Top Western Breakup Songs Ranking [2025]

My Happy EndingAvril Lavigne50rank/position

Avril Lavigne My Happy Ending with Japanese translation included

This powerful, heavy rock track is “My Happy Ending” by Canadian rock star Avril Lavigne.

In relationships, when your partner forces you to put up with things or keeps secrets, there’s no way to repair the bond—there’s nothing you can do.

This song unleashes all the regret, frustration, and sadness toward a love that ended that way.

Just listening to it feels cathartic, doesn’t it?

Without YouMariah Carey51rank/position

Mariah Carey – Without You (Official HD Music Video)

This is the “Mariah version” of a classic song that has countless covers.

Even if you’re in your sixties and think you’ve reached enlightenment, if you’ve ever had a sad love in the past, just listening might bring those scenes back to mind—and if you sing it at karaoke, a tear might drop.

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Don’t call it ‘tearful therapy.

’ It’s precisely when you’re happy that moments like these matter, too.

The ScientistColdplay52rank/position

Coldplay – The Scientist (Official 4K Video)

This song, with its heartrending piano tones lingering in your ears, is by the British rock band Coldplay.

It’s included on their 2002 album “A Rush of Blood to the Head.” The lyrics express the frustration of not knowing how the person you love feels.

The music video that uses reverse playback is also striking.

Don’t SpeakNo Doubt53rank/position

No Doubt – Don’t Speak (Official 4K Music Video)

A track released in 1996 by the American rock band No Doubt.

It was inspired by the breakup between lead singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal after an eight-year relationship.

It topped charts around the world and won an MTV Video Music Award.

The ReasonHoobastank54rank/position

Hoobastank – The Reason (Official Music Video)

This song by a band with a Japanese American vocalist can be considered one of Hoobastank’s signature tracks.

Although the lyrics are about heartbreak, the grandeur of the rock ballad makes it feel good to listen to, and it seems like it could give you a bit of encouragement when you’re going through a breakup.

GirlfriendAvril Lavigne55rank/position

Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend (Official Video)

Without the lyrics, it sounds like a bright, upbeat song, but once the lyrics are added, it’s actually about a confident, slightly stubborn girl who’s in love with a boy who already has a girlfriend.

It’s a track that makes me a bit envious, thinking how nice it would be to be as bold and self-assured as the girl in the song.

Better NowPost Malone56rank/position

Post Malone – Better Now (Official Video)

This is a song by American artist Post Malone about the lingering feelings for a former lover.

Even while putting on a brave face and saying “I’m fine without you,” the heart can’t help but keep thinking of that person—many of us have probably felt that way.

Despite its upbeat melody, the lyrics lay bare a painfully straightforward longing that tightens the chest.

An unforgettable love can be agonizing, but the experience of loving someone that deeply will surely help you grow.

Listen to “Better Now,” accept your feelings just once, and take your next step forward.