Fun 80s Music Trivia Quiz and Answers

This article has links to products and services we love, which we may make commission from.

How well do you know the eighties music scene? Test your knowledge with our 80s Music Trivia Quiz!

The 80s was a time of bold fashion choices, synth-pop beats, and hair that defied gravity.

This era was marked by the rise of iconic artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, and more.

You’ll find 80s music trivia questions and answers at the bottom of this guide. Feel free to use our quiz to build your own.

You may also like our 80s Trivia Quiz, 80s TV Quiz, 80s Movie Quiz, and Tina Turner Duets List.

For seasonal tunes, try our Halloween Music Trivia Quiz.

Free 80s Music Trivia Quiz Questions

As with all of our music quizzes, there are five rounds, each with five questions, making this quiz out of 25 points.

Let’s kick off the 80s music trivia questions with testing your knowledge on the tunes that made it to the top of the pops!

We’ve also dropped some great music facts in our 80s trivia to share with your friends.

If you’re not sure how to use this 80s music quiz with answers, scroll to the bottom for instructions first.

80s Music Quiz Number Ones Questions Round

Let’s start the 80s music quiz and answers trivia by testing your knowledge of the songs and artists that made it to the top of the charts and see how well you remember the biggest hits of the decade.

1. Which artist has the highest-grossing tour in the USA in 1981?

• U2

• The Jacksons

• The Rolling Stones

• Eagles

2. What is the longest-running #1 single of 1983?

• “Every Breath You Take” by the Police

• ‘’Africa’’ by Toto

• ‘’All Night Long’’ by Lionel Richie

• ‘’Total Eclipse of the Heart’’ by Bonnie Tyler

3. In 1981, which album by Journey spent over 2 years on the Billboard charts, eventually becoming one of the top 20 best-selling albums of the entire decade?

• Frontiers

• Infinity

• Raised on Radio

• Escape

4. Which artist had the best-selling album of 1984 with their record “Born in the U.S.A.”?

• U2

• Bruce Springsteen

• Van Halen

• Duran Duran

5. Which artist had a number-one hit in 1981 with their album “4”?

• Madonna

• Michael Jackson

• Prince

• Foreigner

80s Music Quiz One Hit Wonders Questions Round

In this round of 1980s music quiz, we’ll test your knowledge of songs and artists that briefly stole the spotlight during this decade.

1. Which 80’s One-Hit Wonder put out the hit song “Come On Eileen” in 1982?

• Dexys Midnight Runners

• Blondie

• A-Ha

• Soft Cell

2. Which song, originally released by one-hit wonder Bow Wow Wow, was later covered by Aaron Carter in the year 2000?

• Do You Want to Hold Me

• I Want Candy

• Go Wild in the Country

• When the Going Gets Tough 

You may also like our 2000s music trivia quiz.

3. Who sang the one-hit wonder, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”?

• Bow Wow Wow

• Prince

• Bobby McFerrin

• The Buggles

4. Which one-hit wonder was the first to have their music video played on MTV?

• The Buggles

• Devo

• A-Ha

• Modern English

5. The group Frankie Goes to Hollywood is best known for which song?

• 99 Red Balloons

• Take on Me

• Faith

• Relax

80s Music Quiz Female Stars Questions Round

Get ready to groove because in this round of 1980s music trivia quiz, we’ll test your knowledge with the fierce and fabulous women who ruled the airwaves with their iconic hits. 

1. Which of the following vocalists put out the single “Crazy for You” in 1985?

• Cher

• Celine Dion

• Madonna

• Pat Benatar

Some artists here are featured in our Eurovision Trivia Quiz.

2. Which all-female band put out cheery-sounding dance music that included hits like “We Got the Beat” and “Our lips are sealed”?

• Blondie

• The Go-Go’s

• Heart

• The Bangles

3. Which female rocker is best known for hits like “Love is a Battlefield” and “Hit me with your best Shot”?

• Cyndi Lauper

• Madonna

• Pat Benatar

• Kim Wilde

4. Whitney Houston released which of the following dance hits in 1987?

• I Wanna Dance With Somebody

• When you Believe

• Greatest Love of All

• I Have Nothing

5. After her success in a popular movie, this artist released hits like “Xanadu” and “Physical”.

• Madonna

• Dionne Warwick

• Olivia Newton-John

• Stockard Channing

You may also enjoy our karaoke duets for girls guide where you can listen to collaborations by the biggest female artists!

