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The 11 best Pierce The Veil songs
Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Here are the 11 best Pierce The Veil songs ahead of their 2025 UK arena dates
Explosive, unapologetic, and deeply innovative, Pierce The Veil have built a legacy on pushing post-hardcore to its most theatrical, emotional, and unrelenting extremes.
Bridging the gap between angst and introspection, an insatiable hunger to break through barriers has seen the San Diego trio evolve from cult favourites to undeniable heavyweights of the alternative scene, mastering the art of crafting modern rock anthems that are equal parts gut-wrenching and cathartic. From their introduction on 2007 debut A Flair for The Dramatic and its defining follow-up Selfish Machines to the electrifying antics of breakthrough album Collide With The Sky and the high-energy pop-punk polish of 2016’s Misadventures, their music has come to serve as a lifeline for fans navigating heartbreak and grief.
Translating personal pain into rallying cries for connection, Pierce The Veil’s reach has grown exponentially over the last 18 years, establishing a reputation as one of the most electrifying live acts in the genre. Returning revived and recharged after a seven-year hiatus with 2023 album The Jaws Of Life, this September will see the trio deliver a victory lap to their biggest ever crowds on British soil – including a milestone show at Wembley Arena. Taking place as part of the band’s ‘I Can’t Hear You’ world tour, they’re set to celebrate the journey that’s led them to this point, playing songs from all five of their studio albums. From the setlist staples that have soundtracked their rise to the deep cuts that hold a special place in the hearts of fans, let’s look back on the songs that have defined Pierce The Veil’s career.
11. ‘Circles’
(Misadventures, 2016)
Inspired by the tragedy of the 2015 Bataclan attacks, ‘Circles’ channels the panic and resilience of trying to survive into a soaring alt. rock anthem. Frantic yet deceptively upbeat, jangling guitars and propulsive drums lead the way as frontman Vic Fuentes’ vocals shift between desperation and soaring relief, resulting in one of the biggest earworms within the band’s discography. A passionate, cinematic cut that sees their emotional heart kept intact whilst stepping into a sound primed for the world’s biggest stages, with ‘Circles’ it became clear that Pierce The Veil were on the precipice of something truly massive.
10. ‘Pass The Nirvana’
(The Jaws Of Life, 2023)
Serving as a ferocious return after seven years of silence, the first single from the band’s 2023 album is moody, grungy, and nostalgic in all the right ways. A far cry from their trademark emo-tinged post-hardcore beginnings, ‘Pass The Nirvana’ is a furious outburst layered in distortion, fuelled by a simmering rage threatening to boil over at any second. Leaning into some previously unexplored grunge and noise rock influences, its murky bass lines and jagged guitars feel utterly unhinged, whilst Fuentes’ vocals shift between sprawling murmurs and guttural screams. A sonic reflection on the disillusionment experienced by younger generations, and the societal pressure piled onto us all in the modern age, reinventions simply don’t get more seditious than this.
9. ‘Hold On Till May’
(Collide With The Sky, 2012)
The emotional heart of Collide With The Sky, album closer ‘Hold On Till May’ swiftly became a fan favourite following its release. Opening with shimmering guitars and Fuentes’ aching vocals, it swells into a cathartic release complete with a stunning guest spot from the band’s close friend Lindsey Stamey. A staple of their live shows, for many fans, it’s an anthem of survival. Whether marking milestones in sobriety, battling mental health struggles, or simply finding the strength to keep going, the song’s poignant tale of love, loss, and perseverance has lit a beacon of hope. Proof that even in the darkest moments, there’s always something worth holding on for.
8. ‘Yeah Boy And Doll Face’
(A Flair for The Dramatic, 2007)
Navigating teenage love is never easy, and this tale of a relationship gone sour handles the subject with as much melodrama as you’d expect from a group of kids still coming to terms with life’s complications. Recounting a failed suicide attempt following a break-up and exploring the pining of unrequited love, it’s as reckless as it is romantic, each painful wail from Fuentes drenched in metaphor and bittersweet longing. Remaining a much-loved deep-cut almost two decades after its release, this yearningly vulnerable stand-out from the band’s debut full-length set the stage for Pierce The Veil to fulfil their hauntingly cinematic potential.
7. ‘Caraphernalia’
(Selfish Machines, 2010)
A blistering breakup anthem with a venomous bite, ‘Caraphernalia’ is a full-throttle dive into post-heartbreak devastation. Spiralling riffs paired with desperate vocals that flit between obsession and anguish, there’s no sugarcoating or happy ending in sight here. Its title a mash-up of the name of Fuentes’s ex-girlfriend and ‘paraphernalia’ – a nod to the emotional and physical remnants left behind after the end of a relationship – a searing guest spot from A Day To Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon secured the track as a go-to scream-your-lungs-out anthem for anyone who’s ever struggled to let go.
