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1->''I don't know God\
2And I don't know anyone\
3And I don't know God\
4And I don't know if anything at all will be all right\
5I've got my hands on the one hand,\
6but I don't know where to put them.''
7-->-- '''The Promise Ring,''' "Nothing Feels Good"
8[floatboxright:
9Primary Stylistic Influences:
10+HardcorePunk, AlternativeRock, Indie Rock, PostHardcore, PunkRock
11]
12[floatboxright:
13Secondary Stylistic Influences:
14+ GothRock, MathRock, PopPunk, PostPunk, PowerPop, PostRock, {{Metalcore}}
15]
16
17{{Emo}} isn't just a subculture, you know. It's a form of music -- and woefully misunderstood, if that.
18
19Emo (short for "emotive[=/=]emotional hardcore") has a long and varied history that touches the early [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]] and extends all the way back to the [[TheEighties 1980s]]. Despite the fact that "emo" has become a polarizing term in our current critical establishment, emo music has produced a great deal of highly talented but highly underrated (and often multi-Platinum-selling) acts who aren't quite given proper critical respect due to the rise of modern hipsterdom.
20
21Emo music is typically characterized by melodic musicianship and bluntly expressive, often confessional lyrics. It grew out of the HardcorePunk and PostHardcore scenes in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC in the mid-'80s, with bands like Music/RitesOfSpring, Music/{{Fugazi}}, and Embrace rising in popularity as a response to the perceived violence in the punk movement. While the DC scene would fade out by the end of the decade, by then it had spread across the country, with bands like UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}'s Sunny Day Real Estate and UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco's Music/{{Jawbreaker}} carrying the torch of emo through TheNineties. Thanks to the rise of {{grunge}} and the boom in underground music in the early part of the decade, bands later labelled "emo" first got mainstream exposure during this period.
22
23It was in the later part of TheNineties when emo began to capitalize on its increased appeal. In 1996, Music/{{Weezer}} released their sophomore album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}''; despite being initially bashed by critics and listeners alike, [[VindicatedByHistory it is now regarded]] as one of the greatest albums of the decade, and is viewed as having started emo's introduction to the mainstream with it's greater emphasis on pop-songwriting and very little hardcore influences. Emo firmly broke into the mainstream in 2001, when Music/JimmyEatWorld released their fourth album ''Bleed American'', which was a great success and spawned the #1 hit single "The Middle". Thanks to the album's success, a whole new subculture evolved. The emo scene, once associated with underground music, developed and evolved as a result of mainstream exposure, and out of it grew the {{Emo Teen}}s. For the exact definition of an emo, go see the article. We're describing the music, not the person who listens to it, and emo music is listened to by people of all ages, genders, cultures and ethnicities.
24
25The history can be separated into three different eras (or four if you count [[ScreamoMusic screamo]], a more HardcorePunk-influenced offshoot of emo mostly defined by the use of HarshVocals). We'll name the three types "classic emo", "2000s PostHardcore", and "2000s emo-pop".
26
27'''Classic emo''' started out as essentially HardcorePunk with an artsy and emotional twist, later evolving into the much more AlternativeRock-leaning 'midwest emo' sound in the mid 1990s. This is the form both sides of the fence will agree has mettle. Despite this, many bands from this genre never quite touched the mainstream. The key bands from this genre each had a different and unique variation on the sound, with examples including Sunny Day Real Estate's anthemic, artsy blood-lettings, Braid's math pop, Hum's spacey, languid-yet-aggressive post-hardcore, Drive Like Jehu's discordant, technically demanding noise rock, the hardcore punk revivalists (and dabbling post-industrialists) called Music/{{AFI}}, Music/{{Weezer}}'s album ''Music/{{Pinkerton}}'', The Get Up Kids' emotional power pop filled with crunchy guitars and nerdy sexual frustration, Texas is the Reason's sensitive, hardcore derived punch, Jimmy Eat World's grand ambition and "guy next door" songwriting, and Mineral's pure, raw emotion.
28
29Of the emotive hardcore bands, only The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World had real commercial success due to their greater reliance on conventional pop song structure.
