bonus track
/ˈboʊ.nəs træk/
CommonAn extra song added to an album beyond the standard tracklist, often as an incentive or regional exclusive.
Fan opinion splits hard on bonus tracks. Some are cuts that would have improved the album. Others feel like they were left out for a reason and should have stayed out.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | the bonus track at the end is genuinely top 3 on the album. no idea why it wasn't on standard | An extra track outperforms the songs that made the official tracklist. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | four bonus tracks and not one of them needed to exist. let the album breathe | The extra tracks dilute the album without adding value. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | physical buyers get a bonus track and i'm genuinely considering it | The exclusive track is tempting the listener into buying a physical copy. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | that japan-only bonus track from 2009 goes so hard and the label refuses to stream it. it's a hate crime | A regionally-exclusive track is good enough that its unavailability feels like a deprivation. | tiktok, 2023 |
Use it when
- Referring to a track that appears after the main album sequence.
- Comparing different editions of an album.
- Discussing whether extra tracks add or hurt an album's flow.
Do not use it when
- You mean a track that was never released at all.Use “unreleased” instead.
- You mean a b-side from a physical single, not a deluxe addition.Use “b-side” instead.
Bonus track vs vault track
bonus track
Bonus track is officially released alongside the album in specific editions.
VS
vault-track
Vault track is an older, previously unreleased recording released later, often years after it was made.
Origin and context
Emerged with the CD era, when the format's extra capacity let labels add songs beyond the vinyl tracklist. Used commercially to create different purchasing incentives across formats and regions.
- First seen
- 1980s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/bonus-trackUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0