Everyone has a favorite love song, but songs about hating someone do not get enough credit. There are some great songs about hating a friend or an ex-lover. While this may seem cynical, not everyone will always be everyone else’s cup of tea. It is okay to dislike a person when they have wronged you.
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Music is a great way to purge negative emotions. Listening to “I hate you” songs rather than “I love you” may seem negative, but it can be cathartic. Luckily, there is a hate-centric song in every genre.
It is okay to be a hater. Read on to learn more about the best songs about hating someone.
“I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead” – Nessa Barrett
Nessa Barrett rose to fame on TikTok in 2019, starting her music career less than a year after. In 2021, she released one of her most famous songs, “I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead.” The song tells the listener all the horrible things Barrett hopes will happen to them.
She hopes the person who hurt her spends their entire life miserable. The tune is a cathartic listen for anyone clinging to a lot of hate.
“I Hate You” – Earshot
The alternative band Earshot sings one of the best metal songs about hating someone. “I Hate You” cites the band’s grievances with their enemy. The enemy has lied, cheated, and stolen. The band has a heartfelt message for the transgressor. In the chorus, they sing, “I hate you!” They say this phrase repeatedly throughout the song.
This song has a straightforward message about hate. Metal fans who need to release their hatred may opt to play the tune on loop.
“F**k You” – CeeLo Green
CeeLo Green released “F**k You” in 2010. The original and its cleaner version, “Forget You,” shot to the top of the charts. CeeLo even performed it with Gwyneth Paltrow at the Grammys the following year.
Green sings about his ex-girlfriend and the man who stole her. Everyone feels better after belting the lyrics to this upbeat and catchy tune, especially if their circumstances match CeeLo’s. The dirty and clean versions convey a powerful message of hate.
“Gives You Hell” – The All American Rejects
The All American Rejects sing one of the best rock songs about hating someone. “Gives You Hell” wishes the worst upon a former girlfriend. The singer hopes she feels pure rage when she sees his face.
The singer even tells his ex that any man would be a fool to love her for who she is. Unfortunately, many people have an ex about whom they can say the same. If this is the case, turn up the volume on this song.
“Bad Blood” – Taylor Swift
In “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift sings about having beef with someone. Someone has wronged her, and now they have a problem with each other. She did not want these problems, and most people can relate. No one wants to hate anybody, but sometimes one misstep is all it takes.
This song is one of the few Taylor Swift works that is not about an ex-boyfriend. Instead, it is about a female musician. No one knows which female musician, but people have their theories. Either way, it proves that it is just as easy to hate an ex-friend as it is to hate an ex-lover.
“7 Things” – Miley Cyrus
In Miley Cyrus’s 2008 hit “7 Things,” the pop artist tells someone the seven things she hates about him. These include his vanity, his games, insecurities, and jerk friends. She also says that even though he loves her, he likes another girl. Anyone in a relationship can imagine how that might lead to hate.
She ends the song by telling him the seven things she likes about him. The final reason is that he makes her love him. The whole song epitomizes a love-hate relationship, which is just as powerful as a hateful relationship.
“Look What You Made Me Do” – Taylor Swift
In “Look What You Made Me Do,” Taylor Swift sings about the best kind of hate: transformative hate. Someone hurt her so badly that she had no choice but to become a new and improved version of herself.
In one of the most iconic Taylor Swift lines of all time, she claims the old Taylor is dead. She has reimagined herself as an intense and ruthless Taylor everyone should strive to be.
“My Give a Damn’s Busted” – Jo Dee Messina
In 2005, Jo Dee Messina released a song that captures the ideal attitude toward bothersome people. In “My Give a Damn’s Busted,” she sings about how she does not care about them or anything going on in their lives. She refuses to listen to their excuses, which is the easiest way for someone to protect their heart.
The uncaring attitude makes the hit one of the best country songs about hating someone.
“Why Don’t You Kill Yourself” – The Only Ones
“Why Don’t You Kill Yourself” by the Only Ones wishes the worst possible fate upon the person they hate. Of course, no one should ever wish for another person to take their own life, no matter how much they hate them.
However, art is about purging negative emotions from the body. Perhaps a song with as much punch as this one will help its listener to release negativity.
“Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)” – The Plain White T’s
It is okay not to forgive a heartbreaker. If someone breaks another’s heart, they may leave that person with an intense feeling of hatred. The Plain White T’s capture that hatred in “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You).”
Everyone who has had their heart broken by someone they hate should listen to this song to know they are not alone in their feelings.
‘hate u love u’ – Olivia O’Brien
O’Brien is caught in a pretty conflicting place in this pop track from 2016. After a breakup, she watches her ex fall in love with another girl and hates them for it. However, she can’t help but still harbour feelings for them. “I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you,” she sings.