30
31After Jimmy Eat World hit multi-platinum, it also popularized a new darker variation of the sound. This early 2000s movement, known as the '''2000s post-hardcore''' emo movement, managed to balance a dark hardcore punch with introspective indie craft and profound musical artistry to create a powerful and moving variation of the emo sound that was edgier than the first, but also more accessible. Many bands of this genre were additionally influenced by PostPunk and oftentimes GothRock. The bands in this genre became widely popular with many groups and are sometimes confused with emo-pop by people who haven't actually listened to them despite their innovative songwriting, extremely skilled musicianship and eloquent, profound lyrics, as well as their intense, raw hardcore punk-derived sound. The most well-known members of this genre are: the suburban art rockers that make up Music/BrandNew, the quiet, introverted Music/DeathCabForCutie, intellectual and expressive countertenor Anthony Green's bands Music/CircaSurvive and Music/{{Saosin}}, the Gothic, theatrical, and delightfully over-the-top PostHardcore meets GlamRock act Music/MyChemicalRomance, eclectic screamers Music/TheUsed, melancholy music philosophers Music/{{Thursday}}, literary experimenters Music/{{Thrice}} and Music/TakingBackSunday who pretty much personified the whole movements combination of darkly romantic hardcore punk and catchy, melodic indie rock. Other bands frequently dabbled with emo musical style in this period, such as in ProgressiveRock bands Music/ThirtySecondsToMars and Music/CoheedAndCambria's respective albums ''A Beautiful Lie'' and ''In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3''. In addition, the UK has provided the genre with bands such as the Music/{{Lostprophets}} and Music/FuneralForAFriend, as has Canada with Music/BillyTalent and Music/{{Alexisonfire}}.
32
33'''Emo-pop''' is a subgenre that was born in the late-1990s with artists such as the aforementioned Music/TheGetUpKids and Music/JimmyEatWorld, combining standard emo introspection with pop punk/pop rock. This would become the dominant form of emo when the genre hit the mainstream in the early-to-mid 2000s, helped by one of the subgenres' biggest artists Music/FallOutBoy crossing it over with mainstream pop. When people who don't like emo despite minimal exposure to the genre say that it's all about teenage self-absorption and whining about one's parents/girlfriend/life, they're likely referring to a lot of emo-pop, as these tropes are almost never found in the other two types. Along with {{Metalcore}} and post-grunge, emo-pop is a divisive genre -- it is insanely popular with some groups, while the rest... well, you know. In the late 2010s, rappers influenced by emo began to appear, resulting in the "EmoRap" subgenre associated with artists like Music/XXXTentacion, Music/LilPeep and Music/JuiceWRLD.
34
35In addition to the constant output of new, acclaimed music from Music/{{AFI}}, Music/TheUsed and Music/TakingBackSunday, and the recent resurgence of Music/{{Thrice}}, Music/AtTheDriveIn, Music/{{Thursday}}, Music/{{Glassjaw}}, Music/AmericanFootball, and Music/{{Saosin}}, there's been a recent influx of indie emo bands reinvigorating the classic emo and post-hardcore sound, many notably on the ''Count Your Lucky Stars'' label. Empire! Empire! I Was a Lonely Estate, Music/TheWorldIsABeautifulPlaceAndIAmNoLongerAfraidToDie, Get Scared and Snowing are just a few of them. These particular bands also seem to be mixing in elements of PostRock, NoiseRock and {{Shoegazing}} music to great acclaim from fans of indie rock, as well as the related and parallel DefendPopPunk movement. Bands from ''The Wave'' (Music/LaDispute, Pianos Become the Teeth) have also taken cues from this particular genre.
36
37So, there you have it -- the basic history of emo, a genre that captures and defines a point in time just like what PsychedelicRock, {{Disco}}, {{New Wave|Music}}, HairMetal and {{Grunge}} did for past decades.
