For those curious folks who want to feel fear from scary songs or pore over creepy lyrics, we’ve researched eerie classics and popular frightening tracks you shouldn’t miss.
We’ll introduce a wide range—from songs beloved by music fans to selections chosen by our site’s music-specialist writers—blending them together.
We’ve carefully picked both Japanese and Western music, old and new.
Some tracks might not seem scary just by listening, but depending on how you interpret the lyrics, they can be chilling.
It could be fun to talk about the stories behind these songs when sharing summer ghost tales.
How about listening to scary songs and sending chills down your spine?
- A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese music that evokes madness and horror.
- Actually scary nursery rhymes. Children's songs that give you the chills once you understand their meaning
- Disgusting music. A classic of Japanese pop/rock.
- [Dark Side] Songs with scary lyrics. Tracks that make you shiver with chilling phrases.
- “Song of War”: A classic that sings of the tragedy and folly of war
- Hidden gems of yami songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- Chills down your spine. A collection of Vocaloid songs that are scary but irresistibly listenable.
- [2026] Eerie BGM That Stokes Fear | Compilation
- Stalker’s Song: A Rhapsody of Twisted Love
- [Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
- [Ghosts & Yokai] Horror Song Collection [Monsters & Zombies]
- Recommendation of Scary Music: That Song That’s Actually Frightening
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
Bone-chilling scary songs: iconic tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs (1–10)
BathroomShiina Ringo
If you look only at the lyrics, you’ll find expression after expression that makes you rub your eyes and wonder, “What on earth is happening!?”—that’s the kind of number this is from Shiina Ringo.
Beyond the live performances, the song exudes a world steeped in madness that could be called the very essence of Shiina Ringo.
Even amid its hysterical, violent energy, it somehow feels oddly comforting—that’s part of its appeal.
It’s highly regarded among fans and remains a popular track, a celebrated song shrouded in mystery.
blue carsupittsu
A song that carries that quintessentially fresh Spitz breeze: “Aoi Kuruma” (“Blue Car”).
You might be thinking, “What’s scary about this song?” In fact, some say it’s about a lovers’ double suicide.
The lyrics include phrases like “let’s be reborn” and “jump off,” which aren’t things you’d normally say if you were simply going for a drive.
If you see it that way, this might be the couple’s final moments together.
And if it really is a song about a double suicide, the overly bright, unfailingly cheerful melody feels strangely out of place—enough to send a chill down your spine.
Your Dissection Pure Love Song ~Die~aimyon
I discovered this song through a street performance video that had been uploaded to YouTube.
The lyrics include some quite provocative lines, but the carefree way they’re sung left a strong impression on me.
Songs like this are scariest when they’re delivered matter-of-factly.
Saying cruel things while thinking “I’m abnormal” is one thing, but saying cruel things while believing “I’m not abnormal” is even more deranged.
At this point, if you search the song’s title, the predictive text even suggests the word “scary.”
curseYamazaki Hako
If you search for “scary songs,” you’ll almost certainly come across this famous one: Hako Yamasaki’s Noroi (Curse).
The melody itself isn’t all that scary—if anything, it has a bright, folky feel.
But when you listen to the lyrics… you realize it’s about a woman trying to place a curse, relentlessly driving nails into a doll.
By the way, when it comes to cursing rituals, the “Ushi no Koku Mairi” is well known, and it seems you mustn’t be seen by your target—if you are, you’re supposed to kill them… Listening to this song is guaranteed to leave you feeling cursed yourself.
RebornNEW!Colin Stetson
An instrumental piece that is terrifying yet beautiful, swirling with breathtaking tension and a warped grandeur.
Layered clarinets and voices overlap to create an ominous sound that nevertheless brings an abnormal sense of exhilaration.
This work was composed for the score of the film “Hereditary,” released in June 2018.
It appears near the end of the album “Hereditary (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack),” which was released the same month.
The composer is saxophonist Colin Stetson.
The resonances born from his overwhelming performance emit a catharsis that goes beyond mere fear.
If you want to experience the strange sense of festivity that lies at the edge of despair, this is a masterpiece you should definitely hear!
When They Cry: HigurashiShimamiy a Eiko
The opening theme of the anime Higurashi: When They Cry.
When you hear Higurashi, you might expect a show with cute girls, but it actually has strong horror elements, with quite scary and gory scenes.
In this song, too, it feels like when you reach out for help after losing your way, the hand you grasp only drags you into an even deeper darkness.
It’s said that if you play the short phrase that appears about three times in the intro in reverse, it becomes “You can’t escape.” It’s a track that perfectly matches the anime’s worldview, evoking fear and despair.
RevengeMy Hair is Bad
This is a searing song that portrays the way the sorrow of a broken heart turns into resentment and anger.
Included on the album “mothers,” released in November 2017, the track tells a breakup story delivered with the raw emotion characteristic of My Hair is Bad.
It traces the emotional shift—from happy memories with a lover, to a sudden parting, and ultimately to a vow of “revenge,” as the title suggests—set against a propulsive melody.
The song vividly captures the subtle nuances of someone grappling with anger and bitterness after a breakup, leaving a strong impression of a complex state of mind where deep sorrow and love are intertwined.
When you can’t recover from a sense of loss, listening to this track may help you sublimate those emotions.