18 Best Karaoke Songs for Groups to Get Everyone Singing

My friends and I do karaoke every other week, and the group songs are always my favorite part. When someone sings solo, everyone else is just waiting around for a turn. 

The best karaoke songs for groups get the whole group singing together. So, I've got 18 of them here, grouped by how everyone joins in. 

18 best karaoke songs for groups: At a glance

1. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
2. "Wonderwall" by Oasis
3. "Africa" by Toto
4. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
5. "All the Small Things" by Blink-182
6. "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
7. "YMCA" by Village People
8. "We Will Rock You" by Queen
9. "I Love Rock 'n Roll" by Joan Jett
10. "Summer Nights" from Grease
11. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
12. "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
13. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
14. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing
15. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
16. "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
17. "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
18. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers

How I chose the best karaoke songs for groups

These are on our regular rotation because you don't need pro singers to have fun with them. The best karaoke songs for groups all have these things in common:

• A chorus everyone already knows by heart, so nobody's stuck squinting at the screen to keep up.
• Something for the people who'd never take a solo, whether that's a clap, a stomp, or one line they can shout on cue.
• Enough recognition that you can pass the mic around a big group and no one loses the thread.
• A hook that still works at the end of the night, when half the group can't hold a tune anymore.

Whole-room chorus anthems

I always open with these because the chorus is one everyone knows, so people sing without feeling self-conscious. Our guide on how to host a karaoke party covers the setup, and I run the singing through the Weekend Games app on my Roku.

1. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

Everyone screams the chorus whether they can hit the notes or not. The best bit is the key change near the end, where the whole group reaches for that high note together and nobody minds missing it. People are singing before the first verse is even done.

2. "Wonderwall" by Oasis

Every friend who owns a guitar thinks this one's theirs, and it doesn't matter who gets it, because everyone piles onto the chorus anyway. It's the one Oasis song a full room will belt out together.

3. "Africa" by Toto

Weezer covered it note for note in 2018 and people started requesting it all over again. You barely have to sing the verses. Let the group handle the big chorus line and just wave your arms around.

4. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles

The last 4 minutes are one long wordless singalong, the same sound over and over, so there's nothing to forget and no reason for anyone to drop out. I've watched that ending go twice as long as the record because no one wanted to be the one to stop.

5. "All the Small Things" by Blink-182

The 1999 hook has no real words either, which is why it still works at midnight when everyone's voice is gone. Someone grabs an air guitar and the rest pile in. I'd recommend this one if you've got a table full of millennials.

Call-and-response songs the crowd answers back

I pick these when I want to pull the group together, because everyone can choose the "team" they're on and sing along. For more ways to loosen up a shy crowd, these karaoke party games do the job.

6. "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

The best bit isn't even on the screen. After each line, everyone shouts the response back from memory, and nobody has to be told to. That's why the 1969 hit works at a wedding, a ballgame, or with 6 people in a living room.

7. "YMCA" by Village People

Nobody has to do much with this one. One person takes the verses while everyone else shouts the 4 letters and throws their arms up for the chorus. It came out in 1978, everyone from your gran to a 6-year-old knows the moves, and it never misses at a party.

8. "We Will Rock You" by Queen

It's the stomp-stomp-clap that gets everyone going, no singing needed. A group of 20 can keep that beat while one person handles the words. Queen put it out in 1977 and stadiums have leaned on it ever since.

9. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett

One person sings the verse and the rest shout the hook straight back. Joan Jett held No. 1 for 7 weeks in 1982, so most people already know every word. It's a loud one to end the night on.

Songs you can divide across 3 or more singers

This is where a big group actually helps. Each of these has separate parts, so instead of everyone crowding one mic, you give people a role and let them trade off. If your crowd's on the larger side, these large group games have more that works at that size.

10. "Summer Nights" from Grease

Split the group down the middle, one side on Danny and one on Sandy, and let them fire the lines back and forth while everyone piles in on the back-and-forth. It's the closest thing to a team sport at karaoke, and even the people hiding at the back get pulled in.

11. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson

One person takes the lead while everyone else handles the chorus and the big laugh at the end. Give everyone a job and it's the highlight of the night, especially anywhere near Halloween.

