Just listening makes my chest tighten... Breakup songs recommended for the Yutori generation
Heartbreak songs have always stirred our emotions with their bittersweet ache.
Even in today’s world, where young people are said to be drifting away from romance, the pain of a broken heart remains the same.
Here, we’ve picked out a selection of breakup songs from the J-POP scene that we especially recommend to the yutori generation.
From universally known stars to the new wave of artists, we’ve gathered a wide range of hit tracks—give them a listen!
- Recommended for the Yutori generation! Tear-jerking masterpieces from the J-pop scene
- My heart aches with bittersweet pain! Breakup songs I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Bittersweet feelings come rushing back! Recommended love songs for the Yutori generation
- [Women Artists Only] Breakup Songs Recommended for Gen Z
- Breakup songs sung by male artists that I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Breakup songs recommended for people in their 90s: a collection of timeless tracks that comfort the heart
- Winter songs you'll want to listen to in the cold season! Recommended for the yutori generation
- Recommended heartbreak songs for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- Breakup songs popular among women in their 20s. Tear-jerking love songs.
- Recommended breakup songs for high school students: classic and popular J-pop tracks
- Nostalgic Showa-era heartbreak songs. Soothe your heart with timeless classics that can move women in their 60s to tears.
- Masterpieces of bittersweet breakup songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [Valentine’s Heartbreak Songs] Masterpieces and Popular Tracks to Heal a Wounded Heart
Just listening to it makes your chest tighten... Recommended heartbreak songs for the Yutori generation (21–30)
JELLYNumber_i
A Number_i track that likens tender, fragile feelings of love to jelly.
Produced by member Yuta Jinguji, it delicately captures the wistfulness of late summer.
The lyrics ask, “What would the jelly filled with my feelings for you taste like?”—a question that conveys the fear that this love might one day melt away and disappear, tightening the listener’s chest.
Included on their debut album No.I, released in September 2024.
tear(s)Marushii
Released in August 2025, this song marks Marcy’s first summer ballad.
It opens with scenes that evoke dazzling memories of love, and the story that unfolds in the past tense grips your heart.
Like a letter with no addressee, the feelings have nowhere to go, and the earnest pain of heartbreak is rendered lyrically.
It’s a sentimental track that embraces those who want to linger in the afterglow of a past romance at summer’s end.
Just listening makes my chest tighten... Recommended heartbreak songs for the Yutori Generation (31–40)
maybeYOASOBI
A YOASOBI song that depicts a memorable morning of parting.
The protagonist’s quiet farewell is conveyed through delicate words and a heartrending melody.
Released digitally in July 2020, it was also used as the theme song for a short film of the same name.
The lyrics, which portray the complex emotions left after a breakup and the changes in a relationship, resonate deeply with listeners.
It’s a recommended track for those who have experienced a springtime farewell or who wish to reflect on memories with someone dear.
I saw you.≠ME
This is a summer song released in August 2025 by ≠ME, an idol group produced by Rino Sashihara.
The track portrays the bittersweet emotions of seeing the person you like together with someone else.
It reflects Sashihara’s unique sentiment of “not wanting ≠ME to have their love fulfilled,” intertwining the frustration of unrequited love with the atmosphere of late summer to create a heart-wrenching feel.
It’s a must-listen for anyone in the throes of a one-sided crush or those who want to reminisce about the delicate memories of their youth.
casual speechpirafu seijin
Rapper Pilaf Seijin, who enjoys overwhelming support especially among Gen Z, released this work, Tameguchi, in August 2025.
While Pilaf Seijin is known for many unique pieces, this song is a poignant, heartbreak-themed track that really hits home.
It depicts the shift from casual, intimate speech to formal language—once a symbol of closeness—creating a deeply moving sense of loss.
By vividly portraying memories of happier days, it highlights just how much has been lost.
If you’re nursing a broken heart, give it a listen.
Close your eyesHirai Ken
When I wake up in the morning, I can feel the empty shell of the person I once loved lying beside me.
This song by Ken Hirai portrays that sudden sense of loss that visits in ordinary, fleeting moments.
Close your eyes and memories of happier days return in vivid detail, but open them and there’s no one there.
That inescapable reality pierces your heart, doesn’t it? The longer you spent together, the more indelible the memories become—how painfully ironic.
Released in April 2004, the song topped the Oricon Yearly Chart as the theme for the film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World.” For those who have gone through the profound parting of divorce and now simply want to dwell in their sorrow, this is a song that quietly stays by your side.
GoodbyeNishino Kana
Even though they didn’t grow to hate each other, they end up choosing to part ways due to drifting apart.
This is a poignant medium-tempo ballad by Kana Nishino that tightens the heart with the complexity of such an ending to love.
The way the protagonist tries to seal away the memories without truly accepting what happened feels strikingly real, likely because of the lyrics’ masterful grasp of the subtleties of romance.
Released in October 2013, the song is also known as the theme for the NHK serial drama “Glass no Ie” and is included on the album “with LOVE.” For those who have lost a love that couldn’t be saved by feelings alone and can’t yet move on, this song will gently whisper, “It’s okay—you don’t have to force yourself to forget.”