What, in all seriousness, is "emo"?

[Nick Lopez]

Discuss.

[FeynmanWannabe]

I'll probably be stayling away from his forum. It will soon be running rampant with very obnoxious youngins (not you Nick).

[Mercy Medical]

What else are you going to call it though? There's a bajillion different subgenres out there.

[boldt_action]

Sunny Day Real Estate.

[boldt_action]

What else are you going to call it though? There's a bajillion different subgenres out there.
where would pop-punk go in these forums.....pop or punk?!?

[Mercy Medical]

where would pop-punk go in these forums.....pop or punk?!?
Who fuckin' knows.

[Nick Lopez]

where would pop-punk go in these forums.....pop or punk?!?
pop.

[Mercy Medical]

pop.
Yea, I was going to go with pop too.

[Nick Lopez]

Yea, I was going to go with pop too.
Well, because, otherwise that forum's going to be shot. Nobody is going to discuss Kelly Clarkson (Am I allowed to talka bout her here?) and Ashlee Simpson on this website, save completely knocking them. It's more likely people talk about Hit The Lights and Cartel.

[Mercy Medical]

Well, because, otherwise that forum's going to be shot. Nobody is going to discuss Kelly Clarkson (Am I allowed to talka bout her here?) and Ashlee Simpson on this website, save completely knocking them. It's more likely people talk about Hit The Lights and Cartel.
No ones going to talk about punk either, because it all seriousnes...it's not that good. Haha

[dashboard1190]

I look at 'emo' as music with lyrics dealing with emotions (ie. love, heartbreak, spite, etc.)

[boldt_action]

Yea, I was going to go with pop too.
me too, just clarifying.

[boldt_action]

I look at 'emo' as music with lyrics dealing with emotions (ie. love, heartbreak, spite, etc.)
so, almost every band.....

[dashboard1190]

so, almost every band.....

Pretty much any band could be considered "emo".

But, how else would you explain it?

[boldt_action]

Pretty much any band could be considered "emo".

But, how else would you explain it?
dont look at me.

[when eye awoke]

For me, Hawthorne Heights is the quintessential "emo band".

...Yeah I'm bringing a little vocab to the boards.

-- Jon

[eight]

For me, Hawthorne Heights is the quintessential "paradox of how a band so painfully mediocre could become so popular".

my quintessential "emo band", though, would probably be cap'n jazz.

you can't really describe emo. you just have to listen to it.

[kyolvr]

emo is cutiing your wrist blacking your eyes and being depressed like me

[ALtheKILLER]

emo as a pure genre of music doesnt really exist...at least not anymore.
i consider emo just to be a style of lyric, where whiney anguish and self-mutilation often pop up

[Web250]

For me, Hawthorne Heights is the quintessential "paradox of how a band so painfully mediocre could become so popular".

my quintessential "emo band", though, would probably be cap'n jazz.

you can't really describe emo. you just have to listen to it.

Cap'nJazz is really post-emo indie rock (ie: SDRE, Mineral, Christie's Front Drive, etc.)

My quintessential emo band would be the ones that started it all: Rites Of Spring (and Embrace too I guess.)

And if you want proto-emo, Husker Du.

[wrppdarndyrfngr]

emo doesn't exist anymore , its just turned into the new "grunge" buzzword.

[Web250]

emo doesn't exist anymore , its just turned into the new "grunge" buzzword.
Emo influenced grunge, but emo never really completely died, it just isn't what it used to be. There are many bands using the emo feel in their music, yet diversifying it.

An example would be Circle Takes The Square who has been revitalizing screamo (which is a genre heavily influenced by emo).

[cahrishurr]

Pretty much any band could be considered "emo".

But, how else would you explain it?

stop talking now before you get humiliated any further

[Emopunkthrice]

Circle Takes the Square!!!

[itsjustadrian]

www.fourfa.com

[FASSWcore]

For me, Hawthorne Heights is the quintessential "emo band".

...Yeah I'm bringing a little vocab to the boards.

-- Jon
that's not much of a vocab word, you should try again

[Web250]

that's not much of a vocab word, you should try again
Word. Quintessential is the quintessential overused word to try to show people that you have a good vocabulary.

[oldwirehands]

Pretty much any band could be considered "emo".

