50 Best Unrequited Love Songs for IG Reels & Stories

Best Songs for Unrequited Love on Instagram Reels and Stories

There’s a strange kind of ache that lingers when feelings don’t land the same way. It’s not heartbreak, not quite longing, something quieter that hums under the surface. You scroll through feeds late at night, trying to shake it off, then a certain track slips in and nails that feeling before you even realize you’ve been holding your breath. It’s that blend of hope and frustration, like replaying a conversation in your head while pretending everything’s fine. These tracks lean into that tension instead of smoothing it out. Some pop, rock, country, and R&B songs here might not literally tell the story of one-sided love, but they still carry that exact emotional static.

The thing about unreturned feelings is how ordinary they look on the outside. Group chats keep buzzing, weekend plans get made, life moves forward while you sit with this silent, stubborn thing taking up too much space in your head. A chorus hits and suddenly you’re caught in a lyric that sounds like it was written with your situation in mind. It’s never a perfect fit, and that’s part of the sting. These songs don’t clean it up or make it poetic. They live in the awkward pauses, the tiny humiliations, the memories that sneak back when you’re half-distracted.

When the right song drifts through someone’s reel or story, it stops you mid-scroll because you recognize that exact shade of lonely. It’s a messy kind of beauty, the kind that makes you want to play it again even though it hurts a little. Here are the best unrequited love songs for Instagram reels and stories.

1. 'Creep' by Radiohead

2. 'I Can't Make You Love Me' by Bonnie Raitt

3. 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift

4. 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak

5. 'Almost Lover' by A Fine Frenzy

6. 'Waiting in Vain' by Bob Marley

7. 'Someone Like You' by Adele

8. 'drivers license' by Olivia Rodrigo

9. 'Teardrops On My Guitar' by Taylor Swift

10. 'Heather' by Conan Gray

11. 'Tearin' Up My Heart' by *NSYNC

12. 'Slide Away' by Oasis

13. 'Dancing On My Own' by Robyn

14. 'All I Want' by Kodaline

15. 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars

16. 'Stay with Me' by Sam Smith

17. 'Jar of Hearts' by Christina Perri

18. 'I Don't Love You' by My Chemical Romance

19. 'Bad Religion' by Frank Ocean

20. 'Somebody That I Used to Know' by Gotye

21. 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M.

22. 'You Don't Know Me' by Ray Charles

23. 'Supercut' by Lorde

24. 'Secret Love Song' by Little Mix ft. Jason Derulo

25. 'Just a Friend' by Biz Markie

26. 'I Honestly Love You' by Olivia Newton-John

27. 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' by The Police

28. 'Hello' by Lionel Richie

29. 'I Will Possess Your Heart' by Death Cab for Cutie

30. 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles

31. 'I Want the One I Can't Have' by The Smiths

32. 'Black' by Pearl Jam

33. 'Damn Good Friends' by Kelsea Ballerini

34. 'The Scientist' by Coldplay

35. 'The Less I Know the Better' by Tame Impala

36. 'Love Stinks' by The J. Geils Band

37. 'Unrequited Love' by Yuna

38. 'Chasing Pavements' by Adele

39. 'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis

40. 'Maps' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

41. 'Jessie's Girl' by Rick Springfield

42. 'Without Me' by Halsey

43. 'Back to December' by Taylor Swift

44. 'You're Beautiful' by James Blunt

45. 'Stacy's Mom' by Fountains of Wayne

46. 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles

47. 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad' by Meat Loaf

48. 'Just a Friend to You' by Meghan Trainor

49. 'Lovefool' by The Cardigans

50. 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston