[Relatable Lyrics] Emo songs to listen to when you're stuck after a breakup or relationship troubles
Heartbreak, relationships, work, school—sad and painful things can happen in so many parts of life.
You might find yourself hating someone, lamenting your bad luck, or even feeling self-destructive at times.
Here are some “dark” songs to listen to in those moments.
Because these lyrics are written and sung by artists who have been through a lot, they’re raw and real enough to sit with your feelings—and I’m sure you’ll relate.
I’d be happy if listening to the songs I’m about to introduce helps lift your spirits, even just a little.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [For High School Students] Melancholy Songs That Stay Close to Your Feelings [Tough Times]
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- [Trash Songs] A carefully curated selection of tracks about the lowest, worst kind of loser—and hidden gems!
- My heart aches with bittersweet pain! Breakup songs I’d recommend to Gen Z
- [Female Heartbreak Song] A soul-stirring song dedicated to you, who loved with all your heart.
- A breakup song with great lyrics. A beautiful message that lingers in the heart.
- For When You Need a Good Cry: Soul-Soothing Tearjerker Classics — Life, Love, and Work
- Gently staying close to a wounded heart… A Reiwa-era heartbreak song
[Relatable Lyrics] Emo Songs to Listen to When You're Stuck in a Breakup or Relationship (1–10)
palmMr.Children
This is the 25th single by Mr.Children, the four-piece band affectionately known as “Misuchiru.” The lyrics were originally themed around war, with a central message that even if we’re born in different places and raised in different environments, we can still respect one another.
The same applies to our everyday relationships, too.
It’s a song that makes you reflect on how closely you can empathize with someone other than yourself.
I wanted to be your last girlfriend.Koresawa
A song by Koresawa, a singer-songwriter who keeps her face private in media like magazines and TV.
It’s a number that sings about the feelings after breaking up with a partner she had considered marrying, and the days they spent together.
The clear vocals over a pop tune feel pleasant, and the wistful melody becomes addictively melancholic.
magic mirrorOmori Seiko
If you’re looking for a “yami song” that actually lifts you up, I recommend Seiko Oomori’s Magic Mirror.
When people say “yami song,” it often means a theme of heartbreak and the pain that follows, but this track sings about loneliness in life.
The lyrics, where Seiko Oomori struggles in her own way to save lonely people, are truly encouraging.
[Relatable Lyrics] Depressing Songs to Listen to When You're Stuck in a Breakup or Relationship Issues (11–20)
Phantom LifeSEKAI NO OWARI
A SEKAI NO OWARI song that sparks listeners’ imaginations with its unique worldview.
In the lyrics, it becomes clear that a single irreplaceable life has been lost.
The sense of loss seems bottomless and endless, and yet the expression of a gaping hole left in the heart fits remarkably well—an unreal feeling that doesn’t quite land.
When humans experience truly heartbreaking events, perhaps they freeze time, carrying these vague, rootless emotions just like this.
Nightmare of the Galactic CitySEKAI NO OWARI
A mixed-gender four-piece band, SEKAI NO OWARI’s song.
The lyrics’ protagonist sings of anxiety and self-loathing at living the same unchanging days due to illness, but aren’t there people who feel the same even without being sick? It’s a heartrending number that makes your chest tighten, one you can’t help but empathize with as the protagonist struggles to start by changing what’s right in front of them before worrying about the future.
tear-coloredNishino Kana
This song, true to Kana Nishino’s style, is one you can relate to on so many levels.
I especially want women with heartbreak-wounded hearts to listen to it.
The fun times you spent together, the tears that come when you remember them, and the reality that you can’t see that person anymore… If you’ve ever experienced a breakup, the lyrics will seize you deep inside.
But what’s wonderful is that it doesn’t just dwell on the feeling of not being able to forget a former lover—it also expresses a forward-looking resolve: “Someday this too will become a memory, and I’ll find happiness with someone new.”
CountdownCocco
A song by Cocco, an Okinawan singer-songwriter who is also active as a picture book author and actress.
It’s a track where emotions so intense they verge on madness are propelled by a heavy, fierce sound.
You can vividly picture the fate of a man who betrayed the one person he absolutely should never have betrayed—a song that reminds you of both the importance and the fragility of human relationships.