was made by David Grohl as a way to cope with what?

Answer: Kurt Cobain’s suicide

66. Exactly how long (in minutes and seconds) is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”?

Answer: 5 minutes and 55 seconds

69. The lead singer of The Offspring, Dexter Holland, has a PhD in which subject?

Answer: Molecular biology

70. Britney Spears’s “Hit Me Baby One More Time” was originally written for which artist?

Answer: TLC

71. Who was Rihanna’s “Umbrella” originally written for?

Answer: Britney Spears

72. What two famous Dolly Parton songs did she write on the same night?

Answer: “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”

73. The Backstreet Boys used what common sound as the beat for their song “The Call”?

Answer: A fart (by Howie)

74. Which famous artist was born on the day of Nirvana’s last concert?

Answer: Justin Bieber

75. Stevie Ray Vaughan got his career start playing for which artist?

Answer: David Bowie

76. Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury collaborated with each other, but Freddie Mercury broke it off as Michael Jackson kept bringing his pet to the studio. What animal was this pet?

Answer: A llama

77. What do the following songs have in common? “Watermelon Sugar,” “SexyBack,” “Slow Hands,” and “All Night Long”

Answer: They are all songs by artists who went solo from a band/group

78. How many hours did it take for Black Sabbath to record their debut album?

Answer: 12 hours

79. Which pair, with the best selling album in both 1970 and 1971, recorded their first song under the names Tom and Jerry?

Answer: Simon and Garfunkle

80. What 80s rock song is about a lead singer overdosing on drugs and being injected with an adrenaline shot?

Answer: “Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe

81. At the end of his life, Johnny Cash covered the song “Hurt”, who was the original artist?

Answer: Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)

82. What was the original title of the Beatles hit “Yesterday”?

Answer: Scrambled Eggs

83. What is Axl Rose an anagram of?

Answer: Oral sex

84. True or false: Leo Fender, the founder of the iconic Fender Guitars, didn’t know how to play guitar/

Answer: True

85. KFC follows all 5 members of what early 2000s girl group?

Answer: The Spice Girls

86.”We Built This City” is a 1985 song that got to number one in five countries. Which band performed it?

Answer: Starship

87. What is the best-selling Australian band of all time?

Answer: AC/DC

88. What singer never gave Wierd Al Yankovic permission to parody his songs?

Answer: Prince

89. What famous rapper got his stage name from a Wu-Tang-Clan name generator?

Answer: Childish Gambino

90. Who originally sang “Valerie”?

Answer: The Zutons

91. What is the stage name for the artist whose real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson?

Answer: Katy Perry

92. What guitarist played on Michael Jackson’s 1983 song “Beat It”?

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

93. In what year did ABBA win Eurovision?

Answer: 1974

94. Eminem stars in what movie from 2002?

Answer: 8 Mile

95. Who performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020?

Answer: Shakira and Jennifer Lopez

96. Who are the four members of the K-pop girl band Blackpink?

Answer: Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rosé

97. Which Pink Floyd album features a cow?

Answer: Atom Heart Mother

98. Which member of the Beatles was dyslexic?

Answer: John Lennon

99. What is the name of Queen’s lead guitarist?

Answer: Brian May

100. Which artist has collaborated with Queen since 2011?

Answer: Adam Lambert

101. What famous rapper goes by the nickname K. Dot?

Answer: Kendrick Lamar

102. What song are these lyrics from: “Something’s wrong, shut the light, Heavy thoughts tonight, And they aren’t of Snow White”

Answer: “Enter Sandman” by Metallica

103. How many Beatles songs contain the word “love” in the title?

Answer: 14

104. Which composer was almost completely deaf?

Answer: Ludwig Van Beethoven

105. What is the only band to have performed on all seven continents?

Answer: Metallica

106. The Fender Telecaster was the first mass-produced electric guitar. But during the first year of production the guitar had a different name. What was the original name of the guitar?

Answer: Fender Broadcaster

107. What company filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after losing several lawsuits to major artists like Metallica and Dr. Dre for copyright infringement?

