Break out the lighters - here are the best power ballads of all time!

They’re majestic, often misunderstood, and undeniably awesome - but to most of us, they’re known as power ballads.

Compiling a “best of” list is a Herculean task, an emotional rollercoaster, and pretty much guaranteed to start arguments, but dammit, someone’s gotta try. So, based on a deep dive into the hallowed halls of rock criticism (shoutout to Ultimate Classic Rock and Louder Sound) and the passionate debates of fans (hello, Reddit!), we’re ranking the greatest of all time.

Any list of killer power ballads has to include some absolute titans of the genre. We’re talking about songs that defined an era, soundtracked countless proms, and probably caused a few unplanned family-additions. Think Journey’s “Faithfully” – that piano intro alone is enough to make a grown man weep. Or Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” which isn’t just a power ballad, it’s a cowboy rock opera. You’ve got Guns N’ Roses delivering the nine-minute epic “November Rain,” complete with symphonic breakdowns and Slash soloing in front of a desert church. And of course, the Scorpions with “Wind of Change,” the unofficial anthem for the fall of the Berlin Wall, whistled its way into rock immortality. These aren’t just songs; they’re emotional monuments.

Now, no “Top 10” list is ever going to please everyone, and the power ballad world is RIFE with passionate defenders of their personal favorites. While my top 10 (coming up!) is pretty solid, there are some absolute bangers that deserve an honorable mention and might feel like criminal omissions to some.

Songs like Skid Row’s “I Remember You”?, and Warrant’s “Heaven” deserve their time in the conversation. And don’t even get me started on Cinderella’s “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” – the heartbreak, the regret, the poodle perm! These tracks are legendary in their own right.

But without further ado, fire up those lighters (or your phone flashlights, safety first, kids), and prepare to be emotionally rocked. Here are, in my humble (but mostly correct) opinion, the Top 10 Greatest Power Ballads in Rock History, complete with the videos so you can sing along until your neighbors call the cops: