Planning an 80s party? Skip the generic playlists full of arena rock and power ballads. This playlist focuses on what people actually dance to—the unforgettable New Wave, synth-pop, pop, and MTV classics that defined the decade.

At My 80's Band, we've played hundreds of shows across the Midwest, and these are the songs that consistently fill the dance floor.

What Makes a Great 80s Party Playlist?

The best playlists mix:

  • New Wave
  • Synth Pop
  • Dance Pop
  • Alternative
  • Funk
  • One-hit wonders
  • Sing-alongs
  • A few carefully placed rock songs

You'll notice one thing missing...

No Bon Jovi.

No Journey.

No hair metal.

Those bands have their place, but if you're aiming for an authentic MTV-era dance party, the songs below create a much more energetic—and memorable—night.

Opening the Party (Warm Up)

These get people smiling without wearing them out.

  • Cars – Gary Numan
  • Just Can't Get Enough – Depeche Mode
  • You Spin Me Round – Dead or Alive
  • The Promise – When In Rome
  • Talking in Your Sleep – The Romantics
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
  • True Faith – New Order
  • Don't You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
  • If You Leave – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
  • Don't Dream It's Over – Crowded House

Dance Floor Fillers

  • Tainted Love – Soft Cell
  • Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  • Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
  • Der Kommissar – After the Fire
  • 99 Luftballons – Nena
  • Rio – Duran Duran
  • Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran
  • Planet Earth – Duran Duran
  • The Reflex – Duran Duran
  • Girls on Film – Duran Duran
  • Blue Monday – New Order
  • Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
  • Head Over Heels – Tears for Fears
  • Everybody Have Fun Tonight – Wang Chung
  • Dance Hall Days – Wang Chung

Pure MTV Gold

  • Take On Me – a-ha
  • Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
  • The Look of Love – ABC
  • Obsession – Animotion
  • Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
  • Let's Dance – David Bowie
  • West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys
  • Always Something There to Remind Me – Naked Eyes
  • Cruel Summer – Bananarama
  • Venus – Bananarama
  • Love Shack – The B-52's
  • Roam – The B-52's
  • She Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby
  • Pop Muzik – M
  • One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx

Sing-Along Favorites

  • Jessie's Girl – Rick Springfield
  • Your Love – The Outfield
  • The Boys of Summer – Don Henley
  • Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – The Police
  • Roxanne – The Police
  • Don't Stand So Close to Me – The Police
  • Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
  • Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder
  • I Melt With You – Modern English
  • Our House – Madness

New Wave Essentials

  • Just Like Heaven – The Cure
  • Lovesong – The Cure
  • In Between Days – The Cure
  • Close to Me – The Cure
  • Friday I'm in Love – The Cure (yes, technically '92—but everybody thinks it's an 80s song, so save it for the encore if you must)
  • Saved by Zero – The Fixx
  • Red Skies – The Fixx
  • Space Age Love Song – A Flock of Seagulls
  • I Ran – A Flock of Seagulls
  • Major Tom – Peter Schilling

Pop Icons

  • Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  • Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' – Michael Jackson
  • PYT – Michael Jackson
  • Kiss – Prince
  • 1999 – Prince
  • Little Red Corvette – Prince
  • Holiday – Madonna
  • Into the Groove – Madonna
  • Borderline – Madonna
  • Material Girl – Madonna

Crowd Favorites

  • Walking on Broken Glass – Annie Lennox
  • Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Eurythmics
  • Here Comes the Rain Again – Eurythmics
  • Voices Carry – 'Til Tuesday
  • Our Lips Are Sealed – The Go-Go's
  • We Got the Beat – The Go-Go's
  • Vacation – The Go-Go's
  • Mickey – Toni Basil
  • Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
  • Tarzan Boy – Baltimora

Peak Dance Hour

  • Funkytown – Lipps Inc.
  • Celebration – Kool & The Gang
  • Let's Groove – Earth, Wind & Fire
  • Word Up! – Cameo
  • Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite ('90, but it works)
  • Ain't Nobody – Chaka Khan
  • Automatic – Pointer Sisters
  • Jump (For My Love) – Pointer Sisters
  • Get Down on It – Kool & The Gang
  • Super Freak – Rick James

Finish Strong

  • Don't Stop Believin' – Journey (the one exception)
  • You Make My Dreams – Hall & Oates
  • Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins
  • Don't Change – INXS
  • Need You Tonight – INXS
  • What I Like About You – The Romantics
  • Rebel Yell – Billy Idol
  • White Wedding – Billy Idol
  • Centerfold – J. Geils Band
  • Don't You Forget About Me – Simple Minds (yes...play it twice if people ask)

Songs That Almost Made the List

  • The Smiths
  • Echo & the Bunnymen
  • The Psychedelic Furs
  • Missing Persons
  • Information Society
  • Icehouse
  • Howard Jones
  • Camouflage
  • The Human League
  • Yazoo (Yaz)

These artists have fantastic songs, but some are better suited to listening than keeping a dance floor moving.

Hear These Songs Live

Anyone can press play on Spotify.

The magic happens when an entire room sings Don't You (Forget About Me), dances through Safety Dance, or loses their minds when the opening synth of Take On Me kicks in.

That's what My 80's Band has been bringing to audiences for years—a high-energy celebration of the MTV generation featuring New Wave, synth-pop, and the biggest dance hits of the decade.