38----
39
40!! "Classic" Emo (Emocore) bands:
41
42[[index]]
43* Music/{{AFI}} (mixes this with HardcorePunk and Gothic rock; also TropeMaker for the more dark and Gothic-iinfluenced emo look that would rise to prominence in the mid-2000s)
44* Music/AmericanFootball
45* Music/TheAppleseedCast
46* Music/AtTheDriveIn
47* Music/{{Autopulver}} (A rare and short-lived Norwegian emo band)
48* Music/{{Braid}}
49* Music/{{Brandtson}}
50* Music/BrightEyes [[note]] mostly the band's first two albums, although their last album may qualify as well [[/note]]
51* Music/CapnJazz (see also American Football, Owen, other Kinsella Bros. bands)
52* Music/ChristieFrontDrive
53* Music/{{Cursive}}
54* Music/DagNasty
55* Music/DeathCabForCutie
56* Music/DriveLikeJehu
57* Music/{{Embrace}} (UrExample)
58* Music/FireParty
59* Music/{{Fugazi}}
60** 1990 - ''Music/{{Repeater}}''
61* Music/TheGetUpKids
62* Music/{{HotWaterMusic}}
63* Music/{{Hum}}
64* Music/IHateMyself
65* Music/IndianSummer
66* Music/{{Jawbreaker}} (TropeCodifier)
67* Music/{{Jhariah}}
68* Music/JimmyEatWorld (The TropeMaker for emo-pop)
69* Music/{{Lifetime}}
70* Music/{{Midtown}}
71* Music/{{Mineral}}
72* Music/MossIcon
73* Music/{{Panchiko}}
74* Music/{{Penfold}}
75* Music/ThePromiseRing
76* Music/{{Orchid}}
77* Music/RitesOfSpring (UrExample)
78* Music/SavesTheDay
79* Music/SenseField
80* Music/{{Shiner}}
81* Music/SilentMajority
82* Music/SunnyDayRealEstate (The TropeCodifier)
83** 1994 - ''Music/{{Diary}}''
84* Music/TexasIsTheReason
85[[/index]]
86
87!! 2000s Post-hardcore/Emo bands:
88
89[[index]]
90* Music/{{Alexisonfire}}
91* Music/AlkalineTrio (also HardcorePunk)
92* Music/{{Anberlin}}
93* Music/ArmorForSleep
94* Music/{{Bayside}}
95* Music/TheBeautifulMistake
96* Music/BillyTalent
97* Music/BleedTheDream
98* Music/BlueOctober
99* {{Boysetsfire}}
100* Music/BrandNew (Mixed with indie rock)
101* Music/{{Chiodos}}
102* Music/CircaSurvive (also ProgressiveRock)
103* Music/CoheedAndCambria (early material, also ProgressiveRock, though they have had occasional flirtations with this in their later material as well)
104* Music/{{Copeland}}
105* Music/DanceGavinDance (also [[ScreamoMusic Screamo]])
106* Music/DashboardConfessional
107* Music/TheEarlyNovember
108* Music/{{Emery}} (a Christian emo band)
109* Music/TheFallOfTroy
110* Music/{{Fightstar}}
111* Music/{{Finch|Band}}
112* Forgive Durden
113** 2008 - ''Music/RaziasShadow''
114* Music/FuneralForAFriend (Emotive hardcore from a Welsh perspective)
115* Music/{{Glassjaw}}
116* Music/HawthorneHeights
117* Music/IAmGhost (also GothRock)
118* Music/JetsToBrazil
119* [[Music/KenMode KEN mode]] (bit of a GenreBusting example, but emo was a significant component of their style up until ''Success'')
120* Music/KillHannah (also DarkWave)
121* Music/LaDispute
122* Music/{{Lostprophets}} (a Welsh emo band ended by a highly publicized court case. Look it up at your own risk)
123* Music/MadinaLake
124* Music/MatchbookRomance
125* Music/MewithoutYou (early material-- among many other things)
126* Music/MotionCitySoundtrack (also PopPunk)
127* Music/TheMovielife
128* Music/MyAmericanHeart
129* Music/MyChemicalRomance (Their first three albums were emotive hardcore, taking it in a poppier direction by the time of Sweet Cheers. Their fourth album is standard pop punk. Also served as the TropeCodifier for the Gothic, AFI-influenced emo look that came into vogue by 2004)
130** 2002 - ''Music/IBroughtYouMyBulletsYouBroughtMeYourLove''
131** 2004 - ''Music/ThreeCheersForSweetRevenge''
132*** "Music/{{Helena}}"
133** 2006 - ''Music/TheBlackParade''
134* Music/OffMinor
135* Music/{{Piebald}}
