80 Radical To The Max '80s Trivia Questions
The 1980s gave us neon clothes, big hair, John Hughes movies, and Madonna. Also in that decade: Three Olympics, two royal weddings, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Suffice it to say, A LOT happened in the '80s and it would be pretty impressive if you remembered it all.
That's what this list of '80s trivia questions is for. Gather your friends and relive the good 'ol days by seeing who remembers the decade the best. A lot of the questions are easy but there's a few in there that might stump you, and they cover topics from pop culture to history to sports. Get ready for a tubular time.
We've listed the answers under each questions so you can take the quiz as a group, but it works just as well solo if you cover the answers as you scroll down. You could also just read through it to soak up that sweet '80s knowledge.
1.What was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s?
2.Who was President of the United States from 1981 to 1989?
3.Who are Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood?
The members of New Kids on the Block
4.Which member of Def Leppard lost an arm during a car crash in 1984?
5.What song originally released in 1985 had a huge resurgence after being featured on Stranger Things?
"Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush
6.Who were the members of Wham!?
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
7.What famous twins starred in a popular late '80s sitcom but opted not to appear in said sitcom's 2016 reboot?
Mary-Kate and Ashely, who played Michelle Tanner in Full House.
8.Michael Jackson released the bestselling album of all time in 1982. What was the name of that album?
Thriller
9.He also released the fifth bestselling album of all time in 1987. What was that album called?
Bad
10.What style trend was made popular by Don Johnson's character in Miami Vice?
Light or pastel outfits made up of T-shirts under suit jackets with the sleeves rolled up
11.Who played the Terminator?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
12.In 1981, Prince Charles married Princess Diana in what Cathedral in London?
St. Paul's Cathedral
13.Which 1989 animated Disney movie had characters named Alana, Jetsam, and Max?
The Little Mermaid
14.Aqua Net is a specific brand of a product that became very popular in the 1980s. What product is that?
Hairspray
15.Who are Johnny and Baby?
The main characters in Dirty Dancing (1987)
16.What do the songs "Maniac" and "Flashdance...What A Feeling" have in common?
They were both featured in Flashdance (1983)
17.What musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber opened on Broadway in 1988 and is still the longest-running musical in Broadway history?
The Phantom of the Opera
18.What popular color-coded puzzle toy made it's debut in the US market 1980?
19.What band's 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium is considered one of the greatest of all time?
Queen
20.What popular TV series revolved around the Ewing family?
Dallas
21.What two big movie franchises of the 1980s starred Harrison Ford?
Star Wars and Indiana Jones
22.What was Ronald Reagan talking about when he said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" in 1987?
He was referring to the Berlin Wall.
23.What brand of frozen meals did Stouffer's introduce in 1981 to meet consumers' desires for low-calorie dinner options?
24.What 1983 coming-of-age movie followed the adventures of a high school senior played by Tom Cruise while his parents are away?
Risky Business
25.What 1982 Toto song makes reference to ancient memories, wild dogs, and moonlit wings?
"Africa"
26.According to the hit 1981 song, if you dial 867-5309 who should you expect to pick up?
Jenny
27.What 1983 Christmas movie prominently features a "leg lamp"?
A Christmas Story
28.What singer nicknamed the Queen of Pop released her debut album in 1983?
Madonna
29.What 1985 movie had an ensemble made up of "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal"?
The Breakfast Club
30.What two successful TV series that premiered in the '80s starred David Hasslehoff?
Knight Rider and Baywatch
31.What 1980s sitcom had an iconic monologue where a character named Marjorie was lectured about "the night the lights went out in Georgia"?
Designing Women
32.What famous quarterback had the nicknames "Joe Cool" and "The Comeback Kid"?
Joe Montana
33.Who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1980s has been played onscreen by both Meryl Streep and Gillian Anderson?
Margaret Thatcher
34.What 1986 song makes reference to bazaar men, gold crocodiles, and hookah pipes?
"Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles
35.What type of car is fitted with a flux capacitor to turn it into a time-travel machine in the Back to the Future franchise?
A DMC Delorean
36.Which musical group got famous with the 1985 hit song "Take On Me"?
A-ha
37.What 1985 video game begins by departing from Independence, Missouri?
Trail to Oregon
38.Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabar played together through the '80s on which NBA team?
The Los Angeles Lakers
39.What Francis Ford Coppola-directed movie starred Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Cruise was released in 1983?
The Outsiders
40.Who is Ren McCormack?
The main character in Footloose (1984)
41.What are the three Heathers' last names in Heathers (1988)?
Duke, McNamara, and Chandler
42.Who directed E.T. the Extraterrestrial?
Steven Spielberg
43.What sitcom helped launch the career of Woody Harrelson when he joined the cast in 1985?
Cheers
44.Who played Batman onscreen in 1989?
Michael Keaton
45.Danny Aiello, Keith Carradine, and Debi Mazaar were all featured in music videos by what singer?
Madonna
46.What was the nickname for young, educated, urban professionals?
Yuppies
47.What civil rights activist became a gay rights activist in the 1980s and was eventually played by Colman Domingo in a biopic?
48.What NYC-based artist was known for his pop art murals that advocated for AIDS awareness among other social causes?
49.What future US President appeared as a character witness for Roy Cohn during the disgraced lawyer's disbarment hearing in 1986?
50.Who was the first female justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981?
51.What was the name of Ronald Reagan's controversial economic policy that lowered government spending and taxes?
52.What space shuttle exploded 73-seconds after launch in 1986?
53."Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time" were huge hits from what Cyndi Lauper album released in 1983?
She's So Unusual
54.What band sang the song "Sweet Child o' Mine" in 1987?
Guns N' Roses
55.What 1987 song is the basis for the rickrolling meme?
"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
56.What 1983 song frequently repeats "Turn around" during the verses?
"Total Eclipse of the Heart"
57.Tommy and Gina are the characters in which 1986 Bon Jovi song?
"Livin' On A Prayer"
58.What iconic cable channel launched in 1981?
MTV
59.Which animated TV series premiered in 1989 and starred a family with yellow skin?
The Simpsons
60.What 1989 movie video by Madonna garnered censure from Pope John Paul II?
"Like A Prayer"
61."Shoot to Thrill" was released in 1980 and became associated with the MCU's Iron Man decades later. What band sings the song?
AC/DC
62.Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker" is a one-liner delivered by Bruce Willis in what 1988 movie?
Die Hard
63.What exercise trend was popularized by Jane Fonda's at-home workout tapes and the movie Perfect (1985), starring Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta?
Aerobics
64.In what country did the 1986 Chernobyl disaster occur?
65.Where were the 1980 Olympics held?
66.Why did the United States lead calls for a boycott of the 1980 Olympics and end up not attending along with 60 other countries?
Because the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
67.What sports drink was created by the Coca-Cola Company and released in 1987?
68.Where were the 1984 Olympics held?
69.Where were the 1988 Olympics held?
70.Who became President of the United States in 1989?
George H.W. Bush
71.What sitcom actor hosted the 1987 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship that would become the inspiration for a Key and Peele sketch in 2014?
72.How many seasons was Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Light after joining the cast in 1980?
Four seasons (6-9)
73.What did John McEnroe famously shout at an umpire during the 1981 Wimbledon Championships?
"You cannot be serious!"
74.What album earned Prince an Oscar in 1984?
Purple Rain
75.For what movie did Cher win her Best Actress Oscar in 1988?
Moonstruck
76.Why was Diego Maradona's first goal during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal so controversial?
Because he hit it into the goal with his hand but the referee did not see it.
77.What basketball player released a line of sneakers with Nike that launched in 1985?
Michael Jordan
78.What was the name of the sneakers?
Air Jordans
79.What Tina Turner song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984 and marked her commercial comeback?
"What's Love Got to Do with It"
80.What is the name of David Bowie's character in Labyrinth (1986)?
Jareth
