Karaoke and Band Song Rankings Popular with College Students [2025]

DarlingMrs. GREEN APPLE15rank/position

Mrs. GREEN APPLE "Darling" Official Music Video

A coming-of-age song that delivers the importance of embracing your true self on a refreshing melody.

The protagonist portrayed by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE carries a earnest resolve to keep looking forward while battling self-denial.

Gratitude and hope toward someone who accepts their true self gently envelop the listener, together with a melody that resonates in the heart.

Released in January 2025 as the theme song for NHK General’s special program “Mrs.

GREEN APPLE 18-sai-sai,” it was performed together with 1,000 members of the 18-year-old generation.

It’s a track recommended for moments when you want to face yourself with a gentle gaze, or when you want to share your feelings with someone important.

Bitter VacationMrs. GREEN APPLE16rank/position

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Bitter Vacation” Official Music Video

Mrs.

GREEN APPLE, who can fairly be called the reigning champions of the Reiwa-era J-POP charts.

Every song they release becomes a hit, they boast an overwhelming number of listeners, and they’re wildly popular at karaoke.

That said, given their exceptional songwriting sense, meticulously crafted ensemble, and melodies spanning a wide vocal range delivered by Mr.

Omori’s incredible vocals, it’s honestly not easy to sing their songs well.

With that in mind, Bitter Vacation, released in November 2024, falls into the relatively easy-to-sing category.

Its lyrics—also serving as the theme song for the film Saint Young Men THE MOVIE: Holy Men vs.

the Demon Army—are highly relatable and are sure to get the crowd going at karaoke.

Just be aware that there’s a brief section of irregular meter in the middle, but once you’ve got the overall flow down, you’ll be able to sing it smoothly.

Perfect-Sense DreamerONE OK ROCK17rank/position

ONE OK ROCK "The Totally Sensational Dreamer"

A hugely popular song by the band ONE OK ROCK, adored by young people.

It also made headlines because professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu listens to it.

With its up-tempo feel, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at karaoke! It’s easy to sing for both men and women.

mixed nutsOfficial HIGE DANDism18rank/position

Official HIGE DANDism – Mixed Nuts [Official Video]

Official HIGE DANDism, a four-piece piano pop band now so popular that their nickname “Higedan” is widely recognized across a broad range of listeners.

Their seventh digital-only single, Mixed Nuts—written as the opening theme for the TV anime SPY×FAMILY—cranks up the energy from the very start with a high-speed running bass line and a noisy guitar sound.

The thrilling melody feels like once you fall behind, there’s no catching up, making it a challenging and rewarding pick for karaoke.

It’s a pop tune I’d recommend to college students for karaoke—belt it out with passion while staying mindful of its complexity.

Suzume feat. ToakaRADWIMPS19rank/position

RADWIMPS – Suzume feat. Toaka [Official Lyric Video]

The song “Suzume feat.

Toaka,” released as the theme for the film Suzume, is a grand and beautiful piece that emphasizes its worldbuilding.

Even in 2023, it continues to enjoy enduring popularity, and the key point of this track is, above all, the pitch.

Compared to typical pop music, the arrangement is extremely restrained.

As a result, even slight pitch deviations can ruin it.

However, since techniques like vibrato or ad-libs aren’t used, you could say the difficulty of the vocal line itself is relatively low.

My Past Life, Many Lifetimes AgoRADWIMPS20rank/position

RADWIMPS – Zenzenzense (movie ver.) [Official Music Video]

A song that became a hot topic as the theme for the film “Your Name,” which sparked a nationwide boom.

Since RADWIMPS is a band that has long been popular among college students, they have plenty of other songs that really hype things up! That said, ‘Zenzenzense’ is a track that even non-fans definitely know, so it’s perfect for karaoke.

RPGSEKAI NO OWARI21rank/position

SEKAI NO OWARI「RPG」

A song that likens life to a grand RPG is capturing the hearts of college students.

It features SEKAI NO OWARI’s fantastical worldview and lyrics that portray the bonds between friends.

Released in May 2013, the track was also used as the theme song for the animated film Crayon Shin-chan, making it popular with a wide audience.

It’s perfect not only for livening up a karaoke session, but also for belting out on your own.

The lyrics, which evoke friendship and a spirit of adventure, resonate with college life full of new encounters and challenges.