Let it Go

A breakup songs playlist works best in three phases: cry, scream, then move on. Start with cathartic tear-jerkers, shift to angry anthems, and finish with empowering tracks that reset your mood. Think “Since U Been Gone,” “Irreplaceable,” “Flowers,” and similar modern staples that help you feel it, release it, and keep going.

Phase 1: Cry

Start with the songs that rip you apart in the best way. Let yourself sink into the heartbreak.

Adele whispers in Someone Like You: “Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.” Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (10 Minute Version) leaves you stunned at “Maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much.” Phoebe Bridgers, in Motion Sickness, admits, “I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid.”

Most Played Staples

• Adele – Someone Like You
• Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
• Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever (first half)
• Sam Smith – Too Good at Goodbyes
• Phoebe Bridgers – Motion Sickness

Indie Gems

• Julien Baker – Appointments
• Lucy Dacus – Night Shift
• Mitski – First Love / Late Spring
• Leif Vollebekk – Elegy
• Angel Olsen – Unfucktheworld

These are the best breakup songs for when the grief still feels fresh and bottomless.

Phase 2: Scream

Once the tears start drying, anger sneaks in. This is where the volume goes up.

Kelly Clarkson rips into Since U Been Gone: “You had your chance, you blew it.” Alanis Morissette spits in You Oughta Know: “It’s not fair to deny me of the cross I bear.” Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U takes a flamethrower to denial with “Maybe I’m too emotional, but your apathy’s like a wound in salt.” Snail Mail’s Pristine aches with raw honesty: “Don’t you like me for me?”

Most Played Staples

• Kelly Clarkson – Since U Been Gone
• Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
• Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U
• Beyoncé – Irreplaceable
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

Indie Gems

• Wolf Alice – Moaning Lisa Smile
• Paramore – Misery Business (still stings, still works)
• Sleater-Kinney – Modern Girl
• Snail Mail – Pristine
• Sharon Van Etten – Seventeen

These are your songs to get over a breakup when rage is your closest friend.

Phase 3: Move On

And then one morning, you’re brushing your teeth and Miley’s voice hits: “I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.” Lizzo crashes in with Truth Hurts: “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch.” Mitski, softer but no less defiant in First Love / Late Spring, sighs, “Wild women don’t get the blues.” Maggie Rogers steadies you in Light On: “If you leave the light on, I’ll leave the light on.”

Most Played Staples

• Miley Cyrus – Flowers
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Dua Lipa – New Rules
• Ariana Grande – thank u, next
• SZA – Good Days

Indie Gems

• Maggie Rogers – Light On
• Haim – Don’t Save Me
• Tegan and Sara – Closer
• Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
• Courtney Barnett – Write a List of Things to Look Forward To

These are the moving on songs that don’t just heal—you start to believe them.

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Build Your Own Playlist

You could scroll endlessly through Spotify or Apple Music, but why not go beyond songs and find actual help? Here is a free breakup app you can download so that you can heal in peace.