Graduation Songs 2016: The Best Music Playlist For High School And College Commencement

Wipe your tears and crank the volume up. Graduation season is here, and whether you're donning a cap and gown yourself or watching a friend cross the stage, you're bound to feel a lot of emotions. The artists who got you through high school — or college — might not cut it in your fragile state, so we've put together a playlist of 30 songs broken down by mood.

Feeling like celebrating the end of school? Go for "School's Out" by Alice Cooper. Feeling weepy? Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" is a reliable tearjerker. Feeling hopeful about the future and your friendships? Turn on "Imagine" by John Lennon.

Grab a friend and a pair of earbuds and listen to these graduation-themed tunes, collected from Teen Vogue, Fuse and About Entertainment. Check out the Spotify playlist below or make your own with our track listing.

Classic:

"All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem

"Graduation (Friends Forever)" by Vitamin C

“Going Away to College” by Blink-182

"Graduation Day" by the Beach Boys

"Imagine" by John Lennon

"The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World

"School's Out" by Alice Cooper

"Don't Look Back" by Boston

“Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D” by Sir Edward Elgar

"Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root

Sad:

"You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor

"I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack

"100 Years" by Five for Fighting

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds

"Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

"Seasons of Love" by the cast of "RENT"

"Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks

"Forever Young" by Alphaville

Modern:

"How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty

"It's Time" by Imagine Dragons

"Graduate" by Handsome Ghost

"Youth" by Troye Sivan

"We Are Young" by Fun feat. Janelle Monáe

"7 Years" by Lukas Graham

"The Story Of Tonight" by the cast of "Hamilton"

"Growing Up" by the Maine

"Float On" by Modest Mouse

"No Such Thing" by John Mayer