Emo songs recommended for junior high school students: A roundup of classic and popular Japanese tracks!

to liveMizuno Atsu

Live (feat. KAFU) – Atsu Mizuno

This is a song that gently stays close to a delicate heart that feels weighed down even by the smallest moments of everyday life.

Released in July 2021 as a collaboration between Atsu Mizuno and the Vocaloid Kafu, it has reached 10 million views on YouTube.

The conflicting emotions—wanting distance from school or relationships, blaming oneself, yet still wishing to keep living somewhere deep inside—are carefully portrayed within a simple, piano-centered soundscape.

Listen to it on nights when tomorrow feels frightening, or in moments when you feel no one will understand you.

Just being alive is admirable.ReoNa

ReoNa “Just Being Alive Is Wonderful” - Lyric Video -

When your heart feels heavy and you can’t move, there’s a song that gently stays by your side.

Included on ReoNa’s fifth single “Nai Nai,” released in May 2021, this piece—written and composed by Toa Kasamura—is a track that resonates deeply.

Carried by the sound of the piano, ReoNa’s whispery vocals speak as if softly reading a diary aloud, giving voice to your innermost thoughts.

Rather than forcing encouragement, the lyrics simply offer the warmth of being there, making it a song you’ll want to hear when you’re worn out from trying too hard.

The choral parts, inspired by hymns, envelop you and quietly convey a blessing for living through today.

It’s a song I especially recommend to anyone getting by while holding on to painful feelings.

The kid who always gets comparedTsuyu

Tsuyu – Kurabera Rekko MV

A song by Tsuyu that empathizes with the pain of being compared to others.

Many of us have been hurt by being measured against someone else.

This work portrays, head-on, the feelings of inferiority and inner conflict from the perspective of the one being compared.

Rei’s clear, translucent vocals and Pusu’s band sound—blending rock and pop—resonate deeply.

The lyrics lay bare the protagonist’s earnest emotions as they are continually compared by those around them, and their determination to keep going even while blaming themselves is truly moving.

The track was included on the February 2020 album “Yappari Ame wa Furun da ne,” and a remixed version was later released.

It was also featured in Konami’s music game SOUND VOLTEX, earning love from a wide audience.

Give it a listen when you’re feeling unsure of yourself or hurt by comparisons.

It will surely whisper, “I understand,” and stay by your side.

I want to become a kaiju.Sakuzyo

I Want to Be a Kaiju (feat. Hatsune Miku)

During the emotionally delicate years of junior high, this piece confronts head-on the impulse to break free and the longing for release that well up inside.

Written specifically for the finals of the rhythm game “Project Sekai” in October 2025, it features Hatsune Miku’s voice embodying a fierce desire to escape ordinary life and rampage like a kaiju.

Set to a high-speed fusion of breakcore and drum’n’bass, the track portrays repressed emotions erupting, powered by Sakuzyo’s signature meticulous and weighty sound.

When you feel your individuality being stifled, when you want to change even if it means breaking something, this work will stand by your side.

Omelet riceReoNa

ReoNa "Omelette Rice" -Music Video-

It’s sure to resonate with anyone who couldn’t go to school.

Released digitally in May 2024, this song features lyrics and composition by Vocaloid producer Tota Kasamura and arrangement by Ryohei Arahata.

The lyrics, which begin with a question, symbolically portray the protagonist’s loneliness and sense of self-negation through scenes centered on a bento lunch.

The gently sorrowful melody seeps into the heart.

It’s a song that quietly reaches out a hand to those who, despite their pain, still wish to face forward.

subculture girlKyūso Nekokami

Kyuso Nekokami - “Subculture Girl” PV

Subculture girls, who tend to be persecuted by the ever-glittery girls.

Even on a normal morning before homeroom, when the classroom is already noisy and her only friend is her music player, today she’s on duty.

It’s a song that, when you listen to it while being tossed around by your own identity, makes you think, “Maybe I’ll try a little harder.”

Class journalmurasaki ima

Murasaki Ima – Class Diary / Murasaki Ima – School Diary (MUSIC VIDEO) / TV Anime “Blue Exorcist: The Shimane Illuminati Saga” Ending Theme

Set in the universal setting of schools and classrooms, this moving number portrays the imperfections and kindness of friends.

Its theme, gently illuminating those who carry wounds, leaves a strong impression.

A grand ballad highlighted by gospel and choral elements, it shines with a quiet, fragile melody line and dramatic development.

Released in January 2024, it was chosen as the ending theme for the TV anime Blue Exorcist: The Blue Night Saga – The Shimane Illuminati Arc.

It is also included on the album eMulsion, released in March 2025.

Highly recommended for those who want to feel the urgency of adolescence or who are carrying unbearable emotions.