[Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweetness! Recommended Melodic Hardcore (Melodic Punk) Bands [2025]
In the 2020s, what kind of image comes to mind when you hear the music genre “melocore”? Chances are, the bands and sounds you think of vary depending on your generation.
The heyday of melocore in the ’90s, the early 2000s boom of pop punk and youth punk, the mid-2010s onward pop-punk revival—each band has had its own sound.
In this piece, we focus on melocore—short for melodic hardcore—which has become established in Japan as the abbreviation for melodic hardcore, just as the name suggests.
We’ll also look at related styles like pop punk, selecting both veteran acts and rising younger bands drawing attention in the 2020s.
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[Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweet! Recommended Melodic Hardcore Punk Bands [2025] (61–70)
KeeperWith Confidence
With Confidence is a melodic band from Sydney, Australia that has captivated fans around the world with emotional lyrics and catchy melodies since forming in 2012.
Their appeal lies in a pop-punk sound influenced by Blink-182 and All Time Low, interwoven with elements of alternative rock.
They signed with Hopeless Records in 2016 and fully launched their career with the album “Better Weather.” Songs themed around mental health and self-acceptance resonated deeply with many listeners.
On their 2018 album “Love and Loathing,” they pursued a more mature sound.
Up until their final show in November 2022, they remained highly active, including appearances on the Vans Warped Tour.
They’re a band highly recommended for anyone seeking a fusion of speed and melody.
Will DenyThe Dwarves
Included on the 1997 album “The Dwarves Are Young and Good Looking.” A five-piece formed in Chicago in the mid-’80s.
Perhaps reflecting their own tastes, the album cover features a nude woman.
With a crackling bass, breakneck guitars, and a shouting vocal, it’s an undeniably cool track.
Coffee BlackAs Friends Rust
As Friends Rust, a melodic hardcore band from Florida, formed in 1996 and quickly drew attention with their debut EP, The Fists of Time, released in 1998.
They followed with a self-titled EP in 1999 and the full-length album Won in 2001, capturing the scene with a distinctive sound that also incorporates elements of post-hardcore and emocore.
Their hallmark is a sense of urgency that feels like raw emotion translated directly into sound, paired with melodic guitar work and wistful, emotive vocals.
Although their activity has been intermittent, they have earned a devoted cult following and are widely respected for their prowess.
Highly recommended for fans of lyrically-inclined, melodic hardcore.
CovetBasement
Since its founding in 2004, Run for Cover Records has become a renowned label that has introduced many outstanding bands to the American indie, punk, hardcore, and emo scenes.
For those who love this label, the name Basement is surely a special one.
Formed in Ipswich, England, the band quickly rose to popularity by channeling the sounds of ’90s emocore and grunge through a youthful, modern sensibility.
They’ve toured Japan and have a devoted fanbase here as well.
If you’re drawn to music that pairs melodic, punk-influenced speed with a rich outpouring of introspective emotion, this is a band you should definitely check out!
UnlovableWorthwhile
WORTHWHILE is a melodic hardcore band from San Francisco.
Their 2013 track “Unlovable” creates drama through a variety of beat arrangements, starting with a driving two-beat chorus.
The shouted vocals, brimming with emotion, and the heavy sound are quite weighty, but they match the song’s atmosphere perfectly, and as you listen, you’re steadily drawn deeper into its world.
It’s not just fast and energetic—the song makes you feel the meaning behind its beats.
Stand Your GroundWhippersnapper
Though relatively minor, this Atlanta-based band had already forged a distinctive sound by their 1998 debut.
Compared to the West Coast melodic hardcore acts, their sense of speed is more restrained, but that only makes their emotive melodies stand out more powerfully.
Listen with an ear for their skillful band ensemble, showcased through high-level musicianship.
By the way, their label, LOBSTER RECORDS, is the one that launched Yellowcard, who are also very popular in Japan.
No SaviorDefeater
In the 2000s, Boston, Massachusetts produced many bands that fused traditional hardcore sounds with influences from European melodic death metal, sparking the so-called metalcore boom.
DEFEATER was born in this city, which holds an important place in hardcore history.
Centered on what you might call post-hardcore, their sound is modern yet imbued with an old-school flavor.
A solid, muscular band ensemble underpins their dramatically unfolding song structures, while vocals that meld ineffable melancholy with searing passion press forward as one—resonating all the way down to the most delicate corners of the listener’s heart.