6. ‘Besitos’
(Selfish Machines, 2010)
Opening an album that explores uncontrollable emotions, there is perhaps no better masterclass in controlled chaos within Pierce The Veil’s discography. Dizzying guitar work showcasing their Latin influence whilst Fuentes darts between smooth crooning and throat-shredding screams, from the first note it bursts with urgency, setting the tone for a sophomore record that had no intention of playing it safe. Its lyrics recalling a toxic relationship from the perspective of Fuentes’ former lover – someone who the frontman admittedly treated poorly – it shifts between blistering post-hardcore intensity and haunting, melodic interludes at rapid speed. Passionate, unpredictable, and wonderfully theatrical – it’s the kind of song made to be belted at the top of your lungs.
5. ‘Texas Is Forever’
(Misadventures, 2016)
The fastest song in Pierce The Veil’s arsenal, this one bursts out of the gates as a vicious post-hardcore whirlwind. Charged with a whiplash-inducing collision of breakneck drumming, sharp-edged riffs, and rapid tempo shifts, it’s a relentless barrage that bids a volatile farewell to a fractured relationship, delivered without a glimmer of restraint. Taken from the band’s pop-punk-tinged fourth album, it marked a welcome return to the controlled chaos and biting lyricism we’ve come to love them for. No slow build, no breathing room – just pure energy.
4. ‘A Match Into Water’
(Collide With The Sky, 2012)
Written as a tribute to a close friend of Fuentes during their battle with cancer, every line of ‘A Match Into Water’ feels like a lifeline thrown in the face of loss. An emotionally charged declaration of devotion balancing aggression with vulnerability, its rapid-fire drumming and spiralling guitars pulse with desperation and determination, defiant calls of “We will bring the tidal wave” ripping through the song’s breakdown. Inciting an explosive moment in the band’s live show, it’s remained a setlist staple for over a decade, its message of unwavering love serving as an urgent reminder to fight for the ones that we care for.
3. ‘Emergency Contact’
(The Jaws Of Life, 2023)
Perhaps the most intimate declaration of love isn’t poetry or grand gestures, but the simple promise that in your worst moments, theirs will be the first number you dial. A slow-burning slice of alt. rock magic, that notion forms the foundation for one of Pierce The Veil’s most strikingly vulnerable songs. Shimmering, delay-soaked guitars steadily building in intensity whilst its lyrics bring a push-and-pull between love and self-destruction, ‘Emergency Contact’ is an earnest confession grappling with the weight of truly letting someone in. Trading much of the band’s chaos and aggression in for dreamy introspection, they mature without losing any of their urgency, forging the perfect sonic representation of a love that feels both inevitable and terrifying.
2. ‘King For A Day’
(Collide With The Sky, 2012)
A gateway track for an entire generation of emo kids, that eerie, tension building opening riff has been sending crowds into frenzy for over a decade. The riotous peak of the band’s third album, ‘King For A Day’ delivers frustration and adrenaline in equal measure, recruiting the powerful falsetto of Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn for a seething call-and-response vocal battle alongside Fuentes. An anthem of rebellion, capturing the moment when years of being pushed around finally snap into defiance, every breakneck riff and gut-punching scream shifts the mood from barely contained resentment to outright fury. Paired with a music video documenting a chaotic bank heist featuring Fuentes and Quinn as disgruntled bank employees turned vigilantes, there’s no denying that ‘King For A Day’ has built its legacy as an iconic slice of early 2010s scene culture.
1. ‘Bulls In The Bronx’
(Collide With The Sky, 2012)
With its audacious bursts of Latin-inspired guitar work and a now-iconic flamenco-style acoustic guitar solo nodding to their Hispanic roots, there remains no greater statement that Pierce The Veil are a band operating entirely in their own lane. Partly written as tribute to an Australian fan who took her own life after years of bullying, ‘Bulls In The Bronx’ is everything a post-hardcore song should be and more. A blizzard of technical mastery complete with chugging riffs and unexpected detours, it’s a poetic gut-punch of both grief and survival. A self-reflective ode to the departed and a defiant celebration of life all at once, it’s become a battle cry for anyone who’s ever fought to stop the darkness from consuming them. Cementing their risk-taking sonic identity as well as their determination to transform our darkest moments into a source of connection, it’s the quintessential marker of everything that makes Pierce The Veil unique.
