Emotional songs from the Heisei era. Nostalgic tracks that really hit you.
We’re introducing some emo songs from the Heisei era that feel a bit nostalgic and hit you right in the feels!
The word “emo” has gone beyond the realm of music and come to be used for expressing all kinds of emotions.
Since its boom around 2018—right before the Reiwa era—some people might associate emo songs with the chill vibe of that time.
Here, we’ve picked out tracks released during the Heisei era that carry that emo feel.
We’re featuring songs that saw a revival through social media, tunes that bring back youthful memories, and tracks that wrap you in a sentimental mood.
Be sure to find the songs that match your own sense of “emo.”
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Emo Songs of the Heisei Era: Nostalgic Tracks That Hit You in the Feels (31–40)
Blue BenchSasuke
The single released in 2004 is imbued with a wistfulness that lingers like standing on a station platform at dusk.
Created by Sasuke—who at the time gained word-of-mouth popularity with acoustic guitar and two-part harmonies—this work is a heartbreak tale of someone clutching a class reunion invitation and tasting regret.
Despite its simple, street-bred arrangement, the emotions that rise from the pauses in the lyrics and the swell of the chorus resonate across generations.
Though it peaked at only No.
8 on the Oricon Weekly chart, it remained charted for 64 weeks and was later included in school textbooks as a choral piece.
It’s a classic that gently stays by your side when you’ve grown up still holding faint memories of first love, or when you want to revisit old feelings during graduation season.
budKobukuro
It’s a masterpiece overflowing with feelings for a beloved person you can no longer meet.
Written by Kentaro Kobuchi of Kobukuro in memory of his mother, whom he lost in his teens, the song was specially composed in 2007 as the theme for the drama “Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad.” It begins with gentle acoustic guitar and then swells into a dramatic development in the chorus that truly moves the heart.
The lyrics portray hope for a future that will bloom like a bud not yet in full flower, along with the belief that the person you can no longer see is still watching over and cheering you on from somewhere.
When you recall the kindness of someone dear who is now far away, you may find tears spilling out before you know it.
A Lonely ToothbrushSakuraba Yuuichirou
A song released under the name Yuichiro Sakuraba, the character played by Tomoya Nagase in a TV drama.
Produced by Tsunku♂, this track overlays the singer’s loneliness onto a single toothbrush left by the sink, weaving a heartrending number about the lingering attachment to a lover who has left.
It was included on TOKIO’s single “Message / Hitoribocchi no Haburashi,” released in May 2001, and became a major hit as an in-show song for the drama Muko Dono.
Even if he acts tough, he’s crying inside—the painful vulnerability of a man comes through all too clearly.
Blown by the windElefanto Kashimashi
This is a coming-of-age song that portrays the premonition of parting and a turning point in life.
Hiroji Miyamoto of Elephant Kashimashi weaves his innermost feelings into lyrics that flow naturally.
Strikingly using the contrast between the sun and the moon to depict a journey of departure that stretches on forever, this work was released as a single in November 1997.
Selected from the album “Run Toward Tomorrow – Moonlit Songs,” it also became a memorable piece as the theme song for Glico Almond Chocolate’s commercial.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you want to linger in the afterglow of a faint romance, when you’re about to take a new step forward, or when a touch of sentimentality finds its way into an ordinary day.
Baby, I love youTEE
Woven with straightforward words of love, this piece is a love ballad carried by the warm tones of an acoustic guitar.
The feelings a clumsy man wants to convey to someone precious reach the heart alongside a smoky, soothing vocal.
Reconstructed in a major-label style from its indie-era version, it was released in October 2010 as the second single.
Chosen as the ending theme for TBS’s COUNT DOWN TV and as a theme song for a Yomiuri TV program, it has become a long-loved track, covered by many artists.
It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when you want to honestly express your feelings to a partner, choose a wedding BGM, or savor time with someone important.
Emotive songs from the Heisei era: nostalgic, heart-tugging tracks (41–50)
March 9Remioromen
Known as a classic graduation song that has continued to accompany the youth of the yutori generation, this piece originally began as a wedding song, inspired by the fact that a member’s friend was getting married on the same date.
Its warm lyrics matched perfectly with the graduation season, turning it into a song that has colored the new beginnings of many students.
The lyrics, filled with gratitude for someone dear and a desire to keep supporting each other, resonate with the emotions felt before parting with friends and companions.
Released in 2004 and used as an insert song in the drama “1 Litre of Tears,” it left an even deeper impression on many people.
Highly recommended for those approaching graduation or anyone who wants to reminisce about their school days.
KanadeSukima Suichi
Released in 2004, this second single is an indispensable classic ballad when talking about Sukima Switch.
It was featured as an insert song in the film “Rough” and as a TV drama theme, and in 2006 it was also chosen as the ending theme for the final day of “Nettou Koshien.” The lyrics, depicting a moment of parting, convey the protagonist’s aching attempt to send their feelings to the one who is leaving, along with a wish to remain connected in their hearts.
When you reach a turning point in life—graduation, a job change, and so on—listening to this song will bring back memories from that time, and the tears will naturally start to flow.
With its gentle tempo and piano tones that soak into the heart, it’s a profoundly moving track.