There are many, many ways to go through a breakup, some constructive, some less so, but music is one of the safer, more cathartic choices.
Maybe you’re feeling angry or betrayed and need to release some of that steam by screaming out some vocals. On the other hand, maybe a good, long cry is in order. There are songs — whole albums, even – for both of those options and everything in between.
Rock musicians, however untethered and glamorous as they may be, aren’t immune to the common experience of heartbreak, and often, when it happens to them, songs follow. Some of the most famous, most successful music of all time has been made in the aftermath of such events.
READ MORE: The 40 Best Breakup Songs
In the below gallery, we’ve rounded up 25 of rock’s finest breakup albums, listed in chronological order. Frankly, these are just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s worth noting that what one person might find a helpful album to hear after a breakup, another might find unrelatable. Heartbreak is a universal feeling, but how one responds to it varies endlessly.
Some of these albums were written quite literally about a breakup or divorce that happened in real life to the artist — subsequent interviews have revealed this, or fans have simply been able to put two and two together. Others are more about the general feeling of parting ways and feeling nostalgic over what once was. However you’re feeling, there’s an album for it.
25 of Rock’s Best Breakup Albums
Parting ways is never easy, but this music may help you through.
Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp
