Grab your black eyeliner and prepare for an emotional rollercoaster through Broadway's most intense musical moments! From teenage rebellion to existential crises, we're diving into the songs that perfectly capture raw emotions and inner turmoil. Which angsty anthem speaks to your soul?
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best musical songs
00:12to add to your playlist when you're in the mood for some serious emotional release.
00:16In some cases, major plot points will be discussed, so this is your spoiler warning.
00:2710.
00:28I'd Rather Be Me – Mean Girls Remember those days of teenage angst-fueled
00:32sweet revenge fantasies?
00:47How about when you decided it's way more satisfying to stick it to a broken system?
00:57This song comes in just after that moment, where Janis reveals what she, Katie, and Damian
01:02did to Regina.
01:03She has this moment of clarity.
01:05Being an outsider isn't so bad if it means staying true to yourself.
01:22She calls out how girls are pushed to be catty and undermine each other just to uphold
01:26a system built to keep them down.
01:28Sure, we all want to fit in, but is it really worth losing everything that makes you, well,
01:33you?
01:34Well, Janis is our right finger to that.
01:419.
01:46Rose's Turn – Gypsy This song essentially follows Rose's emotional
01:50breakdown.
02:01After years of putting everyone else's dreams first, she finally snaps.
02:05Dedicating her life to her kids and their success, she must finally confront her failure
02:09to achieve her own desires.
02:21In this song, she lets it all out.
02:23The frustration, anger, and everything else she's kept bottled up.
02:27It's her moment to claim something for herself and step into the spotlight.
02:40If a tantrum were a song, this would be it, but it's way more intense than that.
02:45By the time she hits the final note, we're covered in chills.
02:48You can't help but feel the weight of everything she's been holding in.
02:518.
03:04Wait For Me – Hadestown You know that feeling when you're chasing
03:07something you want so badly even when the odds are stacked against you?
03:11Maybe it's fixing a relationship, going after a dream, or just holding onto hope when
03:16everything feels like it's falling apart.
03:29Orpheus is determined to bring Eurydice back from the underworld, even if it means going
03:33up against Hades himself.
03:35Every note of Wait For Me is packed with emotional intensity, longing, tension, and the immense
03:40weight of his mission.
03:48We've all been there in some way, giving it everything despite the risks.
03:55The reprise hits even harder, capturing that gut-wrenching regret when all the hope and
03:59dreams crash into reality.
04:127.
04:14Good For You – Dear Evan Hansen This is the moment when the burden of Evan's
04:18lies feels heavier than ever, and the voices of his mother and peers force him to confront
04:23his deception.
04:32It captures that spiral of knowing you've messed up but still trying to convince yourself
04:36everything's fine.
04:37It's that pressure of hiding your truth while falling apart inside.
04:56The voices in Evan's mind are harsh, and while we might not agree with all his actions,
05:01we all know that inner critic, the one that tells you you're not good enough, that you've
05:05made all the wrong choices, and that you're an imposter.
05:08We don't condone all of Evan's choices throughout the show, but his inner turmoil is totally
05:13relatable.
05:166.
05:19Gethsemane – I Only Want To Say – Jesus Christ Superstar
05:29If we were ranking by level of angst, this song would take the crown.
05:44While most of our picks feel like they're carrying the weight of the world, in this
05:47case it's actually true.
05:49In this song, Jesus faces the inevitability of his looming death.
06:04He essentially goes through all the stages of grief, questioning if he has the strength
06:08to follow through.
06:09Torn between his human instinct to avoid suffering and accepting his fate, the emotional tug
06:14of war is palpable.
06:27While his divine purpose might not be something we can fully relate to, the choice between
06:31running from pain or facing it, yeah, we get that.
06:34The deep anguish in this song is haunting.
06:595.
07:00Superboy and the Invisible Girl – Next to Normal A show about a family dealing with
07:04mental illness, grief, and its toll is bound to be full of angst.
