The Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam movements in the late ’50s and ’60s spawned dozens of classic protest anthems, some as pleading as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On” and few as eviscerating as “Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone. Even the sneering punks of the anti-Thatcher/Reagan ’80s gave us underground anthems from D.R.I., Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, Billy Bragg, and the obligatory Sex Pistols, not to mention slightly more refined Cold War statements from U2, Sting, Nena, and Bruce Springsteen (even if the majority of the people didn’t fully understand that one).
Something began stirring in Trump’s second term, however. Beginning in the middle of 2025, politically-minded (or just fed up) musicians slowly began making their rage and frustration known. Much like Kent State served as a flashpoint for activism in 1970 (famously captured in CSNY’s “Ohio”), the brutal and horrific escalations of I.C.E. in Minneapolis in early 2026 acted as fuel to the fire for this emotion and we started to see a real outpouring of pointed, accusatory, and just plain angry music from some of the sharpest pens. Below is a loose timeline of the recorded protest music thus far in Trump’s final(?) term.
“Livin in the USA” by Low Cut Connie
Released on May 27, 2025
Low Cut Connie’s brash frontman Adam Weiner croons “I’m livin’ in the USA but it ain’t my home” showcases the alienation of realizing that your neighbors and fellow citizens act in violent and malicious ways that feel foreign to your core. Stark and frustrated, the piano and violin intertwine alongside the pleading lyrics.
“Pretend You Remember Me” by Tom Morello
Released on July 9, 2025
In the summer of 2025, the Rage Against the Machine guitarist released a riff-powered request recounting migrants in cages at the mercy of a cold and vengeful regime. It is told from a mother’s perspective and reveals the trauma of families separated by state violence while calling for resistance against rising fascism.
“Join Ice” by Jesse Wells
Appeared on YouTube on August 7, 2025
Much like Woody Guthrie used his wry sense of wit when tearing down oversized egos, Jesse Wells’ biting (and funny) “Join Ice” acts as a faux recruitment commercial while taking stabs at the kind of folks who would be likely candidates. “If you’re lacking control and authority/Come with me and hunt down minorities” has the kind of “aw shucks” attitude Guthrie pioneered out of one side of his mouth. This song is among the first to name the DHS stormtroopers in its title, but certainly not the last.
“Bad News” by Zach Bryan
A snippet appeared on Oct 3, 2025 and the song was released on Jan 9, 2026
Several of the songs on this list are rage-filled, and a few use elements of humor to get their points across, but none feel as honestly beaten down as plaintive country troubadour Zach Bryan’s “Bad News.” The heartfelt singer delves deep into his soul and pulls out lines about constantly receiving bad news and the toll it takes.
“Streets of Minneapolis” by Bruce Springsteen
Released on January 28, 2026
The killing of Renée Good on January 7th, 2026 and the murder of Alex Pretti just weeks later seem to have resonated deeply with songwriters, and a flurry of songs in protest emerged directly after. The most high-profile to date is Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis,” with its direct language about the events on Nicollet Avenue, the federal thugs of “King Trump,” and “Miller and Noem’s dirty lies.” The Boss’ mega-hit “Born in the USA” has been misconstrued as a patriotic fist-pumping anthem, but it is unlikely that the raw lyrics of “Streets of Minneapolis” will suffer the same misunderstanding.
“City of Heroes” by Billy Bragg
Released on January 28, 2026
No stranger to speaking truth to power, Billy Bragg has been a force for change since the late 1970s, and his January release is no different. Taking cues from Martin Niemöller’s writing First They Came, Bragg is unwilling to stand by and not speak out. His intensely-strummed guitar and plaintive voice urges us repeatedly to not stand by and to “get in their face” to stand up against terror, tyranny, murder and fascism.
“Minnesota Nazis” by NOFX
Released on January 29, 2026
Rounding out our trio of January 2026 songs is an equally enraged but more pumped up missive from punk legends NOFX. The political nature of their callouts to Brownshirt brigades and Nazis in their neighborhood brings to mind the spirit of their 1994 song “Perfect Government.” The song ends with the biting “America, why can’t we all agree/It’s OK to judge and have some hate for people/If you base it on their ethics/Not their ethnicity.”
“Citizen I.C.E.” by Dropkick Murphys
Released on February 4, 2026
Fellow punks Dropkick Murphys have been at the forefront of this wave of activism since dedicating their song “First Class Loser” to Trump in 2025 as well as pulling out of “Punk in the Park” shows after discovering the promoter supported the Trump campaign. They pull no punches in their accusatory “Citizen I.C.E.” where the band blasts through a minute-and-a-half of punishing accusations, shouting “Too scared to join the military, too dumb to be a cop” in true old-school hardcore style.
“American Obituary” by U2
Released on Feb 18, 2026
Most recently, the legendarily outspoken U2 reawakened their early protest voice in “American Obituary,” with Bono speed-recounting elements of the Minneapolis killings balanced with pleas to God and extolling a mother’s love. The song rounds out with the chant “The power of the people is so much stronger than the people in power” and we can hope that is true.
For better or for worse, this is just a partial list of the protest music from the past twelve months or so. What have we missed and what else should we be listening for?
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