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 want to listen to in summer: classic tracks by rock bands and singer-songwriters (1–10)
Summer IllusionOmoinotake
It’s a nostalgic, bittersweet love song that recalls a summer spent with someone special.
Created by Omoinotake, a three-piece band from Shimane Prefecture, it was released in 2020 as their sixth single.
The track has an ennui-laden vibe, pairing a chill rhythm with relaxed vocals.
Listening to it feels like your body is being enveloped in sound.
On a quiet summer night, especially while gazing out the window, it may resonate even more deeply.
Magic of a Summer Nightindigo la End
It’s an emotional love song that captures special moments like magic on a summer night.
Released by indigo la End in 2015, this piece blends a chilled sound with delicate lyrics and melody.
It portrays the scent of summer stirring memories of a former lover.
The lyrics, depicting the bittersweet end of summer and the beauty of things that are fleeting, truly resonate.
Maybe you, too, have experienced a love like this.
All of the YouthFujifaburikku
When it comes to introducing emotional songs you’ll want to listen to in summer, this is one track you absolutely can’t leave out—one of Fujifabric’s signature songs.
Many people probably see summer as a glittering, liberating season, the flashiest of the four.
But at the same time, its shadows run deeper than in other seasons, and as summer draws to a close, some of us can’t help but look back on those sparkling days and feel sentimental.
With lyrics that trace a tender emotional landscape triggered by “this summer’s last fireworks,” this song is sure to strike a chord.
Emo-ish summerLucky Kilimanjaro
A breezy summer tune that rides a lighthearted melody and heightens the feeling of romance.
Created by Lucky Kilimanjaro and released in July 2020, it perfectly matches electropop rhythms with lyrics that capture both the thrill and the anxiety of love.
The stance of “cherishing the present moment” conveyed through the lyrics is striking.
Give it a listen when you’re in love—or when you’re with your partner.
Unchanging ThingsOku Hanako
It’s a ballad in which Hanako Oku’s piano tones and clear, translucent voice gently nestle close to the listener’s heart.
The piece centers on treasured memories from days gone by and feelings that never change, and it almost seems to convey the aching wishes of the film’s characters.
Featured as an insert song in the animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, released in July 2006, it moved many people and can be heard on the single Garnet and the album TIME NOTE.
If you listen to it when you’re feeling a touch of loneliness at summer’s end, or when reminiscing makes you long to see someone again, the worldview of the lyrics will surely resonate with you.
It’s the perfect song for those moments when you want to tuck away memories of someone dear and indulge in a slightly sentimental mood.
Please take your time and savor it!
Ghost in the FlowersYorushika
It’s a captivating piece with a beautiful melody that evokes fleeting memories of summer days.
In this number by Yorushika, memories of passing seasons and dear ones are portrayed like faint phantoms.
The summer scenes woven into the lyrics carry a nostalgic scent of summer, overlapping with the landscapes tucked away in each listener’s heart and stirring a gentle ache, don’t you think? Released in April 2020, the song touched many as the theme for the animated film “A Whisker Away.” It is also included on the acclaimed album “The Book of Theft.” Give it a listen when you want to be alone with your thoughts on a summer evening, or when you want to immerse yourself in a beautiful melody.
Because of the summerRADWIMPS
This song, with the kind of dramatic lyrics so characteristic of RADWIMPS, was released in 2020.
It’s packed with that sense of freedom we feel when summer comes, the urge to let loose, and the determination to make the most of this summer—giving it a vibe that feels like youth itself.
And yet, it doesn’t come off as merely naive or overbearing; that’s thanks to Yojiro Noda’s gentle vocals, the mellow arrangement, and the lyrics’ soft, carefully chosen wording.