Emotional songs you’ll want to listen to in summer: classic tracks by rock bands and singer-songwriters.
When you think of summer, what kind of image comes to mind?
It’s a season that’s hot and liberating, with lots of fun events, right?
But alongside that glamorous image, don’t you sometimes feel a vague sense of wistfulness—something a bit emo?
In this article, we’ll introduce a bunch of emo songs you’ll want to listen to in summer, the kind that resonate with those feelings.
From band tracks to singer-songwriter pieces, we’ve gathered many songs across eras and genres, so be sure to take your time listening while reading the lyrics.
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Emotional songs you’ll want to listen to in summer: classic tracks by rock bands and singer-songwriters (11–20)
The summer you gave meieiri reo
We can never go back to that summer romance…
This song by Leo Ieiri, a singer-songwriter from Fukuoka Prefecture, was released in 2015 as her 10th single.
It was chosen as the theme song for the drama “Koinaka.” You’ll be drawn in by the beautiful tones of strings and piano, combined with Ieiri’s clear, crystalline vocals.
If you’re currently nursing a crush, listening might give you the courage to confess—so that you don’t let things end while hiding your true feelings, and so you can pursue a love without regrets.
End of SummerShimizu Shota
As the end of summer draws near, you get that distinctive, aching tightness in your chest, don’t you? In those moments, Shota Shimizu’s timeless ballads gently stay by your side.
They make you feel the memories of a summer romance spreading through your heart like the gradations of a sunset.
The unspoken loneliness the protagonist must be feeling, and the tenderness for days that won’t return, come through vividly in his emotive vocals.
This song is lovingly included on his March 2014 album ENCORE, and is cherished among fans as a hidden gem.
It’s perfect for the threshold of autumn, when the lively season bids farewell and a touch of sentimentality sets in, or for a quiet night spent alone, lost in memories.
If you savor each lyric as you listen, you’ll be drawn even deeper into its world—no question about it.
Please enjoy it that way!
August Is My Namekururi
A song that blends the bittersweet feeling of summer’s end with the warmth of timeless guitar rock.
Released digitally in September 2022, it was also included on the EP “Ai no Taiyo EP,” released in March 2023.
It served as the theme song for the Amazon Original drama “More Than Words.” Completed based on an earlier idea, the sound evokes nostalgia within its freshness—truly exceptional.
It’s a track that makes you want to sit back and listen while reminiscing about seasons gone by.
fireworks (launched into the sky)DAOKO × Yonezu Kenshi
Just seeing the words “summer” and “fireworks” side by side is enough to stir up emotions—it’s kind of mysterious, isn’t it? This track is a collaboration between the rapper DAOKO and the singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu.
It was released as a single in 2017 and chosen as the theme song for the animated film Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?.
DAOKO’s and Yonezu’s gentle vocals blend with the dreamlike arrangement to create a sound that’s wonderfully easy on the ears.
It makes you think, I wish I could’ve spent a summer like that.
TSUNAMISazan Ōrusutāzu
Like waves that surge and recede, this is one of Southern All Stars’ signature songs, painting an overwhelming swell of emotion you can’t control.
The lyrics, which layer the deep sorrow of heartbreak and a sense of helplessness over the irresistible force of nature, have touched countless hearts.
Beginning quietly with a piano melody and then enveloping you in grand strings as the feelings rise, the song was released in January 2000.
Embraced as the theme for the TV show segment “Mirai Nikki III” on “UNNAN no Hontoko!”, it became a work remembered both in records and in memories, winning the Grand Prize at the 42nd Japan Record Awards that same year.
On nights when you’re weighed down by unbearable sadness, listen to this song—surely it will stay close to your heart.
secret base ~What You Gave Me~ZONE
This is a signature song by ZONE that depicts a parting that comes with the end of summer and the pledge to meet again afterward.
The overall sound is gentle, emphasizing a sense of poignancy; in particular, the mellotron tone that resonates at the beginning seems to express the pain in the heart.
The lyrics look back on the event that led to their meeting and the memories they’ve built up, conveying how much they cherished the time spent together.
Though the farewell feels lonely, the strong vow that they will surely meet again is moving, and the song also conveys an energy that urges the listener to move forward.
Emotional songs you’ll want to listen to in summer: classic tracks by rock bands and singer-songwriters (21–30)
The End of SummerMoriyama Naotaro
It’s a song that gently captures summer gradually giving way to the next season, carrying a sense of loneliness at the passing of time.
The calm sound evokes someone fondly looking back on summer memories, and the tones of traditional instruments, led by the sanshin, convey a warm nostalgia.
It’s also said to depict a wish for someone who has journeyed far away, and the soaring high notes of the vocals conjure an image of trying to send words across the distance.
Rather than simply letting time flow by, the song gently teaches us that it’s important to pause at times and look back on the past.