But, how else would you explain it?

You just stop calling things emo. It sounds gay anyways.

[itsjustadrian]

It wouldn't be if stupid people stopped generalizing and stereotyping so much.

[formaldehyde]

emo is cutiing your wrist blacking your eyes and being depressed like me

Oh my. I have a feeling people on this board will tear you apart. Cutting your wrist/blacking your eyes/being depressed has NOTHING to do with a music genre. :(

[shadowsstatues]

Original emo: Sunny day, at the drive in, promise ring, archers of loaf, braid, etc.

Emo sterotypes that ARENT emo: Dashboard (acoustic), any "scene" bands (POP), bands that sing about slitting wrists, fall out boy, etc.

Bands that re-defined/skewed/changed emo (the reformation of 'emo' began around 98/99/00/01): Jimmy eat world (supposed to be pop punk, but became the new "emo" champions), Dashboard (caused stereotypes in the genre.. ie. whiney, love, heartbreak, tragedy), Saves the day (again, caused 'emo' to shift to a definition of "whiney" stuff), and finally, later on, taking back sunday (they aren't emo, but again people started attributing emo to stuff that sound like them).

The above mentioned bands were pretty much a catalyst in making this genre not only mainstream but they litereally changed the type of music emo is. Truly? Emo is dead. Dashboard, and saves the day are pretty much like the only emo bands that are still around, although some would argue with the death of ATDI and SDRE emo was done. So...........The "genre" is pretty much just a MONICKER now and not a genre anymore. It was never about slitting wrists, but people's stupidity prevailed.

You may think I'm wrong or this is opinion, but I'm almost positive this is completely factual and the way I saw it happen.

[Web250]

Original emo: Sunny day, at the drive in, promise ring, archers of loaf, braid, etc.

Emo sterotypes that ARENT emo: Dashboard (acoustic), any "scene" bands (POP), bands that sing about slitting wrists, fall out boy, etc.

The above mentioned bands were pretty much a catalyst in making this genre not only mainstream but they litereally changed the type of music emo is. Truly? Emo is dead. Dashboard, and saves the day are pretty much like the only emo bands that are still around, although some would argue with the death of ATDI and SDRE emo was done. So...........The "genre" is pretty much just a MONICKER now and not a genre anymore. It was never about slitting wrists, but people's stupidity prevailed.

You may think I'm wrong or this is opinion, but I'm almost positive this is completely factual and the way I saw it happen.

Oh boy, where do I begin?

SDRE are an indie/emo band
ATDI is a post-hardcore band
Promise Ring/Braid are indie/emo
Any indie/emo band is NOT original emo.
Dashboard and STD are not emo.

Some "original emo" bands: Rites of Spring, Embrace, Moss Icon, Indian Summer, and others.

[shadowsstatues]

Oh boy, where do I begin?

SDRE are an indie/emo band
ATDI is a post-hardcore band
Promise Ring/Braid are indie/emo
Any indie/emo band is NOT original emo.
Dashboard and STD are not emo.

Some "original emo" bands: Rites of Spring, Embrace, Moss Icon, Indian Summer, and others.
agreed on the rites of spring. although in my mind post-hardcore really isn't a genre it's just another splinter thingy of emo/screamo.

braid, promise ring, and SDRE are -the- emo bands. i wasn't wrong. dashboard is NOT emo but became apart of emo due to the change of the definition/stereotypes. i don't think you read my post, either that or you disagree, and that's fine.

[ArTkY_]

Emo has a different definition now but people don't seem to be grasping that concept...

[preppyak]

Original emo: Sunny day, at the drive in, promise ring, archers of loaf, braid, etc.

Emo sterotypes that ARENT emo: Dashboard (acoustic)

Dashboard, and saves the day are pretty much like the only emo bands that are still around, although some would argue with the death of ATDI and SDRE emo was done. So...........

You may think I'm wrong or this is opinion, but I'm almost positive this is completely factual and the way I saw it happen.

Didn't you just contradict yourself in your own post, first saying Dashboard isn't emo, yet then calling it one of the few emo bands left....how can that even be remotely factual.

