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[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.

[Western Music] Both Drive and Bittersweet Feels! Recommended Melodic Hardcore/Punk Bands [2025] (121–130)

Abandon Ship or Abandon All HopeFour Year Strong

Four Year Strong have gained popularity for their unique sound that, while rooted in pop-punk, incorporates heavy, metallic riffs and evokes elements of both modern post-hardcore and classic melodic hardcore.

Their 2005 debut album, Four Year Strong, featured a high-speed melocore-inspired sound boldly paired with shimmering keyboard tones, which even led overseas listeners to dub it “happy core.” With each subsequent release, the heavy elements grew more prominent, and their third album, Enemy of the World—marking their major-label breakthrough—became a hit, reaching No.

47 on the U.

S.

charts and earning high praise.

While the band’s sonic direction has varied from release to release—shifting at times toward a sound influenced by alternative rock—their defining trait may be the consistently upbeat, pop-leaning melodies at their core.

Compared to kindred spirits like A Day to Remember, Four Year Strong lean even more pop-forward while still retaining a melocore feel, making their music an easy recommendation for newcomers.

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Fire AwayThe Swellers

The Swellers: Fire Away [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
Fire AwayThe Swellers

A four-piece band from Michigan, USA, formed around the Diner brothers.

Following their 2003 album release, their high-speed melodic punk in the Epitaph/Fat Wreck Chords vein drew attention and made them a popular act.

They’re also very popular in Japan, and during their tours there, they’ve shared the stage with bands like TOTALFAT and FACT.

Their later albums, which shifted toward a more melody-focused style, are excellent as well!

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Above MeRufio

A four-piece band from California that blazed through the 2000s with a sound fusing the headlong rush of melodic punk, bittersweet emo-tinged melodies, and metallic guitars.

With their sweet-toned vocals as well, their innovative music was known less as melocore and more as the original “emo-melo,” and it had a major influence on Japanese bands.

They disbanded in 2007, reunited in 2010 to release new material, and have since broken up again.

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In conclusion

The melodic hardcore genre has become so diversified that you can no longer capture it with a single image—just looking at the bands introduced here makes that clear, don’t you think? It’s music that feels great cranked up loud, but I’d also be thrilled if you paid attention to its roots and the messages woven into the lyrics!