Answer: Napster

108. Which of these musicians cannot play any musical instruments? Ozzy Osbourne, Justin Bieber, or Mick Jagger?

Answer: Ozzy Osbourne

109. What year did ringtones make the most sales ever?

Answer: 2006

110. What does the K-Pop boy band BTS’s name stand for?

Answer: Bangtan Sonyeondan (means “bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English)

111. “One,” “Tenerife Sea,” and “I’m a Mess” are all songs from which album by Ed Sheeran?

Answer: X

112. Which former Disney star released a single titled, “Say OK”?

Answer: Vanessa Hudgens

113. Which former Disney star starred in Broadway’s production of Mean Girls?

Answer: Sabrina Carpenter

114. Finish the lyrics: “Yeah, my receipts be lookin’ like phone numbers”

Answer: “If it ain’t money, then wrong number”

115. What is SZA’s full name?

Answer: Solána Imani Rowe

116. The number one hot single of 1985 was “Careless Whisper” by Wham! What was the second?

Answer: “Like a Virgin” by Madonna

117. In which country was Crowded House formed?

Answer: Australia

118. What artist has had a Billboard No. 1 hit across four decades?

Answer: Mariah Carey

119. Who was the first person to win American Idol?

Answer: Kelly Clarkson

120. Which member of the Avengers was once a pop star?

Answer: Brie Larson

121. In The Big Lebowski, what band does The Dude hate?

Answer: The Eagles

122. Who was the original singer of “Hound Dog?”

Answer: Big Mama Thornton

123. Who talks at the beginning of Taylor Swift’s “London Boy?”

Answer: Idris Elba

124. The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” samples the national anthem of which country?

Answer: France

125. Which guitarist was featured in Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious?”

Answer: Stevie Nicks

126. Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera were all child stars on what Disney show?

Answer: Mickey Mouse Club

127. Which reality show kick-started Cardi B’s career?

Answer: Love & Hip Hop

128. Which Kiss member wore make-up that looked like a cat?

Answer: Peter Criss

129. Which famous songwriter wrote the music for “Moana?”

Answer: Lin-Manuel Miranda

130. Hans Zimmer did the score for The Lion King, but who composed it?

Answer: Elton John

131. Who composed “Swan Lake” the ballet?

Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

132. Which minor key has the same key signature as A major?

Answer: F sharp

133. Which famous artist did the backing vocals for “You’re So Vain?”

Answer: Mick Jagger

134. How old was Hank Williams when he died?

Answer: 29

135. Which of these artists do not have absolute (or perfect) pitch? Celine Dion, Charlie Puth, or Joni Mitchell.

Answer: Joni Michell

136. Cindy Lou Who in Jim Carrey’s The Grinch is now the lead singer of which band?

Answer: The Pretty Reckless

137. In which year did Avril Lavigne land her first no.1 with her hit song, “Girlfriend?”

Answer: 2007

138. In Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” for how many days and nights was the law on her side?

Answer: 40

139. How many keys does a grand piano have?

Answer: 88

140. What is the last Billboard Hot 100 #1 song by a female group?

Answer: “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child

141. What song did Lady Gaga get her stage name from?

Answer: “Radio GaGa” by Queen

142. Which of these singers is classically trained? Katy Perry, Whitney Houston, or Adele?

Answer: Katy Perry

143. What was the period of music history called in the 1960s when English rock bands became incredibly popular in the USA?

Answer: British Invasion

144. How many extra teeth did Freddie Mercury have?

Answer: 4

145. How many times do the Beatles sing “submarine” in the chorus of “Yellow Submarine”?

Answer: 6

146. Which song featuring an amphibian topped the charts in 2005, beating Coldplay?

Answer: “Crazy Frog”

