[Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweetness! Recommended Melodic Hardcore (Melodic Punk) Bands [2025]

PhantomsAlazka

ALAZKA – “Phantoms” (Lyric Video)

This is “Phantoms” by the German post-hardcore band Alazka.

They originally went by the name Burning Down Alaska, but changed it to Alazka in 2017.

Since this track was released in 2015, it’s from before the name change.

It falls into the screamo vein, but the band’s sound isn’t all that dark—if anything, it has a sense of clarity.

Especially in the latter half, the beautiful melodies and roaring volume blend together in a way that almost feels like shoegaze, making it an easy entry point even for newcomers to melodic hardcore.

PurposeAmong Them

Among Them – Purpose (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

A five-piece from Australia, a country known for producing many quality bands.

They’re still relatively unknown in Japan, but their sound—melodic hardcore with emotional and progressive elements, influenced by bands like Touché Amoré, Counterparts, and Invent Animate—is high in quality.

They’re a young act worth keeping an eye on.

LovelessCastaway

Loveless

Castaway is a melodic hardcore band based in San Jose, near San Francisco.

This is their 2017 release, a track called “Loveless.” The lyrics deal with family and affection from others that were longed for but never received, making it a pretty raw and searing piece.

Incorporating dissonance and feedback, it brings in strong elements of noise rock as well.

The reverb-drenched, big guitar sound makes it a truly beautiful song.

The DisconnectCounterparts

Counterparts – The Disconnect

“The Disconnect,” released in 2011 by Counterparts, a melodic hardcore band from Ontario, Canada, is a track that lays bare the inner human psyche—venting impatience with repetitive daily life and bouts of self-loathing.

The drummer drives the band forward with creative beats and fills, and as if responding to his performance, the bass, guitars, and vocals fill out the band’s sound.

It’s a song that strikes an excellent balance between technique and emotion.

RejoiceTaken

Rejoice

They are a legendary band and a leading figure in the lyrical new-school hardcore scene.

Formed in 1997 and disbanded once in 2004, they reunited in 2015 and have been active ever since, performing live and releasing new EPs.

Their popularity in Japan is extremely high, and they even toured the country in March 2019.

While their discography is small, be sure to listen to the historic masterpiece released in 2004, “Between Two Unseens.”

Small TalkThe Story So Far

The Story So Far “Small Talk”

Although they emerged in the 2010s, this popular band from California, USA carries a strong scent of early-2000s pop-punk and melodic hardcore.

Even as an indie act, their fourth album, Proper Dose (2018), achieved the remarkable feat of debuting at No.

19 on the US Billboard chart.

It strikes a great balance between the breakneck drive inherited from melodic hardcore and the catchy, melodious qualities of pop-punk, and the melodies—delivered with an unmistakably emo vocal—are enough to bring you to tears.

The music video for the song If I Fall, included on the aforementioned album, was filmed in Japan, so be sure to check that out as well.

Engine 45The Ghost Inside

The Ghost Inside – “Engine 45”

How about some melodic metalcore? This is a track by The Ghost Inside, a band formed in the U.

S.

in 2004.

It’s included on their 2012 album “Get What You Give.” If you like a heavy, powerful sound, this will hit the spot.

The song conveys a burning desire to break free from the chains that bind you.