With the world raging around us and Trump in office, it can be hard to find the strength to not just go on, but to fight. That's where protest songs come in. These songs address the civil, political, and social movements of the day, acting as rallying cries for marchers, protesters, boycotters, and union members.
Since all the struggles of marginalized peoples are connected, these protest songs come from movements for racial justice, queer rights, women's rights, immigrants' rights, workers' rights, and trans rights.
If you're a queer protester looking for some inspiration right now, check out this playlist.
"Love One Another" - Jake Wesley Rogers
Out singer/songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers debuted his new song, "Love One Another," on the Holding Space with Tracy E. Gilchrist podcast.
The song is about finding freedom in love and in being yourself. "Oh, beautiful people, well why can't you see? / If I don't have freedom, you don't have freedom, nobody's free," he sings. "We got to help each other / Love one another."
"Streets of Minneapolis" - Bruce Springsteen
Rock and political music legend Bruce Springsteen wrote this protest song about the violent actions taken by ICE agents and the Trump administration in Minneapolis, including the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
"Church & State" - Brandi Carlile
Eleven-time Grammy-winning lesbian singer Brandi Carlile performed this blistering protest song on Saturday Night Live at the end of 2025. In the song, she quotes Thomas Jefferson's 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, where the phrase "separation of church and state" originated.
"American Idiot" - Green Day
This song was originally written about life in America under President George W. Bush, but it still resonates today. In recent years, bisexual lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, sings, "I'm not a part of a MAGA agenda."
"Talkin' Bout a Revolution" - Tracy Chapman
This song from Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut album was released in 1988 and has been a political and social anthem ever since. "Poor people gonna rise up / And get their share," she sings. "Poor people gonna rise up / And that what's theirs."
"FDT" - YG ft. Nipsey Hussle
Rappers YG and Nipsey Hussle teamed up for this anti-Trump song in 2016, giving people everywhere a chance to sing along with the hook, "F*ck Donald Trump." The two rappers criticized Trump's policies, personality, and racism in the song.
"Join Ice" - Jesse Welles
Political folk singer Jesse Welles called out ICE on this viral song where he sings, "If you're lackin' control and authority / Come with me and hunt down minorities." Singing from the point of view of an ICE agent, Welles says that he "failed the academy, the cops weren't havin' me / The Army didn't sound that fun / So I found me a paramilitary operation / That was keen to hand me a gun."
"Lo Que Pasó a Hawaii" - Bad Bunny
Ricky Martin recently sang this song by Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. It directly addresses the issue of Puerto Rican statehood, with Bad Bunny saying he doesn't want what happened in Hawaii to happen in his homeland.
"There is Power in a Union" - Billy Bragg
Legendary folk singer Billy Bragg wrote this pro-union anthem in 1986. It's also included in the 2014 film Pride, about the British organization Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.
"The Tyranny of Either/Or" - Evan Greer
Evan Greer is a queer and trans singer/songwriter and activist, who released the album Spotify is Surveillance in 2021. This song is about the ways trans and gender-nonconforming people have been forced to fit into the rules of a racist and sexist society and how the community fights back.
"I Am Her" - Shea Diamond
Black trans singer Shea Diamond wrote this anthem for people who are told they shouldn't exist by society, where she defiantly sings, "Your ignorance leaves a hell of stench / The aroma lingers on generations have known / Ain't it ironic, the smarter we get / The less we understand 'bout the simplest shit."
"Black Myself" - Amythyst Kiah
Folk singer Amythyst Kiah sings from the perspective of a slave, and from Black people in other eras still dealing with the effects of slavery in this searing song.
"You better lock your doors when I walk by / 'Cause I'm Black myself / You look me in the eyes but you don't see me / 'Cause I'm Black myself," she sings.
"Brown Representation" - Reverie x Coyote x Louden
L.A. rapper Reverie teamed up with rap duo Coyote and producer Louden for this song that calls out Trump's ties to Epstein, the failure of the two-party system, and "Mexicans for Trump." "A country that's founded by immigrants but still they do us dirty," Reverie raps. "I guess the white powers decided we weren't worthy."
"La Bamba Rebelde" - Las Cafeteras
In this remake of the classic Spanish-language song, "La Bamba," East L.A. band Las Cafeteras sing about crossing borders, fighting against racist laws, and being proud in who you are.
"March March" - The Chicks
Country legends The Chicks released this song in 2021, speaking out about gun violence, Black Lives Matter, global warming, and other contemporary issues.
"Wurk" - Linqua Franqa
Queer and nonbinary rapper, activist, and politician Linqua Franqa asks, "Which side are you on?" in this 2022 song about worker's rights.
"God's Country" - Lambrini Girls
Queer punk duo Lambrini Girls call out far-right politics in their homeland of Great Britain in this blistering track from their 2025 album Who Let the Dogs Out.
"Eve Was Black" - Allison Russell
Grammy-winning queer Americana/folk musician Allison Russell wrote this song addressing white supremacy for her 2023 album The Returner. The song won the Grammy for Best American Roots Performance. "What do you hope for as you tie the rope? / What do you hope for as you hoist me up? / What do you hope for as you watch me swing? / Will the witness tree salvation bring?" she sings.
