Austin's Best Live Music Venues

Austin is known as the "Live Music Capital of the World." When your city's music scene is the breeding ground for artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, Townes Van Zandt, and more recently, the Black Pumas, Shakey Graves, and Gary Clark Jr., your city's claim is more than a tourism board's marketing ploy.

From the sticky-floored honkey-tonks to storied marquee establishments, you can find live music every night of the week in Austin. Although many visitors discover Austin's music scene by attending some of its biggest events — such as Austin City Limits or South by Southwest (SXSW) — the nitty-gritty of its scene is found in the charming, fun, and admittingly "weird" venues spread throughout the city.

With over 250 music venues, it's challenging to distill the whole scene into a few of the "best," so we've made our list a little more granular. However, many of the listed venues overlap in their categorical descriptions. In Austin, historic music venues can be dives, you can catch local acts on big stages, and the genre-bending musical nature of Austin keeps venue calendars wonderfully weird. That said, in the Venn diagram of an ever-evolving scene, here are some of the best venues to catch a show.

The Saxon Pub has been a haven for singer-songwriters and up-and-coming bands since 1990. According to its website, the pub has hosted over 30,000 shows since its opening, which isn't hard to believe. Depending on the night, you can catch six different performances in the pub's intimate listening room. Whether you catch a weekend matinee or stay to watch the late-night sets, you're assured a music-filled time at the South Lamar (SoLa) establishment.

The in-house venue of Hotel Van Zandt — if that's any indication of its musical merit — Geraldine's offers a classy, upscale atmosphere that still maintains its Austin sensibility. Located on the fourth floor of the riverside hotel, Geraldine's features a weekly jazz brunch, as well as nightly singer-songwriter showcases and touring act performances. Offering bat's-eye views of the river, warmly chandelier-lit ambiance, and handcrafted cocktails, Geraldine's offers a more relaxed atmosphere for musical appreciation.

But if relaxing isn't your bag, you may prefer to check into Hotel Vegas instead. This popular East 6th Street venue features two stages and a large patio with food trucks. Known for its raucous hard rock and punk shows, Hotel Vegas features live music or DJs almost every night of the week. Hotel Vegas partners with its sister bar, Volstead Lounge, which creates its huge backyard space. So, while the under-200-person capacity of Hotel Vegas can create a properly packed and sweaty live music experience, you can always check out momentarily for some fresh Texas air.

Austin dive bars are arguably as iconic as the city's honky-tonks (and they're often one and the same). Dive bars, with their floor-level stages, sticker-covered walls, packed rooms, and free-flowing beers, are the backbone of Austin's vibrant music scene.

Opened in 1974, the Hole in the Wall is a legendary live music venue that has welcomed names like Shakey Graves, Spoon, and Gary Clark Jr. to its cozy, window-front stage. Although we could've categorized it as a historic Austin venue — as it was an old haunt of artists like Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and Stevie Ray Vaughan — the musical landmark is first and foremost a dive bar. That said, the Hole in the Wall still features over six hours of live music daily, and whether you're a fan of music history or someone who just appreciates a laid-back, grittier atmosphere for tunes, the Hole in the Wall is a must-visit.

Along with Austin's moniker of "Live Music Capital of the World," we'd be amiss if we didn't mention its other motto: "Keep Austin Weird." And arguably, no one keeps it weirder than the Carousel Lounge on 52nd Street. An iconic establishment since 1963, the circus-themed watering hole features an actual carousel behind the bar and a very large pink elephant behind the stage. Needless to say, it's a unique backdrop for musicians of all genres, who join the circus most nights of the week.