If you’ve ever needed a soundtrack for your messy feelings, your unbothered energy, or your full-on petty era, Leah Kate has you covered. This New York-born singer-songwriter carved out a unique lane in pop by fusing candid lyricism with punchy, guitar-forward production that sits somewhere between pop-punk, indie pop, and TikTok-era confessional songwriting. Her catalog is packed with earworms that hit differently depending on your mood — vengeful, heartbroken, or just spectacularly done with it all. Here are the 20 best Leah Kate songs that showcase exactly why she’s one of the most authentic voices in modern pop.
10 Things I Hate About You — The Anthem That Started Everything
Released in 2022, “10 Things I Hate About You” is the song that catapulted Leah Kate from a promising indie artist to a viral phenomenon. Borrowing the title from the beloved 1999 film while forging its own fierce identity, the track layers jangly guitar work over a punchy, mid-tempo beat that feels tailor-made for car sing-alongs. The production is clean and confident, letting her vocal delivery — equal parts sardonic and wounded — carry the emotional weight without overloading the mix. What makes this track endure beyond its viral moment is the specificity of its imagery; it’s a breakup song that feels like a conversation you’ve actually had, not a polished studio fabrication. If you’re building a playlist of the best Leah Kate songs, this one belongs at the top.
Fuck Up The Friendship — When Honesty Gets Uncomfortable
From her 2021 project What Just Happened?, this track tackles the murky emotional territory of crossing a line with someone you care about. The production leans minimalist in the verses before blooming into a chorus that genuinely earns its emotional payoff. Leah’s vocal phrasing here is notably restrained — she lets the lyrics do the heavy lifting rather than overselling every word — and the result is something that sounds confessional rather than performed. The guitar tone is warm but slightly distorted, giving the song a lived-in quality that pairs perfectly with its subject matter. It’s the kind of song that sounds best on headphones late at night when you’re replaying a conversation you probably shouldn’t have had.
Life Sux — Pop-Punk Therapy in Under Three Minutes
“Life Sux,” from the 2022 Alive and Unwell EP, delivers exactly what its title promises: a no-frills, high-energy pop-punk banger that validates your worst days without wallowing in them. The production is notably sharper here than some of her earlier work, with a driving drum pattern that pushes the track forward at a relentless pace. The chorus is infectiously hooky — the kind you’re humming before the song is even over — and the bridge offers a brief emotional detour before snapping back to that anthemic energy. Sonically, it draws clear lines from artists like Paramore and early Avril Lavigne while still sounding distinctly Leah Kate. This one belongs in your workout rotation, your commute playlist, and honestly, any moment when the world just isn’t cooperating.
Super Over — The Cold, Satisfying Clarity of Moving On
The title track from her 2023 project, “Super Over” is one of Leah Kate’s most sonically polished offerings to date. The production here has a sheen to it — a more refined mix that showcases growth without abandoning the raw edge that defines her brand. Lyrically, it captures that specific emotional milestone where you’re not just over someone, you’re aggressively over them, and the distinction matters. The song’s pacing is deliberate; it builds slowly before letting the chorus land like a declaration. For listeners who’ve followed her catalog from What Just Happened? through to Super Over, this track functions almost as a character arc in under three minutes.
F U Anthem — Pure Cathartic Energy
From What Just Happened? (2021), this track is unambiguous in its intent. The production is loud, bright, and unapologetically in-your-face, with layered guitars and a mix that feels designed to be played at maximum volume. What elevates it beyond a basic breakup song is how Leah balances humor with genuine frustration — there’s a wink embedded in the writing that keeps it from feeling bitter. The chorus has real sing-along power, and in a live performance setting, you can imagine an entire crowd throwing the sentiment back at her. If you’re curating songs for a cathartic listening session, this one earns its place. Speaking of which, the right pair of headphones can make a high-energy track like this hit dramatically harder.
Get in Loser — Sassiest Invitation in Pop
Released as part of the Super Over era in 2023, “Get in Loser” channels the carefree energy of a road trip with your best friend, wrapped in a production style that’s bubbly, guitar-forward, and refreshingly light. The song title’s cultural wink is intentional, and the track delivers on the promise of fun without sacrificing the sharp lyricism that Leah Kate fans expect. The verse-to-chorus transition is particularly well-executed, building just enough tension to make the release feel earned. It’s one of her more sonically optimistic tracks, which makes it a useful counterweight in a catalog that often leans into emotional chaos.
