Tear-jerking youth songs: recommended classics and popular tracks
What comes to mind when you hear the word “youth”? For some, it’s the club activities or studies you poured your heart into; for others, the friends you spent joyful days with, or a straightforward, mutual romance—the images differ from person to person.
In this article, we’ll introduce many songs themed around different scenes of youth.
Among them, we’ve especially picked tracks that can overflow the feelings you’ve kept in your heart and move you to tears.
Be sure to listen while reading the lyrics!
- [Guaranteed to resonate!] Youth songs that strike a chord with teens. Recommended coming-of-age tracks.
- [For adults too] Youth songs that let you look back on your memories
- A collection of songs you’ll want to listen to when retiring from your school club [Youth]
- Club Activity Youth Songs: Motivational Anthems and Timeless Tracks of Memories with Teammates
- A classic, bittersweet youth song. Recommended popular tracks.
- A youth song with great lyrics. A lovely message that stays with your heart.
- [A moving friendship song] For dear friends and best friends. Songs of friendship that make you feel the bond.
- [Clubs, Friendship, Romance] Youth songs middle schoolers should listen to
- Packed with everything from friendship to romance! Youth anthems recommended for Gen Z
- A poignant masterpiece that sings of adolescence. Popular songs you’ll want to hear during your teenage years.
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Popular Youth Songs Ranking [2026]
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for high school students: classic and popular Japanese hits
Tear-jerking youth songs: Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (51–60)
The True Nature of TearsSUPER BEAVER
The melody and lyrics, which poignantly sing of the inner feelings we all carry, resonate deeply in the heart.
Though it grapples with loneliness and conflict, it also holds a wish, deep down, to be noticed by someone—a moving song where tenderness and bittersweetness intertwine.
SUPER BEAVER’s powerful rock sound and deeply emotive vocals vividly color the story.
Written as the theme song for NHK General’s drama “Vanilla na Mainichi,” airing from January 2025, this piece suggests a new frontier following the album “Ongaku.” In times when your heart feels unsteady or when you’re on the verge of losing your sense of self, it will become a treasured song that stays close to you.
walkKōda Kumi
A hugely popular coming-of-age number by Kumi Koda, an artist acclaimed for her powerful vocals that resonate with many listeners and her breathtaking live performances.
It’s a masterpiece ballad imbued with the message to walk the path you believe in—one that might just move you to tears.
I like you.Shimizu Shota
A hugely popular love song by Shota Shimizu—an artist whose overwhelming musical sensibility and distinctive sonic world have earned high acclaim overseas.
It’s a ballad that directly conveys the importance of a partner, a youthful number that brings listeners to tears.
I…atarayo
A heart-stirring song by Atarayo that weaves a tale of bittersweet love and self-transformation.
The encounter with a beloved person changes the way the world looks, vividly portraying the rebirth into a new self.
It delicately expresses the anxiety of nearly losing one’s sense of self, alongside the beauty of a world expanded by loving someone, inviting empathy for the subtle emotions that come with embracing change.
Released in January 2024, this work was selected as the opening theme for season 2 of the TV anime The Dangers in My Heart.
Its lyrics, which stand with the wavering feelings of adolescence, will deeply resonate with anyone standing at a crossroads in life.
In that casemakaroni enpitsu
A narrative masterpiece by Macaroni Enpitsu that wraps a bittersweet longing for love in the refreshing tones of guitar and synthesizer.
While gently embracing the pain of heartbreak, the unshaken desire to believe in the other person’s dreams stirs the heart.
The melodic lines and Hattori’s emotionally rich vocals beautifully capture the warmth and ache of youth.
Released in January 2025 as the opening theme for the second cour of the TV anime Blue Box, it weaves unattainable love and a growing inner world together with the anime’s atmosphere.
A gem of a song that stands with everyone who knows the joy of love and the pain of heartbreak, soothing the soul.