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)
Loved oneFOMARE
This is a popular song by FOMARE, known as a leading band in the youth punk scene.
Its poignant lyrics and melody really resonate deeply with listeners.
Released in October 2022, the song was reportedly created as an expression of gratitude toward live houses and supporters.
The lyrics depict bonds with loved ones and the importance of everyday life, and as you listen, you can’t help but feel your heart swell.
It’s especially moving in graduation or retirement scenes, when memories can come flooding back all at once.
This track strongly shakes the hearts of young people and also went viral on TikTok.
It’s a soul-stirring piece that adults nostalgic for their youth should definitely hear.
As many times as you likeDREAMS COME TRUE
A signature song by DREAMS COME TRUE, an artist universally loved by people of all ages for their exceptional musical sensibility and powerful performances.
It’s a coming-of-age anthem packed with the message to rise again no matter how many times you fall—guaranteed to move you to tears.
FlowerORANGE RANGE
A signature song by ORANGE RANGE, an artist who has gained popularity with a distinctive husky voice that resonates with listeners and songs that convey sincere feelings.
It’s a youthful number that describes the miracle of meeting one’s destined person—a classic guaranteed to make you cry.
lilacMrs. GREEN APPLE
A song by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE that portrays the anxieties and inner conflicts of youth while powerfully singing about the courage and determination to keep moving forward.
Amid passing days, a strong resolve to cherish even the wounds and pains that span a lifetime resonates alongside a light, buoyant melody.
Many listeners relate to the stance of trying to accept one’s imperfect self, even while harboring aversion to love and hope.
The track was chosen as the opening theme for the TV Tokyo anime “Oblivion Battery” starting in April 2024, and it won the Grand Prize at the 66th Japan Record Awards.
It’s music that truly symbolizes our era, offering comfort to those lost in life and searching for their authentic selves.
Tear-jerking youth songs: Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (61–70)
Goodbye ElegySuda Masaki
A gem of a love song that delicately portrays a heart wavering between loneliness and love.
The soul-stirring cry entrusted by Masaki Suda to Huwie Ishizaki resonates deeply with pure emotion.
In days where kindness feels clouded, a bittersweet yet powerful melody wraps around the shape of love we discover.
Released in February 2018 as Masaki Suda’s third single, it drew attention as the theme song for the NTV drama “Kiss That Kills.” Suda himself made a cameo appearance in the series, and the song garnered notice for blending beautifully with the drama’s world.
A supreme ballad that shakes the soul, dedicated to those who have experienced heartbreak and partings and wish to sublimate the feelings hidden deep within their hearts.
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.