Unbreakup — The Track That Hits a Nerve
“Unbreakup” from Super Over (2023) explores a desire that almost everyone has felt but rarely admits: wanting to undo a breakup not out of love, but out of sheer inconvenience. The production is warm and slightly retro-tinged, with a melodic sensibility that gives the track more staying power than a purely trend-driven song would have. Leah’s vocal performance here is one of her most nuanced — she plays the ambivalence straight rather than camping it up, and the result is disarmingly genuine. The bridge in particular deserves attention, offering a tonal shift that briefly exposes the vulnerability underneath the sardonic exterior.
Hot All the Time — Confidence as a Sonic Statement
From Alive and Unwell (2022), this track leans into unapologetic self-assurance with a production palette that’s brighter and more polished than some of her rawer early work. The guitar work is punchy and rhythmically precise, creating a backbone that supports a vocal melody that’s arguably one of her catchiest. It’s the kind of song that functions as a confidence boost — the audio equivalent of walking into a room like you own it. The mixing here deserves credit; every element sits cleanly in the stereo field without the track ever feeling overcrowded.
What Girls Do — A 2024 Statement
“What Girls Do,” released in 2024, shows Leah Kate continuing to evolve while keeping her core identity intact. The production feels slightly more mature and contemporary compared to her earlier catalog, incorporating sonic textures that suggest she’s been listening widely and absorbing influences without losing her voice. The lyricism here taps into collective female experience in a way that’s specific enough to feel personal but broad enough to be universally relatable. It’s one of her strongest recent efforts and signals that the Super Over era was a creative springboard rather than a ceiling.
Twinkle Twinkle — Nursery Rhyme Energy, Adult Chaos
The 2022 track “Twinkle Twinkle” does something clever with its familiar title — it subverts the comforting associations of the classic nursery rhyme and repurposes the structure for a very adult emotional reckoning. The production juxtaposes a playful melodic hook with lyrical content that’s anything but innocent, and the contrast is where the song earns its effectiveness. There’s a wry sense of humor at work here that characterizes some of Leah’s best writing — the ability to make something cutting feel almost sweet. It pairs naturally with the more directly titled companion track on the same project.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch — The Title Says It All
If “Twinkle Twinkle” is the setup, this track is the punchline — and it lands. Also from the 2022 Twinkle Twinkle project, the song weaponizes the same melodic DNA as its companion while escalating the emotional stakes considerably. The production is tighter and more aggressive, with a chorus that delivers maximum impact. It’s become one of the more memorable tracks in her catalog precisely because it refuses to be subtle, and in Leah Kate’s world, that’s a feature, not a bug. Discovering tracks like this one is exactly what exploring deep cuts across music genres is all about.
My Bed — The Low-Energy Anthem We Needed
“My Bed” from Alive and Unwell (2022) is a celebration of not moving, not doing, and not caring — and it’s executed with the kind of musical conviction that makes laziness feel like a lifestyle choice. The production is deliberately understated compared to her more explosive tracks, which makes it an interesting listen from a sonic variety standpoint. Leah’s delivery here has a dry, deadpan quality that suits the material perfectly, and the song’s economy of expression — saying a lot with a little — reveals genuine songwriting maturity.
Don’t Get Over It, Get Even — Petty as a Power Move
From Super Over (2023), this track makes a persuasive argument that spite is a legitimate emotional coping mechanism. The production is sharp and rhythmically tight, with a melodic hook that lodges itself in your brain with suspicious ease. Lyrically, it’s among her most quotable work — the kind of lines that end up in screenshots and captions because they articulate something people feel but rarely say aloud. The song’s arrangement builds effectively, saving its most satisfying musical moment for the final chorus.
Shit Show — Organized Chaos in Song Form
“Shit Show” from What Just Happened? (2021) is one of Leah’s earliest strong statements, capturing the exhausted clarity that follows a period of complete emotional disorder. The production reflects the title — it’s deliberately messy in spots but anchored by a chorus that cuts through the noise with precision. It’s a track that rewards repeat listening because the production details that seem chaotic on first listen reveal themselves to be quite intentional on subsequent plays.
