A protest song is a kind of folk music (or, more recently, pop-influenced folk music). They become popular during times of social disruption and among socially neglected groups. They rail against injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities and the like. Folk songs occur throughout history, as in the American Revolutionary War and the abolitionist movement of the 1800s. In the 20th Century, the union movement, the Great Depression and the Vietnam War were the primary stimuli for protest songs. The common form, with acoustic guitar and harmonica, was popularized by the work of Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Protest music can also be traced back to the Civil War, where traditional songs such as 'We Shall Overcome' prevailed and succeeded as true protest songs.
Protest songs regarding unions and labor
Protest songs concerning racism, apartheid and civil rights
Protest songs concerning war
Protest songs concerning nuclear weapons
Protest songs concerning politicians or world leaders
Protest songs against police or authority
Protest songs concerning poverty
Protest songs concerning alienation
Protest songs concerning governments and imperialism
Protest songs concerning feminism
Protest songs concerning environmentalism
Protest songs concerning prohibition and the War on Drugs
Protest songs concerning heroin, drug abuse, and drug culture
Protest songs concerning globalization and corporate dominance
Protest songs concerning guns and violence
Protest songs concerning materialism
Protest songs concerning slavery
Protest songs concerning the persecution of homosexuals
Protest songs concerning the days of the week[?]
Protest songs concerning television
Protest songs concerning music critics and the music industry
Protest songs concerning animal rights and meat consumption
Protest songs concerning protest songs
Protest songs concerning Youth Rights
Other protest songs
Main protest song artists