You’re probably reading this list of the Top 20 Hair Metal Guitar Solos for one of two reasons.You might be an ’80s hard rock aficionado and guitar fanatic eager to see which of the era’s solos we deemed the best. In that case, welcome, we’re glad you’re here.You might also be blind with rage because we dared to categorize said ’80s hard rock as “hair metal,” widely seen as a pejorative and inaccurate descriptor.If you fall into the latter camp, just know that we hear you and your concerns are valid. But all of the artists on this list did share some common DNA, including big hair, tight pants and scalding guitar work. So whether you consider it glam metal, hard rock or something else, for all intents and purposes, “hair metal” is a decent catch-all for the scene.As we set about compiling the Top 20 Hair Metal Guitar Solos, we made some controversial inclusions and exclusions that are, in all honesty, arbitrary. We chose not to include Van Halen or any Van Halen affiliates, because even though Eddie Van Halen and Co. were the godfathers of this style of flamboyant hard rock, they had little in common with it sonically. The same goes for Ozzy Osbourne, even though his mid-’80s and early-’90s output arguably fits the bill for glam metal.On the flip side, we included ’80s hard rock rebels Guns N’ Roses — because even if they ultimately transcended the genre, they did get their start in it — and ’70s veterans Kiss, who adapted gamely to the times in their makeup-free era.With those qualifications in mind, read on to see our list of the Top 20 Hair Metal Guitar Solos.20. Europe, “The Final Countdown”The iconic keyboard riff to “The Final Countdown” is cheesy pop-metal perfection, but John Norum’s fiery guitar solo gives the song some much-needed muscle. Built around a simple-but-memorable pattern that moves up and down the fretboard, Norum’s solo balances catchiness and flair, elevating the drama without sacrificing the melody.19. Cinderella, “Long Cold Winter”It’s not all about speed. Even when their hair was at its tallest, Cinderella always leaned more toward heavy blues rock a la Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones than frothy glam metal. They embraced that rootsy sound on their second album, Long Cold Winter, and its title track features a red-hot solo from Tom Keifer that drips with anguish, evoking Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” It was a refreshing and impactful alternative to the myriad guitarists fighting to see who could play the most notes per second.18. L.A. Guns, “No Mercy”L.A. Guns emerged near the tail end of the glam metal zeitgeist, sounding decidedly tougher and seedier than many of their leather-clad peers. Much of the credit belongs to guitarist Tracii Guns, whose fiery playing style was equally indebted to Joe Perry and Jimmy Page as Randy Rhoads or Eddie Van Halen. He indulges both impulses on “No Mercy,” the opening track off L.A. Guns’ debut album, with hyperspeed pentatonic licks and screaming bends that combine technical prowess and unadulterated attitude.17. Kiss, “Under the Gun”Kiss had a revolving door of lead guitarists in the ’80s, including the oft-overlooked Mark St. John, who lent his chops to 1984’s Animalize. The band was in full glam mode by this point, but St. John’s scorching guitar work added some extra muscle to their sound. He pushed “Under the Gun” into full-blown speed metal territory, cramming a slew of whammy-bar dive bombs, dizzying tapping and soaring bends into his solo. Vinnie Vincent who?16. Quiet Riot, “Cum On Feel the Noize”Quiet Riot breathed new life into this Slade classic (in spite of themselves), and Carlos Cavazo’s solo encapsulates the song’s youthful exuberance. It’s melodic, patterned and contains just enough screaming bends and speedy licks to cement its status as a classic. Good thing, too, because a hell of a lot of people heard it.15. Motley Crue, “Home Sweet Home”Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” is one of the quintessential glam metal power ballads, and Mick Mars’ solo is a masterclass in simple but effective lead playing. He creates a patchwork of rhythmic and melodic phrases, punctuated by squealing bends and tremolo-picked triplets. It’s far from the flashiest solo on this list, but it’s exactly what the song demands.14. Warrant, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”Warrant’s dirty little secret was that session musician Mike Slamer recorded all the guitar solos on the band’s debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, at the behest of producer Beau Hill. He reprised his role on much of the band’s sophomore album, Cherry Pie, including standout single “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Like the song itself, his solo is heavy, menacing and flashy in all the right spots. Slamer’s deft whammy bar touches, tapped bends and speedy upper-octave runs are the work of a seasoned professional. It’s just a shame this masterpiece got overshadowed by the title track.13. Firehouse, “Reach for the Sky”When they weren’t writing (and rewriting) weepy power ballads, Firehouse actually rocked fairly hard. That’s especially apparent on Hold Your Fire opening track “Reach for the Sky,” a defiant outlaw anthem with a blazing guitar solo from Bill Leverty. From the nimble tapped runs to the skyscraping bends, Leverty’s solo ramps up the drama on an already-urgent song.12. Skid Row, “Midnight / Tornado”Skid Row’s Dave “The Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill were one of the great unsung guitar duos of the glam metal scene. The final track on the band’s self-titled debut sports a blistering solo full of flashy tapping, capped by a harmonized run that rivals Ratt’s “Round and Round” in terms of memorability (more on that soon) and complements Sebastian Bach’s megawatt screams.11. Def Leppard, “Photograph””Photograph” is far from the most technically impressive solo on this list — it’s not even the fastest solo on Pyromania. But Phil Collen’s economical and melodic playing suits the song so perfectly that it’s hard to imagine it any other way. A dash of