[shadowsstatues]

Didn't you just contradict yourself in your own post, first saying Dashboard isn't emo, yet then calling it one of the few emo bands left....how can that even be remotely factual.
What I said was that although dashboard was NOT emo, he got LABELED emo and it STUCK. And that was a long time ago before the "craze" of new emo started, and so... really I'm saying its one of the few bands left from that period.

I wasn't trying to contradict myself.

[whiteboypain]

Maybe i should moderate this area, damn. I can't wait for all the little 14 year old girls to come in here saying MY Chemical Romace is "emo" and Slitting your wrist and being Depressed and Woe is me' is emo. Some of the bands mentioned above are "Real" Emo. Bands like Braid, Indian Summer, Sunny Day Real Estate and others are Emo. The Stuff that is considered Emo today is questionable.
The Word Emo to me means many things.. Such as : Emotional, being depressed all the time, Not being understood by anyone, feeling alone, yada yada yada. I never thought of ATDI as emo, but whatever. Technically all those other bands like dashboard. They are what Emo is today. They're not the original Emo, just cookie cutter clones. But still, who's to say that they aren't emo? I consider The Lyndsay Diaries Real emo. You can't get much more emo than that. Scott has real talent. Check out The Lyndsay Diaries - The tops of trees are on fire

[Fullcollapse3k]

Whenever I hear the term, I first think of Rites of Spring.

[Web250]

Whenever I hear the term, I first think of Rites of Spring.
Thank you Rick.

[Stereo Therapy]

this was posted on ultimate-guitar ages ago... fairly good description though.

"WHAT THE FUKING FUK IS EMO!?!?!

Is the world flat? Are those real? What is emo?

probably the three greatest questions in rememberance. And while the first two have arguably been answered one question still remains, what IS emo?

Emo: (e-mo)adj.
A mocked, maligned, and mostly misunderstood genre of emotionally charged/inspired punk(or hardcore).

now if you dont want to listen to me and would rather go somewhere with lots of nice things for you to click go to www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)

As far as the history of emo goes, fourfa.com has a very detailed insight to that i suggest you read, im simply going to paraphrase for you....

HISTORY OF EMO

In 1983 the DC scene was the center of hardcore-punk. But when Minor Threat broke up bands started to wonder if they should be moving on. Bands split in all sort of direction from cheese metal to tough guy mosh. But in the midst of that a direction seemed to have been found. Instead of taking punk-hardcore faster and harder, some decided to take it to a more melodic point.

It is arguable(and my opinion)
that that is when the first band that could be labeled
"emo" arrived in 1984...The Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring introduced an unheard of vocal style with gasping out of breath to screaming, but the trick is, they all accented the lyrics. which were dripping with emotion and sweat.

Next summer, the summer of 1985 became known as
THE REVOLUTION SUMMER
Hardcore bands all over started to take on a more melodic sound. They were all given the tag "emo-core"

About a year later bands started to play around with "emo" itself. They had emo-core, but how far could they take the "emo" part?
The Hated were the first post-rites of spring to accualy produce a sound adequate to the characteristics of simply, "emo".

thats where fourfa.com leaves us. And in my opinion its pretty safe to say emo continued steadily on that path with bands like Jawbreaker and the Promise Ring until about 1994. Newcomers to the circuit Sunny Day Real Estate put out the "end-all-be-all" album Diary. They spawned an entire army of clones with thier alterntive/indie/emo sound. (most notably the get up kids) Few bands were able to get out of SDRE's shadow. Texas is the Reason were one who did. Mineral and Elliot are also noted in escaping their "sunny day real estate clone" label.

Now not to target them or anything, but if you turn on your radio or tv your quite aware emo has been infiltrated by the mainstream(i dont believe it to be the other way around). So you have to wonder when exactly this happened. And i believed it was unintentional, but they were also the first to divide and shock many fans by using a TOUR BUShttp://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.gif ...The Get Up Kids. The Get Up Kids have built up an amazing popularity. Even making it onto the billboard charts. But this jump from basements to mtv wasnt in a day. Theyve been flirting with mass commercialization for most of the past 5 years.

The lines of underground emo/commercial emo/pop punk/melodic punk are always becoming more blurred. and "are they emo" is a question a band that falls into any of those categories will get these days. Speaking of these days, whats emo been up to lately?

