Top 20 Songs We All Listened to in Our Emo Phase

#20: "Ocean Avenue" (2004) Yellowcard

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“Ocean Avenue” is a classic head banging and a foot-tapping song with a really sad core. Throughout the track, the narrator takes a look back at a relationship that tragically fell apart. The song is full of longing for a better time that seems to be long gone. It always reminds us of that feeling of needing to go off and do your own thing as a teenager. While this early 2000s rock ballad could be used after a breakup, we also may be guilty of blasting it when a crush rejected us. No matter why we turned this track on, visiting Ocean Avenue was always an emotional trip.

#19: "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" (2003) Brand New

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There’s something so haunting about this ballad that just hits us right in the feels. The lyrics of “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” are beautifully cryptic at first. But when you understand their meaning, the song might become a little too close for comfort. This track reminds us of how it feels to be a part of a relationship that went on for longer than it should have. If the song alone isn’t enough to reduce you to tears, the heart wrenching music video will definitely inspire one heck of a crying fest. Ironically, "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" works so well because it talks about universal things that make us sad.

Sometimes, songs have lyrics that know exactly how to strike a painful chord with us. “Calling All Cars” features lines like “Will you scatter my ashes where they won’t be found”? But those are far from the only lyrics that made us want to shout into the void late at night. The song’s narrator radiates self-loathing as a relationship continues to crumble throughout. While the subject matter is far from fun, the song’s awesome composition will make you want to jam out on air guitar. Every time we were angsty about mistakes we made in life or love, this ballad was exactly the catharsis we needed.

We’re willing to bet just the opening drums alone took you back to your emo phase! Not only is the tune incredibly catchy, the message is also extremely important. “Face Down” uses its lyrics to call out a man’s toxic behaviors towards his girlfriend. The lyrics represent everything we’d want to scream at partners who mistreat their loved ones. Not only is the song extremely empowering, but it's fast pace and memorable digs had us singing along each time it hit the radio. We absolutely love The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for introducing us to this sharp and motivating anthem.

This haunting ballad about someone who is torn in two after a breakup immediately brings us to tears. While the narrator tries to get on with their life after ending a relationship, they can’t help but dwell on the person they lost. Every line is full of heartache over how hard it is to accept the fact that the time has come for someone they treasured to move on. This slow song was exactly the kind of track we played on our iPod Nano during the rainy morning car rides to school. Whenever it came on, we instantly thought of the one that got away from us. This “miserable” song perfectly mirrored our own longing.

#15: "The Downfall of Us All" (2009) A Day To Remember

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For those of us who like a little metalcore in our pop-punk, A Day To Remember was our go-to band. One of the tracks that really spoke to us was “The Downfall of Us All”. This absolute jam tells the story of a successful person who has to leave home to continue their career. While that sounds like a dream on the surface, the lyrics hint that they have mournful regrets about leaving. The fear that the next phase of life will bring loneliness was extremely relatable to us whether we were moving schools or graduating. Although the track could make us wary of the future, its catchy nature kept us listening to it on repeat.

#14: “Miss Murder” (2006) AFI

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Not only is AFI super underrated, but Davey Havok’s vocals on this song’s sad lyrics also deserve way more credit than they get. His voice alternates between blowing us away with power and quivering with emotion here. Havok gives a superb performance during a song with incredibly intense lyrics about a man who goes down a dark path of no return. What could’ve been a track that’s too bleak to bear is elevated by a great composition and fantastic bass. Over the years, this song has become known as one of AFI’s most beloved and well-known singles. It stands as an unflinching and unforgettable track that can still give us chills.

We think it’s impossible to listen to this song without dancing or at least moving in some small way. "Check Yes, Juliet" encompasses everything that’s so thrilling about forbidden romance and packages all those feelings in a super upbeat melody. Both the verses and the chorus are insanely catchy. Although the romance described in the song is far from happy, the lyrics of this downbeat story will get stuck in your head for days. If you’re humming this track right now, we’re not sorry. We’re here for every second of this track’s fusion of a Romeo and Juliet tale with emo-pop.

#12: “The Middle” (2001) Jimmy Eat World

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This absolute banger is super encouraging to those of us still trying to figure things out all these years later. “The Middle” tells us to live our lives by our own design and not worry about the people who have something to say about it. If we take a breath and let the anxiety about the future pass us by, we’ll get exactly where we need to go. While we definitely needed to hear those words during our high school years, this message is still comforting to us now. No matter how old we get, we’ll keep jamming out to this feel good song.

#11: "Welcome to the Black Parade" (2006) My Chemical Romance

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There’s just something about those opening chords that gets us every time. Gerard Way had all of our hearts in a stranglehold with this epic ballad. At first, the somber lyrics focus on the narrator talking about the spectre of loss and the pressures of living in modern society. But as the track goes on, the song encourages us to rise past whatever barriers stand in our way and keep moving forward. The powerful marching band sounds that reverberated through the track only helped pump us more. After joining in on this black parade, we were ready to throw on a little too much black eyeliner and tackle whatever the world had in store for us.

