Musicians have been writing about broken hearts for decades. Whether it’s your first or fifth, there’s a goldmine out there that can help you wade through every stage of the recovery process — from Tom DeLonge’s unmissable whine in “I Miss You” to Bert McCracken reminding us about the upsides of a split in “Bulimic.” With Valentine’s Day imminent, we asked our readers to name the best breakup songs, and their answers varied across genre and decade. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
Read more: LØLØ’s 10 songs to scream during your breakup
5. Neck Deep – “December”
If you’re a fan of pop punk, some of your favorite breakup songs were likely penned by Neck Deep. The band have just perfected the art form over the years, continuing to transform their heartbreak into soaring anthems that go hard whenever they play them live. Of course, our readers gravitated toward the gloomy “December,” which comes from their 2015 LP Life’s Not Out to Get You. The track has received its fair share of covers over the years, from BLACKPINK’s Rosé to illuminati hotties. Even cooler? Neck Deep recorded updated versions of the song with blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba to give it a whole new feeling.
4. Pierce the Veil – “Caraphernelia”
Real heads know that “Caraphernelia” was Pierce the Veil’s biggest song before they exploded with 2012’s Collide With The Sky. Combining the name of Vic Fuentes’ ex-girlfriend with “paraphernalia,” this Selfish Machines song is pure anguish. And those guest vocals from A Day to Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon? Simply the perfect words to scream while discarding all evidence of the relationship and redownloading Tinder.
3. Mayday Parade – “Miserable at Best”
There’s nothing worse than falling for someone who only has eyes for another. Mayday Parade know the feeling, channeling their heartache into hard-hitting ballads over the years. The band capture the sentiment beautifully with the eternal Lesson In Romantics song “Miserable at Best,” and our readers agree. Featuring wistful pianos and dual vocals between Derek Sanders and Jason Lancaster, this song just explodes with the kind of emotion that still resonates nearly a decade later. It’s easily Mayday Parade at their most soul-baring.
2. My Chemical Romance – “I Don’t Love You”
It feels like My Chemical Romance have a breakup song for every mood, but “I Don’t Love You” stands apart from the rest. Both the teary guitar lines and the yearning in Gerard Way’s vocals are impressive, making anyone who’s even casually listening to the power ballad really feel the hurt. Safe to say, this Black Parade anthem is probably one of the best songs about falling out of love, all catharsis and belt-out-loud choruses, especially those final notes. Talk about ripping your heart out.
1. Esha Tewari – “You Were Mine”
Here’s an unexpected one. Esha Tewari first started garnering attention last year by posting covers and originals on TikTok. Since then, she’s flourished, signing to Warner and releasing the folky song “You Were Mine” in January. It’s an apologetic breakup song at every turn, as Tewari feels like she can’t do anything right but relishes in the fact that she could call the other person hers for a spell. Simply heartbreaking.