Go back to 2001. The none less than groundbreak Full Collapse was released to the world curtisy of Thursday. Almost any hardcore/emocore band today copies thier style, and they are one of the few modern legends of emo.

But...another album was released 2001. Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon. Considered pop punk at the time becuse of their sound, Jessy Lacey's lyrics broke free of anything considered a norm. This cd was considered very good, but not many people saw it as amazing.

Fast forward to about 9 months ago. Deja Entendu made Brand New Rolling Stone's Band of the Year for 2003. The amazing lyrical and musical curveballs on this disc are unmissable. The mixture of electric and acoustic, the layered vocals, and almost absence of powerchords created a cd that supposedly (i do not have this confirmed) did not recieve a negative review.

I think thats enuf of the history of emo

so instead of arguing how much crying makes a band emo, or what characterists they have, i thought that knowing emos history wud make it easier for u to make the distincing of labels for any bands you have to question.

Yes, emo is whiny. Yes, it is very often about breakups but NO that is not always the case. Go back to the defenition at the beggining. It does not say Emo:A band that sings about lost love. That would encompass almost 60% of every band in history, doubt that all you want but seriously think about it.

To conclude this essay, that probably, wont solve anything, is make emo what you want. Hate it, Love it, Whatever. It dosent matter, but please, ****ing understand it first. I can see why people wud love emo, i can see why people wud hate it and BOTH ARE COMPLETELY VALID!

I know thats prolly an hour longer than what you wanted to read but i hope it helped clear a thing or to up for you."

[itsjustadrian]

this was posted on ultimate-guitar ages ago... fairly good description though.

"WHAT THE FUKING FUK IS EMO!?!?!

Is the world flat? Are those real? What is emo?

probably the three greatest questions in rememberance. And while the first two have arguably been answered one question still remains, what IS emo?

Emo: (e-mo)adj.
A mocked, maligned, and mostly misunderstood genre of emotionally charged/inspired punk(or hardcore).

now if you dont want to listen to me and would rather go somewhere with lots of nice things for you to click go to www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)

As far as the history of emo goes, fourfa.com has a very detailed insight to that i suggest you read, im simply going to paraphrase for you....

HISTORY OF EMO

In 1983 the DC scene was the center of hardcore-punk. But when Minor Threat broke up bands started to wonder if they should be moving on. Bands split in all sort of direction from cheese metal to tough guy mosh. But in the midst of that a direction seemed to have been found. Instead of taking punk-hardcore faster and harder, some decided to take it to a more melodic point.

It is arguable(and my opinion)
that that is when the first band that could be labeled
"emo" arrived in 1984...The Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring introduced an unheard of vocal style with gasping out of breath to screaming, but the trick is, they all accented the lyrics. which were dripping with emotion and sweat.

Next summer, the summer of 1985 became known as
THE REVOLUTION SUMMER
Hardcore bands all over started to take on a more melodic sound. They were all given the tag "emo-core"

About a year later bands started to play around with "emo" itself. They had emo-core, but how far could they take the "emo" part?
The Hated were the first post-rites of spring to accualy produce a sound adequate to the characteristics of simply, "emo".

thats where fourfa.com leaves us. And in my opinion its pretty safe to say emo continued steadily on that path with bands like Jawbreaker and the Promise Ring until about 1994. Newcomers to the circuit Sunny Day Real Estate put out the "end-all-be-all" album Diary. They spawned an entire army of clones with thier alterntive/indie/emo sound. (most notably the get up kids) Few bands were able to get out of SDRE's shadow. Texas is the Reason were one who did. Mineral and Elliot are also noted in escaping their "sunny day real estate clone" label.

Now not to target them or anything, but if you turn on your radio or tv your quite aware emo has been infiltrated by the mainstream(i dont believe it to be the other way around). So you have to wonder when exactly this happened. And i believed it was unintentional, but they were also the first to divide and shock many fans by using a TOUR BUShttp://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.gif ...The Get Up Kids. The Get Up Kids have built up an amazing popularity. Even making it onto the billboard charts. But this jump from basements to mtv wasnt in a day. Theyve been flirting with mass commercialization for most of the past 5 years.

The lines of underground emo/commercial emo/pop punk/melodic punk are always becoming more blurred. and "are they emo" is a question a band that falls into any of those categories will get these days. Speaking of these days, whats emo been up to lately?

Go back to 2001. The none less than groundbreak Full Collapse was released to the world curtisy of Thursday. Almost any hardcore/emocore band today copies thier style, and they are one of the few modern legends of emo.

But...another album was released 2001. Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon. Considered pop punk at the time becuse of their sound, Jessy Lacey's lyrics broke free of anything considered a norm. This cd was considered very good, but not many people saw it as amazing.

Fast forward to about 9 months ago. Deja Entendu made Brand New Rolling Stone's Band of the Year for 2003. The amazing lyrical and musical curveballs on this disc are unmissable. The mixture of electric and acoustic, the layered vocals, and almost absence of powerchords created a cd that supposedly (i do not have this confirmed) did not recieve a negative review.

I think thats enuf of the history of emo

so instead of arguing how much crying makes a band emo, or what characterists they have, i thought that knowing emos history wud make it easier for u to make the distincing of labels for any bands you have to question.

Yes, emo is whiny. Yes, it is very often about breakups but NO that is not always the case. Go back to the defenition at the beggining. It does not say Emo:A band that sings about lost love. That would encompass almost 60% of every band in history, doubt that all you want but seriously think about it.

To conclude this essay, that probably, wont solve anything, is make emo what you want. Hate it, Love it, Whatever. It dosent matter, but please, ****ing understand it first. I can see why people wud love emo, i can see why people wud hate it and BOTH ARE COMPLETELY VALID!

I know thats prolly an hour longer than what you wanted to read but i hope it helped clear a thing or to up for you."
About half of this post is incorrect. I'll refer to what the mainsteam calls emo "MTVmo" in my post.

Although Thursday is a fantastic band, they did not front the inception of MTVmo. There is no such thing, and Thursday is not an emo band. Rather, indie/emo bands such as Braid, SDRE, and Texas is the Reason were noted as influence for many bands and in doing so, some bands were labeled emo but were however simply just rock/alternative. Brand New's Deja Entendu was simply a pop punk album, there's nothing to be questioned about it. They didn't influence emo in any way nor did they produce an emo record.
Emo is not whiny. Emo itself is defined as "emotional hardcore", therefore you might as well call Comeback Kid or Lifetime whiny considering they are labeled hardcore. The emo genre as a whole usually maintains lyrical content pertaining to abstract poetry, politics, or just spontanaeity at times.

My 2 cents.

[shadowsstatues]

About half of this post is incorrect. I'll refer to what the mainsteam calls emo "MTVmo" in my post.

Although Thursday is a fantastic band, they did not front the inception of MTVmo. There is no such thing, and Thursday is not an emo band. Rather, indie/emo bands such as Braid, SDRE, and Texas is the Reason were noted as influence for many bands and in doing so, some bands were labeled emo but were however simply just rock/alternative. Brand New's Deja Entendu was simply a pop punk album, there's nothing to be questioned about it. They didn't influence emo in any way nor did they produce an emo record.
Emo is not whiny. Emo itself is defined as "emotional hardcore", therefore you might as well call Comeback Kid or Lifetime whiny considering they are labeled hardcore. The emo genre as a whole usually maintains lyrical content pertaining to abstract poetry, politics, or just spontanaeity at times.

My 2 cents. Bingo.

But I do honestly think Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard, Saves the Day, of course Get Up Kids which I missed in my prior post kind of fronted the mainstream 'MTVmo' that we see today.

[itsjustadrian]

Yeah, I forgot to add which bands fronted MTVmo and you are entirely correct.

Thank you.

[Stereo Therapy]

About half of this post is incorrect. I'll refer to what the mainsteam calls emo "MTVmo" in my post.

Although Thursday is a fantastic band, they did not front the inception of MTVmo. There is no such thing, and Thursday is not an emo band. Rather, indie/emo bands such as Braid, SDRE, and Texas is the Reason were noted as influence for many bands and in doing so, some bands were labeled emo but were however simply just rock/alternative. Brand New's Deja Entendu was simply a pop punk album, there's nothing to be questioned about it. They didn't influence emo in any way nor did they produce an emo record.
Emo is not whiny. Emo itself is defined as "emotional hardcore", therefore you might as well call Comeback Kid or Lifetime whiny considering they are labeled hardcore. The emo genre as a whole usually maintains lyrical content pertaining to abstract poetry, politics, or just spontanaeity at times.