12. "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

There are 3 clear jobs here. One person raps the verses, one takes the big hook, and everyone else shouts it back. Nobody has to do all of it, which is exactly why it works with a crowd instead of falling to one brave person.

13. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Two people trade the verses back and forth like a conversation, then everyone comes in for the chorus. It's fun to sing, hard to get wrong, and every age group gets into it.

14. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing

Everyone knows this one from the film, so you get 2 leads trading the verses and the rest belting the chorus together. Save it for a high point in the night, because someone will absolutely threaten to attempt the lift.

Songs everyone can pass the mic around on

By the end of the night, no one wants a whole song to themselves. These are the ones where you hand the mic down the line every few seconds, because everyone knows every word and fills the gaps.

15. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

The go-to last song for a reason. Everyone knows it by heart, so you can shove the mic at someone who wasn't paying attention and they'll still land the line.

16. "Piano Man" by Billy Joel

The chorus is a slow, arms-around-each-other sway that everyone joins without being asked. The verses are easy to split up, and the harmonica break gives you a few seconds to pass the mic on.

17. "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers

Nobody actually knows the verses, and it doesn't matter, because everyone's waiting to scream the chorus. You can hand the mic to anyone mid-song and they'll be fine. It's been a wedding and pub regular since the early-2000s.

18. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers

In my opinion, this one was written for people who can't sing. It's more of a chant than a melody, so nobody's straining for a note, and the wordless bridge asks for nothing at all. Pass it around and it holds up no matter who's got the mic.

How I run karaoke night at home

Karaoke at home has become a party fixture for me, and for the singing itself I use Weekend's Karaoke on my Roku. My remote doubles as the mic, or I hand people my phone if I want to pass it around faster, and the words come up on the TV so nobody has to know the song by heart.

The thing I love, as a competitive host, is the scoring. It grades your pitch and lyrics as you sing, so you finish with a scoreboard to argue over.

Just know it's on Roku only. If that's what you've got, you're set. And if you want to sort out your speakers, your mics, and a song order that keeps the night moving, our guide on running karaoke at home walks through the rest of the setup.

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Sing along all night with Weekend

Weekend has a stack of group games on the same TV, so nobody has to stop when voices give out. Pick one and go, no extra gear needed.

• Jeopardy! for settling who actually knows the most, with real clues from the show.
• Song Quiz for music trivia across decades and genres, with Party Mode so you can play in teams.
• Wheel of Fortune for calling out letters and solving the puzzle together, with the real show sounds.
• Guess the Emoji for fast, fun visual puzzles, working out the phrase behind a string of emojis.
• Meme Supreme for absurd scenarios where everyone answers with a recognizable meme, and the room votes for the funniest one.
• Sketchy AF for shouting the answer before the drawing's even done.
• Spot On for dropping a pin on a 3D globe and guessing how close you got.
• Wit's End for building your own character and playing a fantasy adventure that goes a different way every time.
• Karaoke (on Roku) for thousands of songs and live scoring when someone wants the mic.

The Weekend Games app is on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, and LG smart TVs. The 7-day free trial unlocks everything, with no ads or per-game charges.

FAQs

What makes a karaoke song good for a group?

A karaoke song is good for a group when everyone has something to do, like a chorus you all shout, a call-and-response, or parts you can hand to different people. The ones that only work with a strong singer leave everyone else standing around.

What is the best karaoke song for a large group?

For a large group, the best karaoke songs are the ones with a wordless or repeated hook, like "Hey Jude" or "We Will Rock You," because you don't need the verses to join in. Both work whether there are 8 of you or 30.

What are good call-and-response karaoke songs?

Good call-and-response karaoke songs are "Sweet Caroline," "YMCA," and "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," where one side sings and the rest shout back. They give the people who won't take a solo a clear part, so the whole group stays in it.

Can a big group sing karaoke on one microphone?

Yes, a big group can share one microphone if you pick songs everyone knows well, like "Don't Stop Believin'" or "Piano Man." You pass the mic around mid-song and the rest cover the chorus while it moves.

Where can groups play karaoke at home?

Groups can play karaoke at home with Weekend's Karaoke on Roku, using the remote or a paired phone as the mic. On Fire TV, Samsung, Roku, or LG, Song Quiz is the music-trivia pick, where you hear a clip and shout the song and artist, and Party Mode lets you play in teams.