From First To Last were barely out of high school when they released this hit, which is probably why its emotion is so powerful. Singer Matt Good reflects on the conflict of becoming the person you want to be, while trying to be comfortable with who you are. The song's clever conceit however, is that Good sings to his other self like a romantic partner. The intense crisis of identity helped the song easily click with teenagers trying to figure out who they really were. The band even added backing vocals to bring the story's other personality to life.

#9: "Seven Years" (2003) Saosin

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Where many bands take years to find their voice, Saosin put out their biggest hit on their debut record. The guitar work on 'Seven Years' contrasts the pain in the lyrics, and helped the band stand out from their contemporaries. The song's religious overtones and imagery give a deeper meaning to the tragic romance behind the track. The lyrics also make repeated comparisons to 'The Scarlet Letter' which also takes place over seven years. While 'Seven Years' was already a heartbreaking love song, it was its emotional take on a literary classic that made it stick with us.

#8: "Until The Day I Die" (2003) Story Of The Year

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An intense personality can be a turn off for relationships, but for Story of the Year it made for some iconic music. Singer Dan Marsala offers his heart ecstatically in every chorus, showing how unconditional his love truly is. Marsala's lines about suffering and even dying for his lover also speak to how dire relationships feel during our emotional years. This naivety is taken further in the following verse when Marsala reveals he's ignoring problems in his love life. The song's explosive, hooky guitar work and begging to be sung along with vocals, however, helped it gain our emo-eared attention.

#7: "The Taste Of Ink" (2003) The Used

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Unlike many of the negative songs in post-punk, 'The Taste Of Ink' celebrates finally breaking free from bad situations. Inspired by their own struggles with homelessness and leaving their small town, the band focused their frustrations into three euphoric minutes. While the song was originally written about their own life rut, the lyrics can broadly relate to anyone trying to escape a toxic situation. The song appropriately helped The Used make it big, and leave the rough life they sing about in the track. The track is still one of their most popular songs, and its optimism and bright sound helped emo kids stay hopeful .

#6: "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (2006) Panic At The Disco

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From the opening cello notes of this emo classic, Panic! At The Disco cemented their uniquely classy take on the genre. 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' tells the story of a scandalous wedding where two guests reveal the bride has been cheating on her groom. The song's darker themes clash with the elegant instrumentation, and create a strong contrast within the track. While singer Brendon Urie has continuously joked about the song in the band's live shows, he's admitted that he still loves the track as well. Panic! At The Disco's theatrical writing has also allowed the track to age gracefully compared to their peers.

With the lack of female representation in pop punk, Paramore provided a refreshing voice and perspective for young listeners. Inspired by her turbulent high school years, Hayley Williams wrote a revenge story driven by her own youthful angst. Williams' roars go toe-to-toe with the distorted guitars of the chorus, and her vocals bring an empowering energy to the song. To make matters better, she removed lyrics where a woman is shamed from live performances to reduce its offensive content. The song echoes the frustrations of many teens to this day, which helped the song become a breakthrough hit for Paramore.

Instead of complaining about somebody else, Fall Out Boy found success by admitting their own mistakes. 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' explores how lovers can see each other as goals, while simultaneously wanting to make things work. Thanks to poignant lyrics and an iconic music video, the song's popularity expanded from punk to pop charts. Along with its sharp commentary on adolescent romance, the track's rich wordplay made the track feel shockingly mature. While 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' is an undoubtedly catchy song, it's Fall Out Boy's self-awareness that has kept us coming back to it.

As emo was slowly gaining traction in the early 2000s, Taking Back Sunday turned heads with a track that was never supposed to be a single. The fast guitar riffing complements the song's story of betrayal perfectly, while still feeling light and energetic. As over-the-top as the track's lines about dark acts are, they perfectly embodied how melodramatic we can be at a young age. “Cute Without the 'E'” helped launch pop-punk into the mainstream early on, while also influencing the genre for years. Despite some extreme lyrics, the song's accessible themes made it a perfect starting point for anyone new to emo.

When Hawthorne Heights left their lives in Ohio to record their debut album, they had a hard time saying goodbye to their loved ones. Since they would be on the road for months, the band's lyrics attempt to console their girlfriends back home. While they're worried about their partners, Hawthorne Heights explain that the distance is hurting them too . The lyrics here describe a pain so intense that they have to resort to troubling measures to find relief. The song's dark and visceral lyrics spoke to many disturbed youth and helped it become one of the genre's most recognizable tracks .

#1: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" (2004) My Chemical Romance

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Through fiery distortion and screaming, MCR became figureheads for emo. 'I'm Not Okay" tells the story of a boy who realizes a girl is using him, and decides to leave her. The plot was inspired by a girl Gerard Way liked in high school, who broke his heart when she took dirty pictures with her boyfriend. While the song encourages others to escape toxic relationships, it doesn't shy away from the pain that follows them. The song's triumphant declaration of sadness made it an empowering track for emo lovers, and Way even views it as an anthem for fans to accept being discontent.