tremolo picking at the end of the solo teases Collen’s shredding abilities as well — a perfect introduction for the fresh Def Leppard recruit.10. Poison, “Nothin’ but a Good Time”Poison’s Open Up and Say … Ahh! producer Tom Werman explained the conundrum of working with guitarist C.C. DeVille in Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock’s 2021 book Nothin’ but a Good Time. “He was more concerned with being as fast as Eddie Van Halen than with being creative,” Werman said. “The solo for ‘Nothin’ but a Good Time’ took eight hours, partially because C.C. was constantly going back and forth to the bathroom. I assumed he was freebasing or doing something that had to do with inhaling cocaine because it took him longer than it would to just go in and snort a couple of lines.” DeVille’s extracurricular activities paid off, because “Nothin’ but a Good Time” is his flashiest and best-constructed solo, abandoning mindless shredding in favor of melodic segments that tell a story within the song.9. Bon Jovi, “Bad Medicine”Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was never the fastest gun in the West — nor did he need to be, as his expressive phrasing and buttery tone made up for any speed deficiencies. But on “Bad Medicine,” he combines smoldering blues bends with just enough speed-picking and whammy bar theatrics to remind listeners and players: Underestimate me at your own peril.8. Dokken, “In My Dreams”The beauty of Dokken guitarist George Lynch’s solos wasn’t just the notes he played, but how he played them. “In My Dreams” is full of delicate tapped bends and rich harmonic overtones that give way to a cascade of dizzying, tremolo-picked notes played with savage precision. A lesser guitarist (like the one writing this list) would need two hands to clear the eight-fret gap near the end of the solo, but Lynch does it with one and makes it sound maddeningly effortless.7. Winger, “Seventeen”The lyrics to Winger’s breakout hit are … pretty gross, to put it mildly. But the song is redeemed by Reb Beach’s scorching solo (and fleet-fingered riffs). It’s agile and aggressive, with tasty bends giving way to dizzying, multi-string tapping that traverses the entire fretboard before climaxing in a burst of tremolo picking. With chops like that, it’s no wonder Beach landed gigs with Dokken and Whitesnake after Winger disbanded in the mid-’90s.6. Whitesnake, “Crying in the Rain (1987 Version)”Anybody who needs proof of John Sykes’ impact on Whitesnake need only compare the 1982 and 1987 versions of “Crying in the Rain.” The former, which appeared on Saints & Sinners, is a solid, albeit somewhat slow, blues-rock lament with a respectable solo from Bernie Marsden. The latter is an infernal pop-metal anthem with a climactic Sykes solo full of blistering tremolo picking and bends that don’t so much cry as scream.5. Extreme, “Play With Me”Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt came out swinging on “Play With Me,” the lead single off the band’s self-titled debut album. As if the deft rhythm work weren’t impressive enough, his solo is a smorgasbord of tremolo picking, string skipping and sweep picking all wrapped up in one cheeky package. There’s a reason “Play With Me” serves as the final song in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.4. Ratt, “Round and Round”Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby were the stars of Ratt from day one, the glam metal answer to formidable guitar duos like Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing or Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. DeMartini turns heads in the first half of the “Round and Round” solo with his harmonic squeals and legato runs, but it’s the harmonized leads between him and Crosby that solidify the song — and solo — in the hard rock pantheon.3. Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”We know, we know. By almost any conceivable metric, Guns N’ Roses were categorically not a hair metal band. But here’s the thing: Their biggest hit is a tender, uptempo ballad with a sugary-sweet chorus and a splashy music video that shows the whole band decked out in leather pants and rocking huge hair. So a newcomer to the ’80s hard rock scene might be forgiven for considering GN’R hair metal. That suits our purposes, because Slash’s solo is one of the most iconic in rock history. It starts off with a series of bluesy, melodramatic phrases, then kicks into high gear with that midpoint run, giving way to a towering inferno of wah-drenched shredding. A masterclass in dynamics that somehow epitomized and transcended the hair metal zeitgeist, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” cemented Slash’s guitar-hero status and became a fixture of cacophonous Guitar Centers for decades to come.2. White Lion, “Wait”Most ’80s rock guitarists wasted the decade trying and failing to emulate Eddie Van Halen. White Lion’s Vito Bratta, on the other hand, pilfered Van Halen’s bag of tricks to craft a wholly unique style. The “Wait” solo is full of astounding two-handed tapping, but Bratta’s playing isn’t so much metallic as it is elegant and dreamlike — almost balletic. He even earned the approval of a young Zakk Wylde, who told Guitar World: “Vito Bratta is the only guitarist I’ve heard who sounds cool doing taps.”1. Extreme, “Get the Funk Out”Here it is: the Mount Rushmore of hair metal guitar solos and one of the crowning achievements in rock guitar history, bar none. You could argue for any number of solos on Extreme’s second album taking the top spot here, but “Get the Funk Out” strikes the perfect balance of melody, groove, feel and jaw-dropping virtuosity. The bends and staccato walk-ups are full of character, and the multi-string tapping at the solo’s core is simply unmatched. As Queen’s Brian May once raved: “That, to me, is the epitome of what a solo should be on a record. … I could never do that.”10 Underrated Hair Metal Bands That Deserved to Be Way BiggerEven as the genre hurtled toward irrelevance, several bands eked out terrific, underappreciated music.Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli