[Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweet Feels! Recommended Melodic Hardcore/Punk Bands [2026]
In the 2020s, what kind of image comes to mind when you hear the music genre “melocore”? Chances are, the bands and sounds you think of vary depending on your generation.
The heyday of melocore in the ’90s, the early 2000s boom of pop punk and youth punk, the mid-2010s onward pop-punk revival—each band has had its own sound.
In this piece, we focus on melocore—short for melodic hardcore—which has become established in Japan as the abbreviation for melodic hardcore, just as the name suggests.
We’ll also look at related styles like pop punk, selecting both veteran acts and rising younger bands drawing attention in the 2020s.
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[Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweetness! Recommended Melodic Hardcore Punk Bands [2026] (101–110)
PhantomsAlazka
This is “Phantoms” by the German post-hardcore band Alazka.
They originally went by the name Burning Down Alaska, but changed it to Alazka in 2017.
Since this track was released in 2015, it’s from before the name change.
It falls into the screamo vein, but the band’s sound isn’t all that dark—if anything, it has a sense of clarity.
Especially in the latter half, the beautiful melodies and roaring volume blend together in a way that almost feels like shoegaze, making it an easy entry point even for newcomers to melodic hardcore.
PurposeAmong Them
A five-piece from Australia, a country known for producing many quality bands.
They’re still relatively unknown in Japan, but their sound—melodic hardcore with emotional and progressive elements, influenced by bands like Touché Amoré, Counterparts, and Invent Animate—is high in quality.
They’re a young act worth keeping an eye on.
AwakeningCarry On Kid
If you’ve been following the post-hardcore and metalcore scene since the mid-2010s, you’re surely keeping an eye on the YouTube curation channel Dreambound.
This band is another high-quality act featured on Dreambound.
Their sound—fusing screamo-tinged hardcore with post-rock elements—is imbued with a distinctive aesthetic.
Come With MeDeviates
Included on the 2004 album “Time Is the Distance.” A four-piece formed in Belgium in ’94.
They first reached Japan after signing with Epitaph, and this track is outstanding—its melodic hardcore has the driving speed and heft reminiscent of Pennywise.
Highly recommended listening.
VientosFun People
An Argentina-born band known as •People, celebrated for their unique style that fuses exhilarating, fast-paced sound with wistful melodies.
Since their formation in 1989, their sound—rooted in punk yet absorbing a wide range of genres like reggae, tango, and metal—has been uniquely described as “anti-fascist gay hardcore.” On landmark releases like Anesthesia and Kum Kum, they deliver powerful social messages on human and animal rights through lyrics that mix English and Spanish.
They enjoy a cult following both within Argentina and abroad, securing a solid place in the hardcore scene.
Highly recommended for those drawn to explosive energy, strong messaging, and unconventional sound.