The May 1998 riots of Indonesia (Indonesian: Kerusuhan Mei 1998), also known as the 1998 tragedy (Tragedi 1998) or simply the 1998 event (Peristiwa 1998), were incidents of mass violence, demonstrations, and civil unrest of that occurred throughout Indonesia, mainly in Medan in the province of North Sumatra (48 May), the capital city of Jakarta (1215 May), and Surakarta (also called Solo) in the province of Central Java (1315 May). The violent riots were triggered by corruption, economic problems, including food shortages and mass unemployment. It eventually led to the resignation of President Suharto and the fall of the New Order government, which had been in power for 32 years. The main targets of the violence were ethnic Chinese Indonesians, but most of the casualties were caused by a massive fire and occurred among looters.It was estimated that more than a thousand people died in the riots. At least 168 cases of rape were reported, and material damage was valued at more than Rp 3.1 trillion (~260 million USD). As of 2010, legal proceedings regarding the riots were stalled and not completed.

The Trisakti shootings (Indonesian: Tragedi Trisakti, literally "Trisakti Tragedy") took place at Trisakti University, Jakarta, Indonesia on 12 May 1998. At a demonstration demanding President Suharto's resignation, Indonesian National Army soldiers opened fire on unarmed protestors. Four students, Elang Mulia Lesmana, Heri Hertanto, Hafidin Royan, and Hendriawan Sie, were killed and dozens more were injured. The shootings caused riots to break out throughout Indonesia, eventually leading to Suharto's resignation.