25 best emo songs for your breakup playlist

If there are “hard feelings” involved in your breakup, this is a great song choice. The track starts with a dose of self-deprecation and a ton of lingering feelings for the other individual, with the narrator admitting he is willing to do anything that eases the other person’s pain after continuously hurting her. However, there’s an undertone of manipulation and an inability — or unwillingness — to ever truly change. Many of us can relate to this dynamic.

The song title says everything. We’ve all been there: giving and giving to the other person until, finally, we’re forced to give up on them. The narrator takes you through the loneliness and isolation involved in breakups, when you feel you have no one to turn to anymore.

Don’t let the name of this track fool you. It’s about as deep as an emo breakup song can get. It seems the narrator is trying to be on good terms with his ex-partner, while the ex seems not to care enough to admit to any faults or do better. This is perhaps the most difficult part of a breakup, when the other person keeps hurting you, and your empathy and understanding have run dry. You’re finally given no choice but to move on from someone who once meant the world to you.

If you want to be taken through a post-breakup maladaptive daydream of sorts, this song is for you. The lyrics tell a story of a run-in between two ex-lovers, where the guy is still pining for the girl, who seemingly leaves the bar with another man. In panicked jealousy, the narrator ends the song spiraling about having to see her, though he knows she'll only end up hurting him again.

One of the most agonizing experiences is slowly falling out of love with someone and witnessing your relationship fall apart while still in denial. In this track, the narrator seems hopeless and depressed as he reflects on his past choices that led him to such a dark place. Still, he’s willing to change for the other individual, even though he knows they aren’t good for him.

While this song could refer to two friends drifting, “Different Directions” is the perfect amicable breakup track. Sometimes, you simply grow apart from other people, with no one person intentionally hurting the other. Even so, it’s a gut-wrenching experience to walk away from someone you once loved.

This devastating song is apparently about death, but the grief detailed in the lyrics can be relatable for breakups, as well. The narrator recalls precious memories with the person and admits to still picturing they’re there with him. Yet, as many of us can relate to post-heartbreak, he promises: “I’ll be just fine, pretending I’m not.” 

This song seems to be about wanting out of a relationship, yet the lovers can’t seem to let go of each other. Essentially, they’re breaking their own hearts attempting to make it work. The most heartbreaking line to me is, “Wait until the sun finally sets before you climb the stairs to an apartment that you don’t call home anymore.”

This is the perfect breakup anthem for anyone betrayed or emotionally torn apart by a partner. The song details the experience of being “reduced from high-rise windows to stepping stones,” admitting that this other person tore them down. Still, the narrator puts on a brave face, claiming they’re “copacetic.” It’s all too relatable.

Have you ever loved someone so much that losing them would feel like losing a part of yourself? If so, this track is for you. The lyrics describe how excruciating it is for this person to lose his partner, as he recalls their best memories while wishing her well. “I hope you’re alright, love. I’m sorry that I wasted your time; never had the intention to make you go.”

This track is a must-have on your emo breakup playlist. As his partner seemingly threatens to leave the relationship, the narrator asks whether she has the guts to admit she no longer loves him. Toward the end of the song, he realizes that he, too, has fallen out of love, and their breakup is inevitable.

Apparently, this song is actually a diss track directed toward the band Taking Back Sunday. However, it’s the perfect tell-off song for any breakup. This is a must-add if you’re looking for an angry and spiteful anthem to dance your grief away to.

“Down” by Blink-182 captures every detail and feeling involved in a breakup, from awkwardness, depression, and longing to denial, blame, and anger. The narrator admits he would still let his ex (or soon-to-be ex) kiss him, voicing that he still needs her and is falling apart. However, she seems to be holding back and experiencing her own pain and internal conflict.

In the stages of grief, anger typically precedes sadness. In this particular track, the narrator questions whether they should be angry or sad after a breakup. He goes back and forth between blaming himself and the other person, which is a common pattern many people fall into after a relationship ends. 

Whether “Asbury” details a breakup is unclear, but it certainly can be interpreted as such. Lead singer of Grasycale Collin Walsh once revealed the song was about a dream where he found closure in a relationship he struggled with throughout his life. In the song, he admits, “I'll fall back into you, like I always do,” as the girl continues to let him down. However, the track ends with the woman in a hospital bed, seemingly slipping away as he’s forced to finally “let go” of her. If you want to cry your eyes out, which is a necessary part of grief sometimes, definitely add this track to your breakup playlist. 

“Wax Poetic” is another angry breakup song that packs the raw emotion you’re looking for. The poetic lyrics point out that the other person doesn’t seem to see or appreciate the narrator. In fact, he compares himself to a ghost and a grain of sand. Eventually, he admits, “I woke up today and figured I’d burn everything that made me think of you. And the saddest part is, I was left with nothing by the time that I was through.”

The ultimate emo breakup anthem, “Remembering Sunday,” tells the story of a long and drawn-out ending to a relationship. Though there’s still an undertone of hope throughout the song, with the narrator insisting he will marry this girl someday, he eventually seems to give up and accept their dark fate.

Take it from someone who used to cry to this song during her first high school breakup: it hits deep. The narrator seems to express empathy toward his ex-girlfriend as she begins to move on from the relationship, which appears to have physical distance. However, he admits that he knows she is no longer alone, and some other man is asking her to dance. At the end of the day, though he can live without her, he’ll be “miserable at best.”

This song deals with the loss of feelings that occur at the end of a relationship. The narrator seems to experience anger and regret as he’s grappling with the aftermath of the breakup, admitting that he never really loved his ex and is just clinging to old feelings. However, by the end of the song, he admits that she’s not a waste of space in his head.

If you want to wallow in self-pity (like most of us do after a breakup), this is a great song for you. “December” follows a man as he watches his ex-girlfriend move on with someone new. He still recalls small details about her desires, confessing that he hopes she gets everything she ever wanted in life, while he’s “the last thing” she’ll remember. 

“Colorblind” is for the self-deprecating partners in a relationship. The narrator admits he’s complacent yet continues carrying out these unhealthy patterns without learning his lesson. He tells this partner to save themself from him, claiming he’s not worth their time, which is an awful feeling to have toward yourself, yet one many of us can relate to.

This is another great song for someone who feels responsible and guilty for their breakup. “Laika” details the downfall of a connection after the narrator seemingly sabotages the relationship. During the chorus, he echoes, “I’m so sorry that I’m leaving you so little to believe in.” 

Unreciprocated love and effort during a breakup can feel like absolute torture. When you’re the only one left trying in a relationship you so desperately want to salvage, it can feel nearly impossible not to spiral. The second verse is a particularly poignant masterpiece, and from there, the energy picks up so intensely that you can almost feel the narrator’s emotions in your bones.

“Clairvoyant” is all about a shift in a relationship, when two people know they’re growing apart but can’t seem to stop it from happening. The narrator seems to admit that he’s tired of fighting, and it’s pointless anyway. It’s okay to walk away. However, he leaves his ex with one request: “Don’t paint me black when I used to be golden.”

End your playlist with nearly ten minutes of pure longing and regret — aka, “Konstantine” by Something Corporate. The narrator in this song knows he hurt the girl he’s referring to, yet he still can’t seem to let her go. It’s hard not to seek comfort in someone we once loved, even when we're the ones who called it off.