147. What does the word “karaoke” literally mean in Japanese?

Answer: Empty orchestra

148. What was Frank Sinatra’s middle name?

Answer: Albert

149. Which US singer did Lisa Marie Presley marry in 1994?

Answer: Michael Jackson

150. A standard piano has 88 keys. How many of them are black?

Answer: 36

151. Who was the first rap artist to take home a Grammy for Album of the Year?

Answer: Lauryn Hill

152. In what film franchise does the rapper Ludacris star in?

Answer: The Fast and the Furious

153. What musical instrument jumped in popularity, with sales escalating from 228,000 in 1950 to 2.3 million in 1971?

Answer: The guitar

154. What does “adagio” mean in music?

Answer: Slow

155. Which famous singer is the godmother to Elton John’s sons?

Answer: Lady Gaga

156. In which year did Elvis Presley release his first hit single, “Heartbreak Hotel?”

Answer: 1956

157. Which Michael Jackson song starts with the following words: “As he came into the window, it was the sound of a crescendo…”?

Answer: Smooth Criminal

158. Who was the oldest Beatle?

Answer: Ringo

159. Who is the rapper featured on Usher’s “Yeah?”

Answer: Ludacris

160. Who is the lead singer of the band Smash Mouth?

Answer: Steve Harwell

161. In which state can you find the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Answer: Ohio

162. Which artist released an album titled Only by the Night in 2009?

Answer: Kings of Leon

163. What is Melissa Viviane Jefferson’s stage name?

Answer: Lizzo

164. The melody of the European anthem is taken from which classical song?

Answer: Ode to Joy or Symphony No. 9

165. In which state was Johnny Cash born?

Answer: Arkansas

166. Which artist released the album titled Country Music in 2010?

Answer: Willie Nelson

167. What was Louis Armstrong’s nickname?

Answer: Satchmo

168. Jazz music comes from which American city?

Answer: New Orleans

169. Considered one of the greatest of his time, Yehudi Menuhin famously played which instrument?

Answer: Violin

170. Which 80s song made a comeback in 2022 when the song was featured in the Netflix show Stranger Things?

Answer: “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush

171. What was the first song to be featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1?

Answer: “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone

172. What was the last song to be featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Answer: “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine

173. What was Led Zeppelin’s initial band name?

Answer: The New Yardbirds

174. Big Mama Thornton played the drums and what other instrument?

Answer: Harmonica

175. What is the lower register of the clarinet’s playing range called?

Answer: Chalumeau

176. Who composed the famous opera The Magic Flute?

Answer: Mozart

177. Name the following Western music periods in order from oldest to newest: Classical, Baroque, Renaissance, Romantic.

Answer: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic

178. According to the Guinness World Records, who is the best-selling female recording artist of all time?

Answer: Madonna

179. Which artist tragically died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27?

Answer: Amy Winehouse

180. What are Taylor Swift fans known as?

Answer: Swifties

181. Which Canadian artist sang and wrote “Hallelujah”?

Answer: Leonard Cohen

182. Who is the lead singer of Pearl Jam?

Answer: Eddie Vedder

183. What singer holds the world record for most words in a song?

Answer: Eminem

184. Who famously interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs?

Answer: Kanye West

185. At 22 awards, which group has the most Grammys won by a music group?

Answer: U2

186. Which of the Beatles is barefoot on the famous Abbey Road album cover?

Answer: Paul McCartney

187. What was the first music video ever played on MTV?

Answer: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles

188. Which artist holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won in a single night?

Answer: Michael Jackson with 8 Grammys

189. What is the most recorded song of all time?

Answer: “Summertime” by George Gershwin

190. How long is “Shri Ram Charit Manas” by Dr. Jagadeesh Pillai, the longest officially released song in hours and minutes?

Answer: 138 hours and 41 minutes

191. What viral song is the shortest song ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016?

Answer: “PPAP” (Pen Pineapple Apple Pen)

192. What is the best-selling single of all time?

Answer: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

193. Which song holds the record for the most weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at 19 weeks?

Answer: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X

194. What was the most streamed Spotify song of 2022?

Answer: “As It Was” by Harry Styles

195. What is the most streamed song on Spotify in one week achieved in 2023 with over 115 million streams?

Answer: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus

196. What was the first rap song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

Answer: “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice

197. Which famous musician was assassinated in New York City in 1980?