Mark Zuckerberg's 2004 coding jams were loud, emo, and very on brand

• Mark Zuckerberg published a playlist of five songs he was pumping while building Facebook in 2004.
• Most of the songs are hard-rocking hits with thrashing guitars and banging drums.
• Some Daft Punk lyrics Zuckerberg picked still resonate: "Work it harder, make it better / Do it faster, makes us stronger."

Mark Zuckerberg is feeling nostalgic.

On the 22nd anniversary of Facebook's founding, Zuckerberg reposted a meme about the fresh-faced Harvard student "getting ready to make history." Then he linked a playlist titled "2004 Facebook coding jams."

Zuckerberg said he "had these bangers on repeat" while building Facebook. The playlist's cover features the young founder — long before his bulked-up rebrand — listening to music on headphones.

The playlist's five songs feature a fair share of emo wails, electric guitars, and even some funky synthesizers. Some of them have receded into the tides of music history; others remain classics for weddings and bar mitzvahs.

They're also evocative of a quieter, easier time in tech. There were no culture wars, cage matches, or capex worries. What would a 2004 Zuckerberg think of $10 billion data centers?

Music speaks to how we feel. Here's what these five songs might say about a 19-year-old Zuckerberg — and just how far he's come.

1. "Headstrong" by Trapt

Zuckerberg liked hard rock, it seems.

"Headstrong" is a loud, thrashing song that feels built to be played on "Guitar Hero." There's even a good guttural scream in there before one chorus. The lyrics are equally attacking. "Back off, I'll take you on," Chris Taylor Brown sings.

The opening of "Headstrong" sounds like UFC walkout music, hyping up a big fight. That's now a favorite sport of Zuckerberg's. Some things never change.

2. "Like a Stone" by Audioslave

"Like a Stone" is about death and religion — two subjects that Zuckerberg has long been interested in.

Frontman Chris Cornell prays to God and angels on their deathbed that they will get into heaven. "In dreams until my death / I will wander on," he sings.

Zuckerberg seems more interested in extending human life than forecasting its end. His philanthropic initiative invests heavily in drug and disease research. He also has an intense fitness routine, including jiu-jitsu and CrossFit routines.

As for faith, Zuckerberg said in 2020 that he had "become more religious." He cited two sources: The issues his company has faced in the prior years and the birth of his daughters.

Mostly, though, "Like A Stone" is another huge rock hit. It seems like Zuckerberg enjoyed the sound of banging drums and wailing guitar.

3. "The Reason" by Hoobastank

Now this one is a nostalgia trip.

You can't help but feel something when Douglas Robb croons out, "I'm not a perfect person." Was Zuckerberg a perfect person? Most people who have watched "The Social Network" would say no.

It's a romantic song. After considering their flaws, Robb sings out that they've found a reason to change. "The reason is you," he repeats, over and over.

Zuckerberg met his wife, Priscilla Chan, in 2003, one year before this playlist's date. Maybe he was thinking of her.

He'd be less happy to hear that the song reemerged on TikTok — a Meta competitor — in a 2021 trend.

4. "In the End" by Linkin Park

We all knew that Zuckerberg liked rap. He recorded his own version of T-Pain's "Get Low" in tribute to his wife. He also started dressing like Eminem.

"In the End" is peak 2010s emo rap-rock. One of its refrains is "I tried so hard." Zuckerberg did try so hard — he often worked till late into the night.

The song is more pessimistic in its outlook: "In the end, it doesn't even matter." Zuckerberg would likely disagree here. He tried so hard — and in the end, it did matter. Meta is now a trillion-dollar company.

5. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk

Hard pivot! After four hard rock tunes, Zuckerberg's last song leans into synth-funk.

The lyrics here feel self-explanatory for Zuckerberg's workplace ethos: "Work it harder, make it better / Do it faster, makes us stronger / More than ever, hour after hour / Work is never over."

After Meta's year of intensity, I'm sure that some of Zuckerberg's employees can relate.

Also, the Daft Punk helmet doesn't look that different from a Meta Quest.