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

My name is Unrequited Loveindigo la End

indigo la End "The Name Is Unrequited Love"

This is a song by indigo la End that portrays a heartrending unrequited love beginning with love at first sight.

Set to a lively mid-tempo track crafted by Enon Kawatani in January 2023, it sings of the protagonist’s complex emotions after falling for someone of the same sex.

While feeling the pain of social prejudice and unspoken pressures, the story tightens the chest as the protagonist suppresses their own feelings for the sake of the other person’s happiness.

It’s a song that will resonate with those who, having fallen in love, lose sight of themselves yet can do nothing but carry those feelings, as well as those struggling with a love they can’t tell anyone about.

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!

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.

My cute unrequited loveOtoniriame

My Cute Unrequited Love / Onriame [Official MV]

A youth love song packed with sweet-and-sour feelings of first love! Otoniae’s cute vocals gently wrap the bittersweet pain of a one-sided crush.

Released digitally in March 2023, this track rides the momentum of the TikTok hit “A Song of a Introvert JK Who Admires an Extrovert JK,” expressing Gen Z’s view on romance in a poppy way.

It’s full of one-sided-love moments: sleepless nights from overthinking about your crush, jealousy toward other girls, and more.

If you’ve ever had your head filled with thoughts of someone you like, you’ll definitely relate.

It’s the perfect cheer-up song for anyone mustering the courage to confess.

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.

Time-Limited Unrequited LoveNogizaka 46

Nogizaka46 'Time-Limited Unrequited Love'

A gentle, coming-of-age love song that tenderly embraces the fragility of unrequited feelings.

It’s an original track by the 6th generation members, included on Nogizaka46’s 38th single “Navel Orange,” released in March 2025.

The scenes painted by Yasushi Akimoto’s spun lyrics and the sound crafted by 3grass and Yuta Asao feel like a moment from a film.

If you’re about to graduate and can’t find the courage to confess to the one you like, this song might give you the push you need.