136* Music/ThePostalService
137* Music/TheReceivingEndOfSirens
138* Music/TheRedJumpsuitApparatus
139* Music/{{Saosin}}
140* Music/SayAnything (also IndieRock)
141* Music/SensesFail (also Metalcore)
142* Music/{{Silverstein}} (also [[ScreamoMusic Screamo]])
143* Music/JulietSimms
144* Music/TheSleeping
145* Music/SomethingCorporate
146* Music/{{Sparta}}
147* Music/AStaticLullaby (also [[ScreamoMusic Screamo]])
148* Music/StoryOfTheYear
149* Music/StraylightRun
150* Music/AThornForEveryHeart
151* Music/TakingBackSunday (also indie rock and alternative rock)
152* Music/TitleFight (Starting with Floral Green, mixed this with Shoegaze)
153* Music/{{Thrice}} (A mix of emo and punk rock for their first few albums, at least. More recent releases dabble in, well, everything)
154* Music/{{Thursday}} (The TropeCodifier)
155* Music/TheUsed (Also AlternativeRock and PunkRock, [[GenreBusting among other things]])
156* Music/VendettaRed
157[[/index]]
158
159!! 2000s "Emo-Pop" bands (the controversial bit):
160
161[[index]]
162* Music/ARocketToTheMoon
163* [[Music/TheAcademyIs The Academy Is...]]
164* Music/AllTimeLow
165* Music/TheAllAmericanRejects (Their first few albums, before switching to straight PowerPop)
166* Music/BoysLikeGirls
167* Music/TheCab
168* Music/CuteIsWhatWeAimFor
169* TheDowntownFiction
170* Music/EveryAvenue
171* Music/FallOutBoy (2001-2008)
172* Music/ForeverTheSickestKids
173* Music/TheFrontBottoms
174* Music/GoodCharlotte
175* Music/{{Hellogoodbye}} (First album only)
176* Music/JoyceManor
177* Music/LosCampesinos (Not often thought of as an emo band, but they beg to differ, proudly declaring themselves "The UK’s first and only emo band" in their Twitter bio)
178* Music/MaydayParade
179* Music/NeverShoutNever
180* Music/NewFoundGlory
181* Music/PanicAtTheDisco
182** 2005 - ''Music/AFeverYouCantSweatOut''
183* Music/{{Paramore}} (probably one of the most respected bands on this list. It helps that they were more faithful to the genre's earlier sound than many of their contemporaries in the Warped Tour scene)
184* Music/SecondhandSerenade ([[IAmTheBand it's just one guy]])
185* Music/SimplePlan (one of the more infamous examples)
186* Music/TheSpillCanvas
187* Music/TheStartingLine
188* Music/{{Sugarcult}}
189* Music/TheSummerSet
190* Music/TokioHotel (they're German)
191* Music/TwentyOnePilots (also RapRock and {{Electronicore}})
192* Music/WeAreTheInCrowd
193* Music/{{Weezer}} (possibly the UrExample)
194* Music/WeTheKings
195* Music/TheWonderYears
196* Music/{{Yellowcard}} (they're the ones with the classical violinist)
197* Music/YouMeAtSix (Distinctly influenced by the {{Lostprophets}})
198[[/index]]
199
200!! "Emo Revival" bands (the indie takeover of the sound):
201
202[[index]]
203* Music/AlgernonCadwallader
204* Music/DeerLeap
205* Music/GuitarFightFromFoolyCooly
206** Music/{{Soak}}
207* Music/HotMulligan
208* Music/IntoItOverIt
209* Music/{{itoldyouiwouldeatyou}}
210* Music/ModernBaseball
211* Music/MomJeans
212* Music/FreeThrow
213* Music/MooseBlood
214* Music/RemoDrive
215* Music/SincereEngineer (straddles the line between this and PopPunk)
216* Music/TinyMovingParts
217* Music/{{Marietta}}
218* Music/RedHook
219* Music/SaveFace
220* Music/SororityNoise
221* Music/SpanishLoveSongs
222* Music/TheWorldIsABeautifulPlaceAndIAmNoLongerAfraidToDie (with an [[RevolvingDoorBand "ever-changing, ever-evolving lineup"]])
223* Music/TitleFight (TropeMaker for this style of emo)
224* Music/ToucheAmore
225* Music/{{Snowing}}
226[[/index]]
227
228And... that's it. Oh, one more thing: if you plan to cause a sizable amount of FlameWar, remember to clean it up afterward, won't you?
