Misery loves company, and that company is usually the most emo song imaginable — one that plunges into the depths with you to reach a greater catharsis, rather than just whine. That’s what the best sad songs do, and while there has been no shortage of emo anthems that have earned their place within the genre’s canon, we wanted to know which ones still resonate today. Naturally, we turned to our readers and asked them to fire off the saddest emo songs of all time. Their answers will definitely make you cry, or at least touch your heart, drawing from beloved 2000s hits to tracks that can be debated if they’re even emo. These are the top picks, ranked accordingly below.
Read more: 9 bands commonly mistaken as emo who really aren’t
5. Something Corporate – “Konstantine”
Try to listen to this one without getting emotional. At nearly 10 minutes long, Something Corporate’s “Konstantine” can feel like a daunting listen, but it’s entirely worth it. The song, sometimes called the emo “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is an anthem, a rallying cry, and the voice of the brokenhearted, all at once. It’s why teenagers begged Andrew McMahon to play it during shows, who often denied their requests because its length took away from other songs. Good news for SoCo heads, though: The band are in the midst of their reunion tour, where they’re performing the song in full during their encore.
4. Brand New – “Jesus Christ”
You cannot ignore the religious overtones of this Brand New song, but it doesn’t require belief in a higher power to make you feel its weight. Centered around a one-sided conversation with Jesus Christ, the protagonist wrestles with their overwhelming doubts, fears, and insecurities (“Well, Jesus Christ, I’m not scared to die/But I’m a little bit scared of what comes after/Do I get the gold chariot?/Do I float through the ceiling?/Do I divide and pull apart?”). There are no answers, but the song remains the heart of The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me — a plea for salvation despite all the darkness inside.
3. Jimmy Eat World – “Hear You Me”
Bleed American is a special album, filled with emo bangers that saw Jimmy Eat World upping their sophisticated, heartfelt storytelling through massive choruses. That’s best heard through “Hear You Me,” a devastating, hugely powerful track about loss that, over 20 years later, still feels like a blow to the heart. The song was written in tribute to the band’s friends, Mykel and Carli Allan, who supported them in their early days but died in a car accident in 1997. “Hear You Me” is the band’s way of showing gratitude for everything they did — in the most gut-wrenching way possible.
2. Mayday Parade – “Terrible Things”
Honestly, a lot of Mayday Parade’s songs could have made this list, but our readers landed on “Terrible Things.” The haunting ballad from their 2011 EP Valdosta is certainly a departure from their standard pop-punk theatrics, adopting acoustic guitars and a slower pace. Meanwhile, the lyrics unravel a story of a father telling his son about a former love and being “too young to notice and too dumb to care.” The song climaxes in an explosive chorus that sounds utterly therapeutic for Derek Sanders. No matter your definition of emo, “Terrible Things” can make you teary-eyed.
1. My Chemical Romance – “Cancer”
My Chemical Romance’s “Cancer” is a real heartbreaker, so it’s no surprise that the 2006 song came out on top. Nestled on the back half of The Black Parade, the piano ballad brings all the agony that the Patient is undergoing to the fore — resulting in a raw, mournful reflection of the disease as he struggles with fear of the unknown and leaving loved ones behind. There’s a reason it has inspired plenty of covers over the years, proving its emotional resonance and ability to burrow down into someone’s feelings. Just wait until the emo vets play this song at We When We Were Young later this year, which will cut right to the heart.