80s Music Quiz Male Stars Questions Round

Alright, music lovers!

It’s time for another round of our 80s music trivia game, and this time we’re shifting our focus to the guys who rocked the decade. 

1. Which musician had the most #1 hits in the 1980s?

• Prince

• Freddie Mercury

• Michael Jackson

• Elton John

2. Which Prince song shares a name with a movie released in 1984 starring the artist?

• Raspberry Beret

• Purple Rain

• Kiss

• When Doves Cry

Prince also features in our Minnesota Trivia Quiz.

3. Which 80’s Hip-Hop Group released “Walk this Way” in 1986?

• Run-D.M.C

• Eric B. & Rakim

• Public Enemy

• N.W.A

4. Which rock band released the timeless hit Don’t Stop Believin’ in 1981?

• Foreigner

• Queen

• Journey

• Kiss

5. What English-born superstar of the 80s had a successful solo career after his time in the band Wham!?

• Freddie Mercury

• George Michael

• Alice Cooper

• Brian Day

80s Music Quiz Lyrics Questions Round

Get ready to sing-along in our final round of 80s music trivia questions and answers.

Complete the lyrics using the multiple-choice answers below each question.

For more lyric quizzes like this, check our 60s, 70s, 90s, or 00s lyric quizzes.

1. Wake me up, before you go-go. Don’t leave me…

• Hangin on like a yo-yo

• Alone to go solo

• Around the people, I don’t know-know

• Sleeping all through the show oh. 

2. She’s got eyes of the bluest skies As if they thought of rain. I’d hate to look into those eyes and see…

• A cloudy Day

• An ounce of pain

• A dark place

• Another day

3. Woah, we’re halfway there. Woah, livin’ on a prayer. Take my hand,…

• We’re almost there

• You don’t have to be Scared

• We’ll make it I swear.

• This love we’ll share. 

4. Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it). No one wants to be defeated. Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight. It doesn’t matter…

• You’ve got the fight

• You’re always right

• Who sees your light

• Who’s wrong or right 

5. I come home, in the mornin’ light. My mother says, “When you gonna live your life right?” Oh, momma dear, we’re _________, And girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls just wanna have fun. 

• Not the fortunate ones

• The ones that won

• Almost done

• Just looking for fun

How did you do?

Check the 80s song trivia quiz test answers below and share with your friends!  

80s Music Trivia Quiz Answers

In this section, we go over the 80s music quiz questions and answers.

Each answer is highlighted in bold and there are some fun 80s trivia facts for you to share with your friends.

80s Music Quiz Number Ones Answers

1. Which artist has the highest-grossing tour in the USA in 1981?

• U2

• The Jacksons

• The Rolling Stones

• Eagles

80s Music Trivia: The Rolling Stones has the largest grossing tour of 1981 with $50 million in ticket sales, and roughly two million concertgoers in total.

2. What is the longest-running #1 single of 1983?

• “Every Breath You Take” by the Police

• ‘’Africa’’ by Toto

• ‘’All Night Long’’ by Lionel Richie

• ‘’Total Eclipse of the Heart’’ by Bonnie Tyler

3. In 1981, which album by Journey spent over 2 years on the Billboard charts, eventually becoming one of the top 20 best-selling albums of the entire decade?

• Frontiers

• Infinity

• Raised on Radio

• Escape

4. Which artist had the best-selling album of 1984 with their record “Born in the U.S.A.”?

• U2

• Bruce Springsteen

• Van Halen

• Duran Duran

5. Which artist had a number-one hit in 1981 with their album “4”?

• Madonna

• Michael Jackson

• Prince

• Foreigner

80s Music Quiz One Hit Wonders Answers

1. Which 80’s One-Hit Wonder put out the hit song “Come On Eileen” in 1982?

• Dexys Midnight Runners

• Blondie

• A-Ha

• Soft Cell

2. Which song, originally released by one-hit wonder Bow Wow Wow, was later covered by Aaron Carter in the year 2000?

• Do You Want to Hold Me

• I Want Candy

• Go Wild in the Country

• When the Going Gets Tough

You may also like our 2000s music trivia quiz.

3. Who sang the One Hit Wonder, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”?

• Bow Wow Wow

• Prince

• Bobby McFerrin

• The Buggles

4. Which one-hit wonder was the first to have their music video played on MTV?

• The Buggles

• Devo

• A-Ha

• Modern English

80’s Music Trivia: “Video Klled the Radio Star” was the first video on MTV.