This bittersweet love song was originally used in part in Gnash’s track ‘I Hate U, I Love U’ from 2015. The track featured Brien’s vocals and lyrics but was adapted to include Gnash’s contributions as well. O’Brien later released her original solo version of the song.
‘F*ck You’ – Lily Allen
Allen is happy to express her disapproval of mindless hatred in this upbeat, tongue-in-cheek track. Taking shots at homophobes and racists, she asks them if they “really enjoy living a life that’s so hateful”. Allen’s message is clear – living a life motivated by hating others for who they are is a waste of time. Expressing your disapproval in a jaunty pop tune, however, is fair game.
‘abcdefu’ – GAYLE
Gayle expresses her hatred for every aspect of her ex’s life in this angry track – except for his dog, that is. “F you and your mom and your sister and your job and your broke*ss car and that sh*it you call art,” she sings.
The list goes on. GAYLE was moved to write the track after being inspired by female singer-songwriters who allowed themselves to feel and express anger, something she hadn’t yet done during her breakup.
‘abcdefu’ was the singer-songwriter’s breakout track, blowing up on TikTok in 2021 and inspiring a multitude of videos on the app. GAYLE subsequently released multiple versions of the track, including “chill”, “nicer” and “angrier” versions.
‘Josh’ – Peach PRC
“He’s gonna kill me,” giggles Peach in the spoken introduction for ‘Josh’. We quickly discover why – she goes on to eviscerate every aspect of Josh’s life, from the fact that he still lives at home to his drug habit and the money he has a habit of borrowing and never returning. She suggests therapy and refuses to apologise for putting his real name in a song. It’s clear that Peach has plenty of reasons to hate Josh.
‘Love It When You Hate Me’ – Avril Lavigne ft. Blackbear
This pop punk tune from Avril Lavigne sees her confessing to a fairly unhealthy relationship dynamic. Like much of the Love Sux album, it sees Lavigne analysing the ups and downs of her relationship – in ‘Love It When You Hate Me’, however, she decides that this rollercoaster is exactly what she loves about life with her partner. “And I ignored all the warning signs,” she sings happily. Hate isn’t necessarily a negative thing in Lavigne’s world, it seems.
‘PSYCHO’ – Anne Marie, Aitch
Anne-Marie has some angry words for her unfaithful partner in ‘PSYCHO’. “Uh-oh, look who guessed your password right,” she taunts him, before launching into the list of girls that she’s discovered he’s been cheating with. She then finishes up by asking how he can possibly call her the psychopath in this situation. Anne-Marie makes it clear that her love has turned to hate, and she won’t be giving Aitch another chance.
‘Douchebag’ – UPSAHL
UPSAHL wonders why it took her so long to figure out what a loser her ex was in ‘Douchebag’, a calm expression of her anger over a laidback beat. After a fairly successful start to the relationship, she quickly realises that he’s been messing around with other women in her bed. The love she felt quickly sours as she tells him: “You’re a douchebag, and I can prove that with the evidence you left in my bed.” She tells her ex that she wanted them to end up as friends, but since he’s decided to make these mistakes they might as well be enemies.
‘Ugly Heart’ – G.R.L
Girl group G.R.L lament the fact that what’s on the outside doesn’t always match what’s on the inside. They sing about a boy who looks lovely, but whose character leaves a lot to be desired. “It’s such a pity, a boy so pretty with an ugly heart,” they sing. They may have loved him once, but now they can’t help but hate his ugly personality.
‘Stupid H*e’ – Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj doesn’t mince words in this fast-paced rap track. She wishes that the girl she hates would take a shot at her, and calls her out for exactly what she thinks she is – a stupid h*e. Tell us how you really feel, Nicki.
The video for this explosive track broke Vevo’s record for the highest single-video views in its first day on the site, racking up 4.8 million views on the website.
‘t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l’ – WILLOW ft. Travis Barker
WILLOW enlists the help of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker in this searing pop-punk takedown. Skipping over playground insults, she delivers the blistering diagnosis that the person she hates has a ‘transparent soul’ – meaning that they have so little substance that she can see right through them.
WILLOW is speaking about former friends whose motives for getting close to her had a lot to do with her celebrity status. She took inspiration from a quote by Hindu guru Radhanath Swami, who spoke about pure souls acting like a mirror to the inner lives of others.
‘Rät’ – Penelope Scott
Singer Penelope Scott isn’t ambiguous about who it is that she hates – this diss track is very specifically aimed at Elon Musk. But Musk is more of a lightning rod for all the powerful white men that she’s taking aim at – those who gatekeep technological advancements and better ways of living for financial gain. She confesses that she loved the world these men created, but she’s woken up to the fact that they don’t care about anyone except themselves. “You promised you’d be Tesla, but you’re just another Edison,” she sings. Brutal.
Final Thoughts
Hate is not an ideal emotion, but there is no reason to try to avoid feeling it. Listening to music about hate can help people embrace their feelings and maybe even come closer to healing.