07:17I'm Alive captures the desperation of feeling something between pain and numbness, while
07:21You Don't Know and I Am The One express emotional outbursts driven by frustration, isolation,
07:27and a need to be understood.
07:39Then there's Superboy and the Invisible Girl, where Natalie sings about living in the shadows
07:43of a sibling.
07:44Even though Gabe is long gone, she still feels overlooked, and like she'll never measure
07:49up in her mother's eyes.
08:02All she wants is to be more than just a side character in her own family.
08:05Honestly, it's a lot.
08:164.
08:19Dead Girl Walking – Heather's The Musical In a show with a line like,
08:23Dear diary, my teenage angst b******t has a body count,
08:29it's safe to say you're getting a full-on soundtrack of angst.
08:32From Freeze Your Brain to Seventeen to I Say No, it's like a trip down memory lane of
08:37teenage turmoil.
08:38However, we'd say the angst really hits the fan after Veronica stands up to Heather Chandler
08:43and faces social ostracization.
08:45The demon queen of high school has secreted.
08:49She says Monday 8 a.m. I'll be deleted.
08:53She realizes that being popular isn't as beautiful as it looks,
08:57so she says screw this to high school drama and throws caution to the wind.
09:01Caught between wanting to break free and just feel something, anything, she throws
09:18herself into a rush of emotions that are both thrilling and scary.
09:303.
09:33One Song Glory – Rent Rent is about survival, love, loss, and the
09:38struggle to find meaning in a world that's a hot mess.
09:55That's clear from the jump with songs like the title track and What You Own, where Mark
09:59and Roger grapple with their purpose.
10:01In between, there's One Song Glory, where Roger feels the overwhelming pressure to make
10:06a mark on the world before his time runs out.
10:17He knows that no day but today is guaranteed, yet he's trapped in this loop of fear, regret,
10:22and the nagging thought that he'll never get it right.
10:24Who can't relate to wanting to make a difference but feeling completely stuck on how to even
10:28begin?
10:372.
10:40Stick It To The Man – School Of Rock What's rock really about?
10:54Yes, if you've ever been fed up with the world trying to shove you into its neat little
10:58boxes, it's about sticking it to the man.
11:00Why settle for sitting in silence when you can flip the tables, chairs, and whatever
11:04else is in your way?
11:17Dewey, aka Mr. Schneebly, shows these kids that life isn't always fair, but that doesn't
11:22mean you have to accept it.
11:24Sure, Dewey's got questionable intentions, but he shows these kids how to light their
11:27rebellious fire and make some much-needed noise.
11:42When life's got you down, rocking out to this song will energize you to stick it to the
11:46Stick it to the man, stick it to the man, stick it to the man, stick it to the man
11:57Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:011.
12:02Burn – Hamilton Because it's way safer to sing about burning
12:04your past.
12:162.
12:17On My Own – Les Misérables The definitive anthem of unrequited love.
12:20Yes, we said it.
12:253.
12:32Divas Lament – Spam A Lot The song every spurned or overlooked person
12:36needs on their playlist.
12:43Why, tick tick boom.
12:51Need a song for your existential crisis?
12:53Here it is.
13:06No Good Deed – Wicked For when it feels like the world is against
13:10you.
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13:371.
13:38No Skips Angst – Spring Awakening This show could practically be titled Teen
13:41Angst the Musical, so it would be impossible to choose just one song to focus on.
13:58It's about those growing pains, sexual awakenings, rebellion, and trying to figure out why the
14:04world is so messed up.
14:06In a repressive society, the characters are basically screaming inside
14:09– and sometimes outside – for more freedom over their lives, bodies, and feelings.
14:26Each song just amplifies their frustration, confusion, and desperation as they try to
14:30make sense of it all, while the adults fear the changing times.
14:34It's basically a battle to have their voices heard in a world that just wants them to shut
14:38up and fall in line.
14:46What other show tunes do you have on your angstiest playlists?
14:49Let us know in the comments.
15:00Do you agree with our picks?
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