If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely one of two people. You have no idea what emo is, and you’re curious as to why I’m still talking about it in 2020. Maybe you think it’s smudged eyeliner and a pair of black skinny jeans (which is pretty valid). In reality, the subculture is more defined by the music than by the fashion. Don’t get me wrong—if you gave me a $50 gift card to Hot Topic, I’d buy all the studded belts my little heart desired—but to be in the scene, you should know what the hell a “Sunny Day Real Estate” is.
Or, you’re the second type of person reading this: you’ve already listened to all these bands, baby, and congratulations! You may move on to EMO 210. However, this article is targeted to the rookies who can’t tell the difference between William Beckett and Patrick Stump*, whoever they are. So, feel free to kick back, relax, and revisit some old classics. Heck, maybe you’ll even learn some history about the scene.
FIRST WAVE
Back in 1984, guitarist and singer Guy Picciotto went to a local show in Washington D.C. featuring Minor Threat, a hardcore punk band. He thought, “Hey, this is a cool sound, but what if the lyrics were more emotional?” Thus, Rites of Spring, the first emo band ever, was born. Punk instrumentals with deep, revealing lyrics. Audience members would actually cry at their concerts in some big cathartic purge. Swear to god. To come full circle, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat would become a fan of Rites of Spring and form his own emo band, Embrace. MacKaye and Picciotto hated the term “emo”, so if they read this, they’d vehemently deny it. But whether they like it or not, they kickstarted the emo genre.
Note: These bands are punk-adjacent and feature heavy guitars and raw vocals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Embrace is slightly more palatable than Rites of Spring. So, if you’re used to more poppy beats, I’d suggest listening to them first. If you’re not feeling them, don’t be discouraged. It gets a lot softer from here.
Suggestion: Rites of Spring, Rites of Spring
Runner-up: Embrace, Embrace
SECOND WAVE
So, it’s the 90s, and some kids in the Midwest figured out who Ian MacKaye is. Because what else was there to do in Missouri but thrash around in your room to Embrace? If you thought Rites of Spring and Embrace were too heavy for you, then you might like the softer, pop punk (i.e. punk with pop elements). For example, the sound of The Get Up Kids and Bright Eyes. The vocals are less polished than mainstream music but not quite as raw as first wave emo. While the album does have a few sad songs, the tone of Something to Write Home About is generally more upbeat sounding than Fevers and Mirrors, which is pretty melancholy. In Bright Eyes’ third album, vocalist and songwriter Conor Oberst uses symbolism to portray his struggle with anxiety and infidelity. I recommend listening to it in complete darkness while lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. This will really set the mood.
Note: While Fevers and Mirrors was released in 2000, Bright Eyes recorded it in 1999. Also, it’s my favorite album of theirs. So… get off my back.
Suggestion: The Get Up Kids, Something to Write Home About
Runner-up: Bright Eyes, Fevers and Mirrors
THIRD WAVE
In the early to mid-2000s, emo began to break into the mainstream. High school kids and college students gathered from near and far to watch Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional strum his guitar on MTV Unplugged. In The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, he wails into the mic about a lost love with incredible passion I’ve yet to see paralleled by any musician. He pours his emotions out for us. Dare I say, it’s deeply confessional. The album is mostly acoustic, so if you’re into that, then take a listen. Same as with Fevers and Mirrors, I suggest playing it at night-time when you’re in a pensive mood. Recently, a friend and I sat in a mall parking lot at 10 P.M. and listened to it straight through. I may have or may have not cried… If you’re not in the mood to contemplate love and loss, then Saves the Day’s Stay What You Are may be for you. It has the same heavy lyrics but with less doom and gloom. Third wave emo tended to have a similar sound to second wave bands—pop punk instrumentals and less refined vocals—its popularity was just more widespread.
Suggestion: Dashboard Confessional, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
Runner-up: Saves the Day, Stay What You Are
MALL EMO
Mall emo characterized the scene from the mid to late 2000s, and while these bands were technically third wave, it felt wrong to put them in the same category as say, Brand New**. Consider it a subgenre of third wave emo. Emo purists (a.k.a. anyone who believes emo died with American Football***) use “mall emo” as an insult to dismiss commercially successful emo bands just because Hot Topic sold their t-shirts. Listen, it’s not Fall Out Boy’s or My Chemical Romance’s fault that their music slapped so hard that their albums sold like hotcakes. While instrumentals stayed relatively the same, these bands tended to have better quality vocals compared to those of previous waves. With emotional lyrics and a pop punk sound, From Under the Cork Tree is a clear progression of emo from The Get Up Kids and Saves the Day. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is more of a call-back to first wave emo bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace. It’s a bit of harsher, violent sound with heavy instrumentals and vocals, though toned down.
Note: You may have listened to “Dance, Dance” or “Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy, but I strongly recommend listening to other tracks on From Under the Cork Tree, such as “I’ve Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)” or “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows)”. I’m a bit biased because Fall Out Boy is my favorite band. But, I know what I’m talking about. So trust me.
Suggestion: Fall Out Boy, From Under the Cork Tree
Runner-up: My Chemical Romance, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
EMO REVIVAL
After a dry period with relatively no noteworthy emo bands, a fourth wave emerged in the early 2010s and continues to this day. These bands are very reminiscent of groups like The Get Up Kids and Saves the Day, especially Modern Baseball’s sophomore album You’re Gonna Miss It All. Brendan Lukens’ nasally vocals and the pop punk instrumentals are clearly evocative of second wave and third wave emo. However, Title Fight’s Shed sounds more like a combination of first wave and second wave; it’s not as heavy as Rites of Spring, but not as soft as Something to Write Home About. The vocals are definitely better quality than those of Rites of Spring and Embrace, but they share a similar rawness to them. If you vibe more with Stay What You Are, I’d recommend Modern Baseball. If you thought Embrace went absolutely hard, Title Fight is the way to go.
Suggestion: Modern Baseball, You’re Gonna Miss It All
Runner-up: Title Fight, Shed
*Lead vocalist of The Academy Is… and lead vocalist of Fall Out Boy, respectively.
**Third wave emo band from Long Island, New York. While still acclaimed, they definitely weren’t as big as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, or Panic! at the Disco.
***Second wave emo band from Urbana, Illinois. Their self-titled debut album American Football is one of the most praised in the scene. Not every American Football fan is an elitist, but all emo elitists are American Football fans.