"Break the Rules" is a song by British singer Charli XCX from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). It was released on 19 August 2014 as the album's second single. In a 2020 interview with Red Bull, XCX stated that she regrets recording the track.
According to Charli, the song is "about not giving a fuck."
"Break the Rules" is an electro-rock and alternative rock song, set against a "propulsive" synth-pop groove. The song is written in the key of E major in common time with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. "Break the Rules" follows a chord progression of C<small>5</small>âÂÂB<small>5</small>âÂÂA<small>5</small>âÂÂE<small>5</small>âÂÂF<small>5</small>, and Charli's vocals span from B<sub>3</sub> to C<sub>5</sub>.
Michael Nelson of Stereogum described it as "one of the best" of Charli's songs, in which he positively compared it to Joan Jett and Skrillex. Cosmopolitan listed "Break the Rules" at number five on its 2014 best songs list. Ahead of the release of her 2022 album Crash, Consequence of Sound ranked the song as Charli's best, which she disagreed with.
The music video for "Break the Rules" was directed by Marc Klasfeld and premiered on 25 August 2014. The video was filmed at Birmingham High School while class was in session, so the lyrics "getting high and getting wrecked" had to be muted during playbacks. According to Charli, the video draws inspiration from films such as Carrie (1976), The Craft (1996) and Jawbreaker (1999). It features a cameo from actress Rose McGowan, the star of Jawbreaker, as a school chaperone.
The song was used in trailers for the 2015 film Goosebumps. It was also featured in the 2016 film Good Kids. The song was also used in a 2016 Dish Network commercial and as the theme song of season 7 of Vietnam's Next Top Model. It is also used in both trailers for the 2020 film My Spy. Also the song was used in episode 4 of Quantico season 1.
Credits for "Break the Rules" are adapted from CD liner notes