Music Trivia Night Questions To Test Your Knowledge On Tunes Through The Decades

Want to prove you have the best taste in music to your friends while also practicing social distancing? While you might not be hanging out at a local bar right now listening to music and spouting out random trivia about overheard tunes, you can still show off your music-loving competitive side with a virtual music trivia night on Zoom.

Below we've created the ultimate list of music trivia night questions that will truly test your knowledge on all things music-through-the-decades. We've broken down the 50 questions into five categories: the '80s, the '90s, the 2000s, the 2010s, and Finish the Lyrics. All you need to do is (virtually) gather your friends and throw on some good music from each decade, we've done the rest. (Answers are at the bottom to prevent peeking.)

You can also download Bustle's Music Trivia here and share it with your friends ahead of trivia night.

'80s

1) In 1984, Prince released his sixth studio album, entitled Purple Rain. What was the album’s lead single?

2) In 1985, Tina Turner won the Grammy for Record of the Year for what song?

3) In 1983, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton released “Islands in the Stream.” The song, written by the BeeGees, was originally intended for who?

4) What legendary 1984 rock album was the first CD manufactured in the U.S. for commercial release?

5) In 1985, Rolling Stone wrote a story about the “band of the '80s,” adding that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, [XXX] have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters." Who were they talking about?

6) What Welsh singer topped the charts for four weeks in 1983 with a song that was originally intended as a “vampire love song”?

7) Run-DMC covered what Aerosmith song in 1986?

8) Dirty Dancing was released in 1987 and the movie’s theme song, “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” went on to win the Oscar and Golden Globe for best original song. Who are the artists who recorded the song?

9) In 1980, the musical Fame became an overnight sensation, with the titular song, recorded by Irene Cara, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Which song, which Cara co-wrote and performed, went on to win the same award in 1983?

10) Which American actor joined New Kids On The Block as a 13-year-old, before quitting the band a few months later?

'90s

11) The Spice Girls released their debut album in 1996. What was the name of the album?

12) Which singer topped the Billboard 100 the most times with 14 number ones in the 1990s?

13) What 1997 album became what was then the best-selling studio album ever produced by a female act?

14) Who was the original drummer in Blink 182, who was kicked out of the band in 1998 and replaced by Travis Barker?

15) Which American rapper originally went by the name Lesane Parish Crooks?

16) What MTV music show premiered on September 14, 1998?

17) How many weeks did Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” spend atop the Billboard 100?

18) Who were the five members of *NSYNC? Full names required!

19) What singer released her fifth studio album in 1992 together with a coffee table book entitled Sex?

20) What American rock band was founded as a one-man project in Seattle in 1994?

'00s

21) In 2002, Nelly released Dilemma, featuring Kelly Rowland, as the third single from his album Nellyville. In the accompanying music video, Kelly Rowland texts her love interest “Where you at?” using what unusual app?

22) Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake famously turned up to the American Music Awards in 2001 wearing outfits made out of what?

23) Who plays Stacy’s mom in the music video for the song of the same name by Fountains of Wayne?

24) Which girl band released a 2001 song titled "8 Days of Christmas"?

25) How many times was Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropout postponed before it was eventually released in February 2004?

26) Singer Drew Seeley had his voice mixed over which Disney star on the first High School Musical soundtrack?

27) In 2005, Fall Out Boy released their second album, entitled From Under The [BLANK] Tree. Fill in the blank.

28) In 2008, Lady Gaga released her first single, "Just Dance." What fellow artist did she co-write the song with?

29) Taylor Swift was discovered in 2005 when she performed at what Nashville venue?

30) In 2009, Kesha released her debut single, "TiK ToK." In the opening line for the song, she sings that she “wakes up in the morning feeling like” which rapper?

2010s

31) In 2010, One Direction was assembled on the British version of The X Factor. Where did they finish in the competition?

32) In November 2016, the "Mannequin Challenge" became a viral sensation on social media. What song accompanied the challenge?

33) In 2010, Katy Perry released her sophomore album, Teenage Dream. How many consecutive number one singles did the album produce?

34) In 2012, Rihanna released her seventh album, Unapologetic. What was the name of the album’s lead single, which reached number one in over 20 countries?

35) Adele released her debut album 19 in 2008. She released two further records in the 2010s, which also used the age format. What ages were the following two albums named after?

36) Cardi B first rose to fame in 2015 when she appeared on what TV show?

37) Beyonce’s Coachella performance in 2018 quickly became one of the most iconic pop culture moments of the decade. What year was she originally supposed to headline the festival?

38) In 2014, Nicki Minaj released "Anaconda" from her album The Pinkprint. What 1990s song does the record sample?

39) Ed Sheeran’s single Thinking Out Loud was accompanied by a music video in which Sheeran performed a choreographed dance routine in a ballroom. Who is Sheeran’s dance partner in the video?

40) The 2010s saw K-Pop take over the international music scene, with boyband BTS at the forefront. What does BTS stand for?

FINISH THE LYRICS & NAME THE SONG

41) “To the left, to the left, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”

42) “Near, far, wherever you are. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”

43) “Whoa, we're halfway there. _ _ _ _ _.”

44) “The phone rings in the middle of the night, my father yells, _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”

45) “When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city _ _ _ _ _.”

46) “I'm goin' out tonight, it's goin' down. Headin’ straight to the front of the line, _ _ _.”

47) “Once again if we endeavor, _ _ _ _ _ _.”

48) “I'm doing this tonight. _ _ _ _ _ _.”

49) “There's always gonna be another mountain. _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”

50) “I'm the new Sinatra, and, since I made it here, I can make it anywhere, yeah _ _ _ _.”

Answers

'80s

1) "When Doves Cry"

2) "What’s Love Got To Do With It"

3) Marvin Gaye

4) Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen

5) U2

6) Bonnie Tyler with "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

7) "Walk This Way"

8) Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

9) "Flashdance... What a Feeling"

10) Mark Wahlberg

'90s

11) Spice

12) Mariah Carey

13) Come On Over, Shania Twain

14) Scott Raynor

15) Tupac Shakur

16) Total Request Live (TRL)

17) 14 weeks

18) Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass

19) Madonna

20) The Foo Fighters

'00s

21) Excel

22) Denim

23) Rachel Hunter

24) Destiny’s Child

25) 3

26) Zac Efron

27) Cork

28) Akon

29) The Bluebird Cafe

30) P. Diddy

2010s

31) Third

32) "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd

33) 5

34) “Diamonds”

35) 21 and 25

36) Love & Hip Hop: New York

37) 2017

38) Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot

39) Brittany Cherry from So You Think You Can Dance

40) Bangtan Boys

FINISH THE LYRICS & NAME THE SONG

41) “Everything you own in the box to the left” — "Irreplaceable," Beyonce

42) “I believe that the heart does go on” — "My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion

43) “Whoa, livin' on a prayer” — "Livin’ on a Prayer," Bon Jovi

44) “What you gonna do with your life?" — "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Cindi Lauper

45) “To see a marching band” — "Welcome to the Black Parade," My Chemical Romance

46) “On the fly” — "Jam (Turn It Up)," Kim Kardashian

47) “Love will bring us back together” — "Two Become One," The Spice Girls

48) “You're probably gonna start a fight” — "Bye Bye Bye," *NSYNC

49) “I'm always gonna wanna make it move” — "The Climb," Miley Cyrus

50) “They love me everywhere” — "Empire State of Mind," JAY-Z feat. Alicia Keys