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

I’m really sorry.≠ME

≠ME (Not Equal Me) / 9th Single c/w “Gomen, Majide” [MV full]

This song beautifully captures the ache of unrequited love.

The lyrics convey the struggle of staying just friends while being unable to confess your feelings.

Even knowing they’re drawn to someone else, you can’t hold back your own emotions—the complexity of that inner turmoil hits close to home.

Included on ≠ME’s ninth single, “Because Summer Has Come,” this track feels like peeking into a lovestruck girl’s diary.

It’s perfect for anyone stuck between friends and lovers or gathering the courage to confess.

Give it a listen—and take the leap to tell them how you feel!

Where Love Is Headedsutopuri

Where Love Will Go / Strawberry Prince Music Video

How about a song that contemplates the outcome of love? It’s a track by the entertainment group Strawberry Prince (SutoPuri), released as a digital single in November 2024.

The lyrics and composition were created by Mao and Yuya from the rock band SID.

The lyrics, which depict unrequited feelings and inner conflict, are especially moving for younger listeners.

If you’re experiencing a crush right now, you’ll surely relate.

Be sure to listen closely and savor it!

Balloon Bomb (Bang Bang Bang)THE BLUE HEARTS

[THE BLUE HEARTS] Balloon Bomb (Bang Bang Bang)

This is a playful pop-punk number that sings about the frustration of an unstoppable crush and the explosive urges that come with it.

Featured on the classic album TRAIN-TRAIN, released in November 1988, the track is also known for its tie-in with Kadokawa Shoten’s “Hippa Rinda.” Many listeners will likely relate to the lyrics, which depict feelings so heightened they seem ready to burst at any moment.

Fans are also familiar with the behind-the-scenes story that an alternate title was originally considered.

When your feelings overflow and you’re helplessly in love, why not surrender yourself to the song’s vibrant, driving sound? Its exhilarating speed will lift your spirits and leave your heart feeling clear.

centimeterthe peggies

the peggies “Centimeter” Music Video

This is a song by the peggies, released in August 2020, that expresses a bittersweet crush and a slight sense of distance as if in an equation.

The intertwining of longing and anxiety for a destined person is brilliantly conveyed through an upbeat pop-rock sound and clear, airy vocals.

The track was used as the opening theme for the TV anime “Rent-A-Girlfriend” and reached No.

34 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

This love song, which celebrates the wonder of falling for someone, is a comforting tune not only for those in love but also for anyone hoping for a wonderful encounter ahead.

Charonnegoto

Negoto – Charon [Official Music Video]

A coming-of-age song that stirs the heart with its dreamlike, translucent sound and literary lyrics.

The title “Charon” is the name of Pluto’s moon, and the story projects feelings for someone far away onto the image of Charon—always beside Pluto yet never crossing paths.

Released on March 2, 2011, the track was featured in a campaign commercial for au’s music distribution service, LISMO!.

Also included on the album “ex Negoto,” this gem portrays the ache of wanting to meet someone you cannot see.

It’s a song best heard in the stillness before dawn, when thoughts turn to someone precious in the distance.

Me too,YUTORI-SEDAI

YUTORI-SEDAI – Me Too, [Official Music Video] (Theme Song for the Drama “I’m Being Toyed With by a Younger Virgin Guy”)

A ballad that poignantly portrays an unrequited love, set to the aching timbre of a piano.

Upon learning that their crush is dating a close friend, the protagonist carefully weaves their feelings as they have no choice but to give up while keeping their emotions hidden.

The more they think about the person they love, the more the pain intensifies—an experience many share as a bittersweet memory that lingers in the heart.

Included on YUTORI-SEDAI’s major first EP “blanket,” released in April 2025, this song was also chosen as the ending theme for MBS’s Drama Tokku series “I’m Being Toyed With by a Younger Virgin.” It’s a track that gently accompanies the hearts of those in one-sided love, where simply thinking of someone makes your chest tighten.

You look like an idiot.Saucy Dog

Saucy Dog “Like a Fool.” Music Video (Theme song for ABEMA’s “You Can’t Fool Me, Mr. Wolf”)

It carefully portrays the delicate feelings of a woman who can’t express herself well: while harboring the desire to know the other person more and to have them all to herself, and feeling love for them, she’s already fed up, believing there’s nothing more she can do.

Chosen as the theme song for ABEMA’s dating reality show “Don’t Be Fooled by Me and Mr.

Wolf,” the track was released digitally in August 2024, and is memorable for its emotional band sound and Shinya Ishihara’s vocals.

It’s a perfect song for those who can’t grasp how the person they like truly feels and are struggling with inner conflict.

Recommended for anyone who can relate to the sorrow of loving someone yet being unable to move forward.