This pop-punk band has some very moving songs.
- "Adam's Song", framed as a young boy's suicide note, is one of their heaviest songs, though thankfully it has a happy ending as the boy chooses not to go through with it.Please tell Mom this is not her fault.
- The story behind the track and it's legacy is a fairly sad one in which Mark initially wrote it as a thought experiment to settle his own intrusive thoughts after dealing with the loneliness of shifting back to normal life alone after being on tour. The song although credited for helping save many lives, did spring controversy after a survivor from the Columbine Massacre in 1999 was found deceased in their room with this song placed on repeat on their stereo leading the band to release a statement explaining their intention for the song. The song was constantly played until it was briefly retired following the passing of DJ AM (coincidentally also called Adam) but was later brought back in 2018 and Mark has also listed the song as being a massive help in his recovery from cancer and has been referred back to live staple status.
- "Stay Together For The Kids" is also fairly sad, since it centers around a kid living with parents who argue a lot and are only together because they don't want their child to grow up in a broken home. It does NOT help the song was actually written by Tom DeLonge about his experiences with it, seeing how his parents ended up divorced when he was a teenager.
- Arguably made worse in 2019 when, years after the song's release, it was announced that Tom and his wife Jennifer would file for divorce. While both of their kids are old enough to handle the stress that a divorce would bring about on a family, it still can't help but feel like an eerie case of history repeating itself.
- "Man Overboard" is particularly sad. If that song really is about original drummer Scott Raynor (which he seems to know it is), it marks the day when Blink officially forgot about Scott.
- "What Went Wrong" is also particularly sad, detailing a jaded soul post break up who is struggling to get over things and questioning why the good times came to an end. Very simplistic yet brutally honest.
- "Not Now", given it's context as the final single released following their "indefinite hiatus" in 2005. The music video is a montage of clips from music videos and happier times, partly due to the fact the band couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other for a good while. Outside of this context, the song is also fairly heartbreaking on its own merits as it details the narrator having an out of body experience following their death and trying to reach their loved ones.
- "What's My Age Again" is surprisingly melancholic - it's telling the story of someone whose immaturity is no longer funny or interesting, just irritating, and ends up underlining how pathetic holding onto youth looks like past a certain point. It can also be read as a nasty wake-up call about how suddenly you're supposed to grow up when you reach your 20's, regardless of whether you feel prepared or not. The opening arpeggios even sound kind of heartbroken.
- During a Connecticut show on the Reunion Tour, the band learned Travis's close friend (as well as a survivor of the plane crash Travis was on) Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein passed away from a drug overdose. The band were seriously broken while playing on stage, Mark even asking the audience for a moment of silence while speaking about the incident. While playing 'Down', you can tell even Tom was at the verge of tears. "Ghost on the Dancefloor" was written in his honor.
- Most of the album Neighborhoods, due to all the references to death and such.
- Natives: Really more bittersweet than anything, "I am too nervous to run, like kids who scatter and hide, to reach and grab for someone, but end up buried alive, a world is waiting for me, a road that I rarely use, I start to feel my feet, and kick down walls as they move"
- "I Miss You." One of the biggest contenders and the band's most known song (besides "All The Small Things"). Considering their marriage didn't last long, the references to Travis and Shanna's wedding and especially the Shout-Out to The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was their favorite movie, it's also Harsher in Hindsight.
- I'm Lost Without You. Makes it worse for early fans when the band broke up in 2005...
- "Home Is Such a Lonely Place" is very gut wrenching song partly about empty nest syndrome as well as the perspective of being out on the road away from family and friends. The music video especially features home movie-styled footage of the three band members preparing to go on tour and saying goodbye to their families.
- "I Really Wish I Hated You" is arguably this with it being focused on an end of a relationship and still feeling things towards the other person and trying to drown out the sorrows and hurt. Although on face value the song appears to be the end of a romantic relationship, the lyrics are vague enough that it can also be read as the end of a close friendship or family ties. This led some fans to read into the song being partly about Tom's departure from the band although it is unlikely as the song is one of many from "Nine" to feature numerous songwriters collaborating with the band.
- On the June 23, 2021, Mark Hoppus announced on social media that he has been diagnosed
with cancer and has been going through chemotherapy for the last three months. Many fans and friends showed their support for Mark following his announcement, including Tom wishing his support and love.- Becomes Heartwarming in Hindsight and Awesome when Mark announced he was cancer free in September of that year.
- "One More Time..." is an instant tearjerker. A song about regret and forgiveness with Mark and Tom singing to each other, laying all of their previous strife bare for everyone to see. It just adds to how much both were angry at each other, but at the same time, they couldn't throw away the years they had as friends. Especially when you take into account that Tom and Mark had been friends since high school, so they've been in each other's lives for half of their own lives.Do I have to die to hear you miss me?
- The final show the band did in Dublin before their 2005 break up really, really emphasizes how bad things got. The songs are being played at near double speed, there's more frustrated energy that clear through the set, and unlike any other time where Tom and Mark are snarking in their usual playful remarks, there's none of that here. It's very obvious hatred towards one another. Notably examples are Tom screaming "THIS IS MY SONG!" before performing "Mutt" and Mark shouting the second verse of "Stockholm Syndrome", despite him saying in the past that he didn't like shouting the verse due to them spraining his voice.
- Before performing "Go", Mark interrupts with a very aggressive "No no no no! I wanna change the set!", leading to Tom responding equally with "Okay Mr. fucking captain! As of now, Mark is the captain of blink-182!".
- This moment gets some notion as well, really showing how Mark and Tom were just done with each other at that point.
Tom: (very much pissed off) Shut up Mark, You can eat shit and keep fucking eating it...Mark: I'm not your mom!