My 2 cents.

yea, i didn't write it... and i agree with you about that, i like the article more b/c it gives some kind of history of emo.

[lightcollapse]

i call indie/emo emo because its like the second wave of emo, except saying second wave emo is lame beacuse you can just say emo.

um, i fucking hate the word emo because everybody i know feels the need to use it every second of their life. mostly describing shitty post hardcore bands (hawthorne heights, senses fail) or pop punk (fall out boy) rather than bands that i feel deserve the label of emo (embrace, SDRE, etc.)

[alcoholandirony]

www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)
www.fourfa.com (http://www.fourfa.com/)

[itsjustadrian]

Too bad there isn't a modern emo resource like fourfa is for legacy bands.

[A picasso blue]

I look at 'emo' as music with lyrics dealing with emotions (ie. love, heartbreak, spite, etc.)
thats a terrible description. thats how most people label it and i hate it..

[A picasso blue]

i jsut hate how everything is emo. i wrote a story that wasnt "bright sunshine" (defintiely not having cheesy overly emotional cliches either) but someone said it was emo because it was existentialist.. and any poem is emo even Emily Dickinson and Vergil (according to people in my classes)

[Stereo Therapy]

i jsut hate how everything is emo. i wrote a story that wasnt "bright sunshine" (defintiely not having cheesy overly emotional cliches either) but someone said it was emo because it was existentialist.. and any poem is emo even Emily Dickinson and Vergil (according to people in my classes)

basically. people have no fucking idea what theyre talking about. the label gets thrown around more than possibly any other word at my school. unfortunately, i've been tagged by many as "emo," which obviously makes no sense. seriously, if people haven't heard of a band i listen to, they assume it's emo, which obviously makes no fucking sense. i'd say that 10% or less of my ipod contains emo music.

[Beloved Broken]

and any poem is emo even Emily Dickinson and Vergil (according to people in my classes)
Dear God...!

[A picasso blue]

Dear God...!
true story.

[TheByrus]

emo to me is a band with a "chaos" sound or emotionally charged hardcore punk.

characterized by higher vocals and a strong DIY attitude.

sometimes confused as "noise-hardcore" or grind.

even though rites of spring is credited with "creating" the emo genre, it was "created" as a joke. Also, rites of spring is the worst emo band i personally have ever heard.

fugazi is pretty much emo by association.

some of my favorite emo bands are:
orchid
antioch arrow
swing kids
mohinder
angel hair
clikatat ikatowi
moss icon
AND heroin



ps.
when classifying rock music, remember that rock is classified by the music being played, not the vocals.

[mogwaifearsatan]

Ugh.

[Alan Rupp]

It's moments like these when I wish I were still on staff so I could lock this thread and let it die a slow, painful death.

Fourfa is wrong.
Ultimate-guitar is wrong.
MTV is wrong.
You are wrong.

That's enough.

[kyolvr]

emo is emosinal ppl or it could be music i dont know jeez:luna: :mega:

[Broken Parachute]

http://media.urbandictionary.com/image/large/emo-42710.jpg

[heyRomanticA__x]

It's moments like these when I wish I were still on staff so I could lock this thread and let it die a slow, painful death.

Fourfa is wrong.
Ultimate-guitar is wrong.
MTV is wrong.
You are wrong.

That's enough.

I've heard about fourfa being wrong. Can anyone elaborate on this...?

[mht]

would anyone consider swing kids emo?


im a fan of swing kids, and i was just wandering if anyone thought they would be consider emo.

[x togepi x]

would anyone consider swing kids emo?


im a fan of swing kids, and i was just wandering if anyone thought they would be consider emo.

Fourfa does.

If mohinder counts as emo, then swing kids definitely does.

I wish they had released more than just that one discography cd. of course, had they, we might not have the locust, so i guess it's alright.

[mht]

Fourfa does.

If mohinder counts as emo, then swing kids definitely does.

