[Relatable Lyrics] Emo songs to listen to when you're stuck after a breakup or relationship troubles

codependencyDomura Riu

Codependence / Riu Domura (Lyric Video)

A poignant love song by Riu Domura that delicately portrays a heart unable to escape loneliness and anxiety.

It’s striking for its depiction of a woman’s inner conflict as she realizes that, even while drowning in a codependent relationship, she’s nothing more than a convenient presence.

Released in May 2019, the song is included on the album “Escape,” with a remixed version later featured on the album “Night View.” It’s a track that offers comfort to those told their love is “too heavy” because they feel too strongly, or to anyone still carrying the pain of a difficult heartbreak.

nonsenseHitsuji Bungaku

Hitsujibungaku – Kudarana (Official Music Video)

There are times when you feel vaguely empty or your spirits sink, right? The song I want you to listen to at such times is “Kudaranai.” It’s a track included on the album “our hope” released by Hitsujibungaku.

Moeka Shiotsuka, the band’s vocalist, sings about the emotional fluctuations she felt through her music activities.

Because it focuses on negative feelings that anyone can relate to, it’s easy to empathize with and appealing in the way you can listen while reflecting it onto your own experiences.

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IDASKA

ASKA – ID (Official Music Video)

The worldview, as if set in an unknown Asian country or somewhere beyond time and space, is captivating.

The lyrics and melody are dreamy and tinged with a certain sadness.

For those who long to travel to a country no one knows and be free, this is a song that could let you escape in your mind.

I don’t mind being unhappy for the rest of my life.mafumafu

I don’t mind being unhappy for the rest of my life – Mafumafu

Sung by singer-songwriter Mafumafu, this piece candidly portrays a deep sense of despair and self-denial.

The lyrics feature expressions like apologizing for being born and being trapped in an unending loop of nightmares, leaving a powerful impression on listeners.

For Mafumafu, who returned from about a one-year hiatus in June 2022, this song holds a special meaning.

It’s a track I especially want those who’ve been hurt by heartbreak or troubled relationships, or who struggle to find their own worth, to hear.

It will surely stay close to your heart.

People who hate meKazuki Koucha

Katsuki Koucha – The Person Who Hates Me

Kazuki Koucha’s music centers on self-loathing and complex romantic feelings, marked by emotive lyrics like “the person who hates me most is myself.” It vividly portrays anxiety, inner conflict, and self-denial in love, with strikingly delicate emotional nuances.

This piece, released in September 2024, is a self-produced work that Kazuki created from songwriting and composition to the jacket design.

True to her popularity on TikTok, she leverages her social media influence to reach a broad audience.

It may be the perfect song for those who struggle to accept themselves or feel instability in romantic relationships.

Effeminate; overly sentimental; being clingy/whiny (context-dependent)Gōruden Bonbā

Effeminate / Golden Bomber – Music Video

A heart-tugging, feel-good song that comically portrays a man’s bittersweet lingering feelings after being dumped.

This gem wraps zippy comebacks to the one he can’t forget, tender affection, and regrets over letting himself be overlooked in quirky performances and a poppy sound.

It skillfully captures the panic of heartbreak in a dance tune that fuses kayōkyoku with Eurobeat.

Released in October 2009, it was later featured as a House Foods commercial song in March 2011.

From daydreaming about holding hands and dancing together to aching at the memory of sweet nothings once shared, this Golden Bomber signature track resonates deeply with anyone who can’t move on from a breakup or can’t help wondering how their ex is doing now.

To My AdolescenceAka-hoho Shishunki (BOL4)

[MV] BOL4 (Bolbbalgan4) – To My Youth

A healing song by BOL4 (Bolbbalgan4) that wraps the delicate emotions of adolescence in acoustic tones.

It gently traces the emotional journey from days tormented by loneliness and self-denial to gradually finding hope with the passage of time.

Included on the September 2017 album “Red Diary Page.1,” this work made the Melon Music Awards’ Top 10 for three consecutive years, Korea’s largest music awards.

Alongside the crystalline vocals, it brings into sharp relief the complex feelings of sensing parental love yet being unable to accept it straightforwardly, and the image of youths who shrink under the gaze of those around them.

When you feel on the verge of losing yourself, listening to this song will surely let a ray of hope shine into a heart filled with loneliness and anxiety.