Unrequited love songs by bands. Japanese pop/rock love songs.

I hope I can be your lover.Kaneyori Masaru

Kaneyori Masaru [I Hope I Can Be Your Lover] Music Video

A song by Kaneyori Masaru that candidly sings about a bittersweet love—dreaming of a future with someone you like even while knowing it’ll never come true.

You feel like you’re just one of many to them, and yet you can’t help but hope that tomorrow will be different; that pure, earnest feeling squeezes your heart.

The driving rock sound powerfully propels those pent-up emotions forward.

This track appears on the mini-album “To Us Who Won’t Live Yesterday,” released in January 2025, and also drew attention as the theme song for the film “Yoyogi Johnny’s Melancholy After School.” It went viral on TikTok and became one of the signature hits of 2025.

It’s sure to resonate deeply with anyone who can’t confess their feelings before graduation or who’s struggling with the pain of unrequited love.

mutual unrequited loveDXTEEN

DXTEEN | 'Mutual Crush' Official MV (Theme Song for the Drama 'I Joined a Group I’m Not Close With on the School Trip')

It’s a heart-tickling youth love song packed with the sweet, bittersweet flutter of the moment when love begins to move.

Released in September 2025 as DXTEEN’s 6th single, the track portrays that delicate distance between two people who like each other but can’t quite take the next step.

It also drew attention as the theme song for the drama “I Joined a Group I’m Not Close With on the School Trip.” The initial rush of romance and the thrill of feeling the gap slowly close with someone you like are vividly expressed through the members’ fresh, breezy vocals.

Give it a listen when you want to move your relationship forward.

Unrequited Love Magnetmekakushe

mekakushe – Unrequited Love Magnet (Official Music Video)

Though they love each other, they can’t be honest—sticking together and pulling apart like magnets.

This song by singer-songwriter mekakushe delicately yet poppily portrays that frustrating feeling of love.

The airy vocals and bright horn sounds amplify the thrill of being in love.

But it’s not all sweetness; the lyrics also hide clashes born from being so alike, and the bittersweetness of love.

If you’re clumsily nursing a one-sided crush, this song is sure to be by your side.

NE-CHU-SHOWbotchiboromaru

NE-CHU-SHOW / Bocchi Boromaru (Music Video) | TV Anime “Baban Babamban Vampire” Ending Theme

An upbeat tune that rides a danceable beat to capture the exhilaration of falling in love.

Produced by Bocchi Boromaru, the track was released in January 2025 and chosen as the ending theme for the TV anime “Babanbabamban Vampire.” It features a hybrid sound that skillfully blends rock, pop, and rap, brimming with energy that feels like it raises your body temperature just by listening.

Uniquely, it aligns with the bathhouse-themed world of the work, expressing the heat of love as “overheating” and “thirst.” It’s a song we especially recommend to anyone experiencing a fervent one-sided crush that makes your head spin with infatuation.

Unrequited Love in the Music RoomKeyakizaka46

Keyakizaka46 'Unrequited Love in the Music Room' Short Ver.

It’s a Keyakizaka46 song that overlays the feeling of first love onto the sound of a piano echoing through a quiet after-school hallway.

It’s a unit track by Rika Ozeki, Minami Koike, and Neru Nagahama, included on TYPE-D of the single “Ambivalent,” released in August 2018.

The refined scene of someone not opening the music room door where their crush is, instead listening intently to the notes leaking out, tightens the listener’s chest.

If you’re someone who wants to cherish your current relationship without breaking it… this song will surely stay close to your delicate feelings.

low-grade feverMy Hair is Bad

Binetsu

This song, which showcases My Hair is Bad’s pop sensibilities, depicts that vague “low-grade fever” of emotion you’re not sure you can call love yet.

It’s the third track on the EP hadaka e.p., released in November 2018.

Although it isn’t a single’s title track, it’s performed often live and enjoys enduring popularity among fans.

The lyrics penned by Tomomi Shiiki—blending a frustrating longing for the other person with a touch of bite—are sure to resonate with many listeners.

While it has the driving momentum you’d expect from a rock band, the melody is catchy and very easy to listen to, making it a great recommendation for first-time listeners of My Hair is Bad.

If you’re stuck in the murky space of a one-sided crush or feeling a bit sentimental, this song will gently keep you company.

Awakening in the eyesMy Hair is Bad

My Hair is Bad – Awakened in the Eyes

Released as a single in October 2022, this is one of My Hair is Bad’s most refreshingly exhilarating tracks.

The lyrics charmingly capture the rush of falling in love at first sight and the pure feeling of breaking into a smile just because the other person is smiling.

Chosen as the theme song for ABEMA’s “Koisuru ♥ Shūmatsu Homestay 2022 Autumn ~Honey Soda Story~,” the piece was reportedly created by Shiiki drawing on his school-day memories, brimming with a fresh sensibility.

While the band has many bittersweet songs, this one shines with a brightness that affirms the start of a pure romance.

It’s a must-listen not only for those with a crush, but also for adults who want to relive the butterflies of back then.