This is a nostalgia-driven opinion piece from American Songwriter picking three late-1980s rock songs it argues remain lodged in the memory of Gen X listeners.

– "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (from Appetite For Destruction, 1988) — the band's most famous track and a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, praised for Axl Rose's vocals and Slash's riffs.
– "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison (from Open Up And Say… Ahh!, 1988) — a soft glam-metal ballad written by Bret Michaels after a break-up, which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the Top 40 in several countries.
– "Heaven" by Warrant (from Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, 1989) — a glam-metal hit that peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, remembered for its music video featuring model Tracy Allan.