The exposure from MTV propelled the song up the charts and turned it into a hit.

5. The Group Frankie Goes to Hollywood is best known for which song?

• 99 Red Balloons

• Take on Me

• Faith

• Relax

80’s Music Trivia: The song sold over a million copies when it was released in 1984.

80s Music Quiz Female Stars Answers

1. Which of the following vocalists put out the single “Crazy for You” in 1985?

• Cher

• Celine Dion

• Madonna

• Pat Benatar

We’ve featured some artists mentioned in this question in our Eurovision Trivia Quiz.

2. Which all-female band put out cheery-sounding dance music that included hits like “We Got the Beat” and “Our lips are sealed”?

• Blondie

• The Go-Go’s

• Heart

• The Bangles

80’s MusicTrivia: The Go-Go’s were one of the only rock bands to top the pop charts with their debut album.

They were the only all-female band to do so in the 80s.

3. Which female rocker is best known for hits like “Love is a Battlefield” and “Hit me with your best Shot”?

• Cyndi Lauper

• Madonna

• Pat Benatar

• Kim Wilde

80’s Music Trivia: Pat Benatar has won four Grammys and has gone platinum six times.

4. Whitney Houston released which of the following dance hits in 1987?

• I Wanna Dance With Somebody

• When you Believe

• Greatest Love of All

• I Have Nothing

80’s Music Trivia: The single ‘’I Wanna Dance With Somebody’’ sold over 4.2 million copies worldwide.

5. After her success in a popular movie, this artist released hits like “Xanadu” and “Physical”.

• Madonna

• Dionne Warwick

• Olivia Newton-John

• Stockard Channing

You may also enjoy our karaoke duets for girls guide where you can listen to collaborations by the biggest female artists!

80s Music Quiz Male Stars Answers

1. Which musician had the most #1 hits in the 1980s?

• Prince

• Freddie Mercury

• Michael Jackson

• Elton John

80’s Music Trivia: Michael Jackson had 9 #1 Hit songs in the ’80s and also set the record for the longest run at the top of the charts at 27 weeks.

2. Which Prince song shares a name with a movie released in 1984 starring the artist?

• Raspberry Beret

• Purple Rain

• Kiss

• When Doves Cry

Prince also features in our Minnesota Trivia Quiz.

3. Which 80’s Hip-Hop Group released “Walk this Way” in 1986?

• Run-D.M.C

• Eric B. & Rakim

• Public Enemy

• N.W.A

4. Which rock band released the timeless hit Don’t Stop Believin’ in 1981?

• Foreigner

• Queen

• Journey

• Kiss 

80’s Music Trivia: Don’t Stop Believin’ is the best-selling track of the 20^th Century with over 7 million copies sold in the United States alone.

5. What English-born superstar of the 80s had a successful solo career after his time in the band Wham!?

• Freddie Mercury

• George Michael

• Alice Cooper

• Brian Day

80’s Music Trivia: George Michael’s band Wham! released the song Last Christmas in 1984.

Since then the song has been covered over 400 times.

You may also like our Christmas Quiz!

80s Music Quiz Lyrics Answers

Complete the lyrics using the multiple-choice answers below each question.

1. Wake me up, before you go-go. Don’t leave me…

• Hangin on like a yo-yo

• Alone to go solo

• Around the people, I don’t know-know

• Sleeping all through the show oh. 

2. She’s got eyes of the bluest skies As if they thought of rain. I’d hate to look into those eyes and see…

• A cloudy Day

• An ounce of pain

• A dark place

• Another day

3. Woah, we’re halfway there. Woah, livin’ on a prayer. Take my hand,…

• We’re almost there

• You don’t have to be Scared

• We’ll make it I swear.

• This love we’ll share.

4. Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it). No one wants to be defeated. Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight. It doesn’t matter…

• You’ve got the fight

• You’re always right

• Who sees your light

• Who’s wrong or right

5. I come home, in the mornin’ light. My mother says, “When you gonna live your life right?” Oh, momma dear, we’re _________And girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls just wanna have fun. 

• Not the fortunate ones

• The ones that won

• Almost done

• Just looking for fun

Thanks for taking our 80s music quiz and answers. You may like our other quizzes.

---