Top 10 Saddest Rock Songs

Get ready for an emotional journey through rock's most heart-wrenching tunes. We're counting down the tracks that have moved listeners to tears with their poignant lyrics and melancholic melodies. From power ballads to grunge anthems, these songs capture the essence of sadness in rock music. Our list includes iconic tracks from legendary artists like Metallica, Alice Cooper, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Evanescence, Rainbow, Fleetwood Mac, Nine Inch Nails, Queen, and Jeff Buckley. Each song tells a unique story of heartbreak, loss, or introspection that resonates deeply with audiences. Which of these emotional rock ballads touches your heart the most?

Become a channel member to get access to special perks:

Have your idea become a video!

Subscribe for more great content!

Visit our shop for awesome merch!

Your trusted authority for Top 10 lists, reviews, tips and tricks, biographies, origins, and entertainment news

#RockMusic, #SadSongs, #EmotionalBallads, #ClassicRock, #PowerBallads, #Grunge, #MusicHistory, #IconicSongs, #RockLegends, #HeartbreakAnthems

[WatchMojo]

Which of these emotional rock ballads touches your heart the most?

[KarlSeedPNE]

My Immortal will forever be one of the greatest sad songs of all time, Amy Lee masterclass as expected

[SamuelMcAlpin-ftuu]

“Cancer/The Ghost of You” - My Chemical Romance
“Black” - Pearl Jam
“Lonely Day” - System of a Down
“Nutshell” - Alice In Chains
“All My Love” - Led Zeppelin
“So Far Away” - Avenged Sevenfold
“I Will Follow You Into the Dark” - Death Cab for Cutie
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” - Green Day
“Tears in Heaven” - Eric Clapton
“Across the Sea/Pink Triangle/Butterfly” - Weezer

A handful of, to me at least, obvious choices (except for maybe the last) that were excluded.

[Majeed-AMG]

1- Alice in chains - Nutshell
Pearl Jam - Black
Black Sabbath - Changes
Metallica - Fade to black

[itzspartan]

I think Black by Pearl Jam, Nutshell from Alice in chains and Fell on Black days by Soundgarden needed to be on here.

[AlanJay]

Fade to Black - Metallica
Nutshell - Alice in Chains
Fine Again - Seether
Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
Wings For Marie/10000 Days - Tool
The Scientist - Coldplay
Adam's Song - Blink182
Black - Pearl Jam
Snuff - Slipknot
Wake Up - Mad Season

[stevend]

Nutshell from Alice In Chains not making the list is criminal and completely null and voids this list.

[grayshigami]

Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
The Scientist - Coldplay
Lazarus - David Bowie

[andrebernier]

MY IMMORTAL always makes me cry as much as I try not to I can't help it It touches me so

[jaysenjones]

The Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics, has to be one of the most hard hitting songs ever.

[VJAllison]

"My Immortal" will always be one of my favorites. Amy Lee has a beautiful voice and that song showcases it perfectly. RIP Freddie Mercury, he had the most amazing voice.

[brianmueller]

Linkin Park - Leave out all the rest
Guns 'n Roses - November Rain
Mike and the Mechanic - The Living Years
Pearl Jam - Black (Unplugged version)

[misterplague-gv]

Am I the only one who thinks this list is flawed? Because this list needs:
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
The Long and Winding Roading - The Beatles (Naked version)
It's Been Awhile - Staind
One More Light - Linkin Park
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Perfect - Simple Pan
Snuff and Vermilion (Part 2) - Slipknot
Something In The Way - Nirvana
Pieces - Sum 41
21 Guns - Green Day
I Don't Love You - MCR
Nutshell - Alice In Chains

[berrymilkshakez]

I would argue "These Are the Days of Our Lives" is the saddest Queen song. When Freddie says "I love you..." that hurts so damn bad.

[mrfried]

Black by Pearl Jam is their saddest and most emotional song,

For other suggestions
This Is Yesterday - Manic Street Preachers
Disenchanted - My Chemical Romance
Machines - Biffy Clyro
My Sweet Prince - Placebo
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Flower - Eels
Return To Oz - Scissor Sisters
Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
No Surprises - Radiohead
Shadow Of The Day - Linkin Park
All Apologies (unplugged) - Nirvana
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
My Sundown - Jimmy Eat World

There are plenty of others, but these are what come to mind

[Blassli]

The saddest song for me ever was George Jones, "He stopped loving her today". That was so sad and always made me so emotional at like 10 years old. Sadly, magical!

[ilionreactor]

I think the end of the last verse of "Comfortably Numb" is about as sad as it comes. "I turned to look, but it was gone..." Then there's that guitar solo...

[samtrivv]

No Nutshell or Black is absolutely heinous

[Truckerdaddy]

Lightning Crashes by Live is a tear jerker.

[Abli-zi]

Fade To Black is much better and much more tear-jerking than Nothing Else Matters, that I firmly believe had it been a single for Ride The Lightning and had a music video like Nothing Else Matters did…it would have been a massive hit and Metallica’s career would have took off MUCH EARLIER in the states.