I wish they had released more than just that one discography cd. of course, had they, we might not have the locust, so i guess it's alright.



you mean we might have not had CATTLE DECAP. , but im not one of those kids whose gay for justin pearson, but i think he was in cattle d before the locust, post swing kids. than it went something like the locust > holy molar > some girls > head wound city. but im not a jp historian, some kids are really hardcore for threeoneg, im sure someone whose gay for that scene will correct me if im wrong. justin pearson is like the underground scene version of pete wentz.

[Blake Solomon]

emo is emosinal ppl or it could be music i dont know jeez:luna: :mega:


I dont do this often, because I like to give people chances. Though, with that being said, please stop. I know this is a hard concept to believe, but around here, people usually justify their complaints or concerns. It does no good for you to solely complain about this thread and then post strange icons. If you want this to stop, give us a foolproof definition. Thanks.

[Rock]

emo is cutiing your wrist blacking your eyes and being depressed like me
hahaha, oh my god. i love what has become of the term "emo." it really cracks me up.

[Rock]

I dont do this often, because I like to give people chances. Though, with that being said, please stop. I know this is a hard concept to believe, but around here, people usually justify their complaints or concerns. It does no good for you to solely complain about this thread and then post strange icons. If you want this to stop, give us a foolproof definition. Thanks.
i really enjoy her posts :D

[x togepi x]

i've never heard cattle decap... what would you reccomend?

[mht]

i've never heard cattle decap... what would you reccomend?


im not really a fan of cattle d any more, so just check out their myspace and make your own judgement, but it's nothing like the locust, just straight up death metal.

http://www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation

[Hops_n_Barley]

an emo band simply variates from punk in a few ways, instead of hard power chords emo bands use alaborate aprregios (sp), instead of talking about getting drunk and breaking things it talks about love, and heartbreak and shit like that, its not really complicated at all...

[Blake Solomon]

an emo band simply variates from punk in a few ways, instead of hard power chords emo bands use alaborate aprregios (sp), instead of talking about getting drunk and breaking things it talks about love, and heartbreak and shit like that, its not really complicated at all...


FINALLY. I knew someone would finally come along and save the day. I also had a feeling they would be eloquent, but you sir/ms. could be a laureate. We can all go home, an answer to our prayers... from 3 weeks ago.

[mikearduini9]

this thread is making me sick... no one is right, no one can be right. nobody has enough authority or knowledge to accurately define "emo". the very most you can do is try, which is what everyone is doing. besides, the word "emo" just sounds stupid (at least to me), so i refrain from saying it at all costs. i personally think that is the best way to go about it.

[love2hateme]

how many times do you need to go over it gosh

[reeef]

The first wave of emo were bands like Rites of Spring, nowdays its changed. Emo right now as we know it is mostly combined with post-hardcore (Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein) where they scream about sliting there wrists and stupid melodramatic stuff that I find very pathetic. Emo bands like Rites of Spring (first wave of emo) are extremely hard to find because it has evolved like every other music genre, the first wave of punk (sex pistols, the ramones, the clash) doesnt exists nowdays, but you can find Rise Against, Anti-Flag, etc.. Screamo is all you can find now.

[wyverna]

who, in all seriousness, cares?

[RiotChick]

who, in all seriousness, cares?

Me! I like to understand shit from other peoples P.O.V. But seriously. Emo music is expressive, emotional, personal. It acts as a window to the soul. Emo music helps people express themselves.

Now, we all should find our inner harmony and become one... or get high.... AHHHHHHHHHHHH! THE HIPPIE'S IN MY HEAD!!!!!!! MAKE HIM STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MAKE HIM STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPP PPPPPPPPP!

[Blake Solomon]

go huff on some gasoline. it will be beneficial for all of us.

[PDon11]

