This study investigated the moderated mediation effect of emotional recognition ability in the relationship between perceived rejecting parenting style and aggression among adolescents, with depression as a mediator. Data were obtained from the fourth wave of the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey(KCYPS). A total of 2,265 adolescents (1,217 males, 1,048 females) participated. The moderated mediation model was analyzed using SPSS 28.0 and PROCESS macro 4.2, with bootstrapping to test significance. The results indicated that perceived rejecting parenting style had a direct effect on aggression, and depression significantly mediating this relationship. Emotional recognition ability moderated the mediating effect of depression on aggression. Specifically, adolescents with lower emotional recognition ability were more strongly influenced by the indirect pathway. Johnson-Neyman analysis found that emotional recognition ability weakened the indirect effect at low to moderate levels, with the effect becoming nonsignificant at very high levels. These findings suggest that emotional recognition ability serves as a protective factor against the development of aggression in adolescents. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed, along with study limitations and directions for future research.