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

I forget you, who are so quiet, in October.atarayo

Atarayo - Forgetting You, the Quiet One in October (Music Video)

Atarayo’s “I’ll Forget Your Silence in October” was released in 2020 and captured the hearts of many young people.

The song carefully portrays the complex emotions one feels after a breakup.

It’s striking in how realistically it conveys the bittersweetness of love and the emptiness after loss that middle school students may experience.

In fact, the music video released in 2021 fully expresses that poignancy and resonated with many people.

For middle schoolers, this song can serve as a chance to overcome heartbreak and painful feelings.

Singing it at karaoke with friends or clubmates might help ease the sadness, even just a little.

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.

We againSG

We Again (Wind Ensemble ver.) – SG (Official Behind-the-Scenes Music Video)

This work by SG has gained support as an encouraging song that resonates deeply during graduations and farewells.

Its gentle melody, which accompanies young people as they overcome partings and take new steps forward, and its lyrics filled with hope for reunion are especially appealing.

Released in April 2021, it has become a popular track with a cumulative 150 million streams.

Starting in November 2024, it has also been featured in Calorie Mate’s exam-season support commercial, and a concert band version by the Hanazono Tokuei High School Wind Ensemble has been making waves.

It’s a heartwarming song for farewells, graduation ceremonies, and moments when you long to see someone special again.

It’s a recommended track for times when you want to cherish your memories while looking ahead and doing your best.

In that casemakaroni enpitsu

Macaroni Empitsu "Saraba" Music Video

It’s a love song that beautifully captures fresh memories of youth and the aching pain of unrequited love.

Created by Macaroni Enpitsu, the piece portrays unreturned feelings and longing for someone from a warm, gentle perspective.

Its sweet, wistful vocals and melodious sound tenderly embrace the complexities of being in love.

Released in January 2025, it serves as the opening theme for the second cour of the TV anime Ao no Hako.

Seamlessly harmonizing with the anime’s worldview, it succeeds in expressing the vivid emotions of youth through music.

This heartwarming track resonates deeply not only with those currently in love but also with anyone who recalls a past romance.

Answer And Answer9mm Parabellum Bullet

9mm Parabellum Bullet – Answer And Answer

I can’t find common ground with someone.

Even so, when you want to come up with answers for each other and move forward, listening to this might provide the missing solution to the half-finished equations swirling in your head.

The punchy drums blow away that hazy mood.

It’s easier to reflect later if you’ve come up with answers to things, isn’t it?

PANDORASiM

SiM – PANDORA (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Life passes by without question.

The world you see may be a make-believe world that exists only for you.

If you don’t keep communicating and maintaining mutual understanding with those around you, relationships can become one-sided.

This is the song I listened to when I felt that everything around us is governed by rules derived from the lives of many people.

Linda LindaTHE BLUE HEARTS

[Official] THE BLUE HEARTS “Linda Linda” [1st Single (1987/5/1)] THE BLUE HEARTS / Linda Linda

A classic that everyone has heard at least once.

Punk rock that transcends eras, understood and enduring.

We Japanese may be diligent, but I think the reason songs like this endure is that everyone carries a bit of a rebellious spirit somewhere inside.

In our logic-driven student lives, I want that smoldering feeling to be carried off by the visceral energy of punk rock.