229
230
231----
232
233Some Classic Emo tunes
234
235* AFI - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGG-M0vNf5s God Called in Sick Today.]]"
236* At the Drive In - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ge6ttcFrvA One-Armed Scissor.]]"
237* Death Cab For Cutie - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9TpM2FRu-4 Title Track.]]"
238* Sunny Day Real Estate - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiEGmrrUw-U Seven.]]"
239* Braid - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PQbDqrl0NE A Dozen Roses.]]"
240* The Get Up Kids - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVrVayeXzpo Holiday.]]"
241* Jawbreaker - " [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_tMmp_knpt4 Kiss the Bottle]]"
242* Cap'n Jazz - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2FFpI5K3s Little League.]]"
243* Rites of Spring - "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fXID4RvSLz4 For Want Of]]"
244* Texas is The Reason - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ugKNS7znXU Back and to the Left.]]"
245* American Football - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9VhC0hiTg Never Meant.]]"
246----
247
248Some definitive 2000s Post-Hardcore emo tunes
249
250* Brand New - "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LkRLLOTnp_o Jesus Christ]]"
251* AFI - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUtw6zUJrUs The Leaving Song Pt. II.]]"
252* Thursday - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW05uzeU7KY Counting 5-4-3-2-1.]]"
253* Taking Back Sunday - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaAwdmrsk3M Cute Without the E.]]"
254* The Used - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f--4iDTr_k All That I've Got.]]"
255* My Chemical Romance - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPxJc9Nd1s Helena.]]"
256* Circa Survive - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnV6z0hqNp4 Act Appalled.]]"
257* Saosin - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPUpTvgcsKs 3rd Measurement in C.]]"
258* Thrice - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq4FaSu_lqw Cold Cash and Colder Hearts.]]"
259* Glassjaw - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2kC-ujLMwM Tip Your Bartender.]]"
260* Alkaline Trio - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d2W7FyztrA Time to Waste.]]"
261* Armor For Sleep - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdIKYKGFH4w Awkward Last Words.]]"
262* Hawthorne Heights - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gThcBrd60M Niki FM.]]"
263* The Chiodos - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGN89b4CP-E Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek.]]"
264* Senses Fail - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqIN4kJybm8 Can't Be Saved.]]"
265----
266
267Some Definitive Emo-Pop tunes
268
269* Jimmy Eat World - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd6zTuklghY Sweetness.]]"
270* All Time Low - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNiKCmWdYE Dear Maria, Count Me In.]]"
271* Fall Out Boy - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rDG8C3oB18 Dance Dance.]]"
272* Cute is What We Aim For - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt-sOl1WvyU The Curse of Curves.]]"
273* Panic! At the Disco - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6vs-l5dkc I Write Sins Not Tragedies.]]"
274* Say Anything - " [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CUws596eChQ Alive With The Glory of Love]]"
275* Simple Plan - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA8PvnlBAiA Welcome to My Life.]]"
276* Paramore - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCyGvGEtOwc Misery Business.]]"
277* The Downtown Fiction - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7mQS45Wsg I Just Wanna Run.]]"
278----
279
280And finally, a few definitive Classic Emo Revival tracks:
281
282* Foxing - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-O6x2nF768 Rory.]]"
283* La Dispute - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIIzxeBUqug Such Small Hands.]]"
284* The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68GruRH19Lc Heartbeat in the Brain.]]"
285* Modern Baseball - "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbrUzJlTffs Your Graduation.]]"

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