Space — Minimalism as Emotional Strategy
“Space” from the Super Over project (2023) takes a different approach than the high-energy tracks in her catalog, opting for a more restrained production environment that lets the lyrical content breathe. The mix here is notably spacious — appropriate given the title — with instrumentation that’s carefully chosen rather than layered for impact. It’s a slower burn that demonstrates Leah Kate’s range as a vocalist; without the armor of a big, driving production, the emotional delivery has to carry more weight, and it does.
911 — Urgency, Humor, and a Killer Hook
From Super Over (2023), “911” uses the emergency metaphor to describe the particular chaos of romantic feelings that arrive at the worst possible time. The production is urgent and energetic, mirroring the song’s thematic content with a tempo and mix that keep the listener locked in. The hook is among her sharpest from this era, and the song’s economy — it never overstays its welcome — is one of its strongest qualities. To fully appreciate the dynamic range in tracks like this one, comparing quality earbuds beforehand is genuinely worth your time.
Monster — Vulnerability with an Edge
“Monster” from Alive and Unwell (2022) is one of the more emotionally layered tracks in Leah Kate’s catalog. The production creates a slightly darker atmosphere than her typically bright sonic palette, and the vocal performance adjusts accordingly — there’s more texture and emotional roughness here than in her punchier pop tracks. It’s a song about self-awareness that stops short of self-pity, which is a difficult tonal balance to achieve and one she navigates effectively.
Don’t Call Me — Clarity as Closure
The 2023 single “Don’t Call Me” stands as one of her most direct statements — a clean, unambiguous message delivered over production that matches its no-nonsense intent. The arrangement is efficient; every element serves the song’s central purpose without unnecessary ornamentation. As a standalone single, it functions as a mission statement of sorts, demonstrating that after several years of releases, Leah Kate has learned exactly when less is more.
Boys Like You — The One That Stays With You
From Alive and Unwell (2022), “Boys Like You” demonstrates Leah Kate’s ability to write pop that operates on multiple emotional levels simultaneously. On the surface it’s a sharp critique; underneath, there’s a real ache that the production subtly acknowledges with a melody that’s more tender than the lyrical content alone would suggest. It’s one of the tracks in her catalog where the tension between what’s being said and how it sounds creates the most interesting listening experience.
Alive and Unwell — The Title Track Earns Its Place
The title track from her 2022 EP closes this list the way it should — with something that feels like a thesis statement. “Alive and Unwell” acknowledges that surviving something difficult and being okay are two entirely different things, and it does so with a production sensibility that’s equal parts defiant and worn. The song earns its title track status because it encapsulates the emotional contradictions that run through the entire EP. It’s not a triumphant closer so much as an honest one, which is precisely what makes it resonate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Leah Kate?
Leah Kate primarily works in pop-punk influenced pop, blending confessional songwriting with guitar-driven production that draws comparisons to mid-2000s pop-punk while feeling distinctly contemporary. Her sound incorporates elements of indie pop and singer-songwriter traditions alongside more commercially polished production.
What is Leah Kate’s most popular song?
“10 Things I Hate About You,” released in 2022, is widely considered her breakout track. It gained significant traction on TikTok and streaming platforms, introducing her catalog to a broad audience and establishing the sharp, sardonic tone that defines her work.
How many studio projects has Leah Kate released?
As of 2024, Leah Kate has released several EPs and singles including What Just Happened? (2021), Alive and Unwell (2022), the Twinkle Twinkle project (2022), and Super Over (2023), along with various standalone singles.
Is Leah Kate’s music good for breakup playlists?
Absolutely — her catalog is essentially purpose-built for processing messy emotions. Tracks like “F U Anthem,” “Super Over,” and “Don’t Get Over It, Get Even” offer cathartic energy, while songs like “Boys Like You” and “Alive and Unwell” provide more reflective moments.
Where is Leah Kate from?
Leah Kate is from New York, and that urban, no-nonsense energy is reflected in her lyricism — direct, unfiltered, and rarely interested in softening hard truths for the sake of politeness.