In this study, the buckling of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) containing Stone–Wales (SW) defects is investigated by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The orientation and concentration of SW defects are taken into account to evaluate buckling onset strain of GNRs. It is shown that the SW defect orientation has an influence on stability of GNRs under compression. Furthermore, it is explored that the shape of the deformed GNRs depends on the SW defect concentrations, and their orientations.