10 Perfect Rock Guitar Riffs

10. Walk This Way - Aerosmith

Some of the best riffs usually come from intentionally trying to outdo yourself. Even though it's fun to just go back to your usual bag of tricks, it's always nice to find something interesting that you haven't heard before. Or in this case, go away from rock altogether and into the world of funk.

Compared to the usual bluesy grooves that you'd find on Aerosmith albums, Walk This Way is it's own beast, with Joe Perry's in-the-pocket riff leading the entire charge. While the actual song started out with the classic drum foundation from Joey Kramer, nothing happens until that sprawling lick comes in, almost sounding like something off of a record by the Meters than one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

It looks like time hasn't forgotten about the riff either, considering that it introduced rap to the world on a grand stage. Once Jam Master Jay recontextualized the song for the hip hop crowd on Run DMC's version of the song, fans started to see the subtle intricacies of what made rock and rap so popular in the first place. These aren't just some dopey songs that you throw on for the hell of it. The whole concept behind a riff like this is that it makes you move every time you hear it.