The wikipedia definition


Emo is a subgenre of hardcore punk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_punk) music. Since its inception, emo has come to describe several independent variations, linked loosely but with common ancestry. As such, use of the term (and which musicians should be so classified) has been the subject of much debate.
In its original incarnation, the term emo was used to describe the music of the mid-1980s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s) Washington, DC scene (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Washington%2C_DC) and its associated bands. In later years, the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe the DC scene and some of the regional scenes that spawned from it. The term emo was derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and strongly emotional during performances. The most recognizable names of the period included Rites of Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Spring), Embrace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace_%28U.S._band%29), One Last Wish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Last_Wish), Beefeater (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beefeater_%28band%29), Gray Matter (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gray_Matter_%28band %29&action=edit), Fire Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Party), and, slightly later, Moss Icon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss_Icon). The first wave of emo began to fade after the breakups of most of the involved bands in the early 1990s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s).
Starting in the mid-1990s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s), the term emo began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influences of Fugazi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugazi_%28band%29), which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Day_Real_Estate) and Texas Is the Reason (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Is_the_Reason) put forth a more indie rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_rock) style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic in nature than its predecessor. The so-called "indie emo" scene survived until the late 1990s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s), as many of the bands either disbanded or shifted to mainstream styles.
As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the moniker emo within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, the term emo was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today's emo is even more vast, leaving the term "emo" as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music.


History

[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=2)]

The first wave (1985–1994)

In 1985 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985) in Washington, D.C. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%2C_D.C.), Ian MacKaye (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_MacKaye) and Guy Picciotto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Picciotto), veterans of the DC hardcore music scene, decided to shift away from what they saw as the constraints of the basic style of hardcore and the escalating violence within the scene. They took their music in a more personal direction with a far greater sense of experimentation, bringing forth MacKaye's Embrace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace_%28U.S._band%29) and Picciotto's Rites of Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Spring). The style of music developed by Embrace and Rites of Spring soon became its own sound. (Hüsker Dü (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCsker_D%C3%BC)'s 1984 album Zen Arcade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Arcade) is often cited as a major influence for the new sound.) As a result of the renewed spirit of experimentation and musical innovation that developed the new scene, the summer of 1985 soon came to be known in the scene as "Revolution Summer".
Within a short time, the D.C. emo sound began to influence other bands such as Moss Icon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss_Icon), Nation of Ulysses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Ulysses), Dag Nasty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Nasty), Shudder To Think (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shudder_To_Think), Fire Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Party), Marginal Man (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marginal_Man&action=edit), and Gray Matter (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gray_Matter_%28band %29&action=edit), many of which were released on MacKaye's Dischord Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Records). The original wave of DC emo finally ended in late 1994 with the collapse of Hoover (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_%28band%29).
Where the term emo actually originated is uncertain, but members of Rites of Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Spring) mentioned in a 1985 interview in Flipside Magazine (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flipside_Magazine&action=edit) that some of their fans had started using the term to describe their music. By the early 90s, it was not uncommon for the early DC scene to be referred to as emo-core, though it's unclear when the term shifted.
As the D.C. scene expanded, other scenes began to develop with a similar sound and DIY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY) ethic. In San Diego (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego) in the early 1990s, Gravity Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gravity_Records&action=edit) released a number of records in the hardcore emo style. Bands of the period included Heroin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin_%28band%29), Indian Summer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Summer_%28band%29), Angel Hair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Hair_%28band%29), Antioch Arrow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch_Arrow), Universal Order of Armageddon (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Universal_Order_of_ Armageddon&action=edit), Swing Kids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Kids_%28band%29), and Mohinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohinder). Also in California, Ebullition Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebullition_Records) released records by bands of the same vein, such as Still Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Life) and Portraits of Past (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraits_of_Past), as well as more traditional hardcore punk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_punk) bands, all having various social and political themes in common.
At the same time, in the New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York)/New Jersey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey) area, bands such as Native Nod (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Native_Nod&action=edit), Merel (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merel&action=edit), 1.6 Band (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1.6_Band&action=edit), Policy of 3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Policy_of_3&action=edit), Rye Coalition (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rye_Coalition&action=edit) and Rorschach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_%28band%29) were feeling the same impulse. Many of these bands were involved with the ABC No Rio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_No_Rio) club scene in New York, itself a response to the violence and stagnation in the scene and with the bands that played at CBGBs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBGB), the only other small venue for hardcore in New York at the time. Much of this wave of emo, particularly the San Diego scene, began to shift towards a more chaotic and aggressive form of emo, nicknamed screamo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamo).
By and large, the more hardcore style of emo began to fade as many of the early era groups disbanded. However, aspects of the sound remained in bands such as Four Hundred Years (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Four_Hundred_Years&action=edit) and Yaphet Kotto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaphet_Kotto_%28band%29). Also, a handful of modern bands continue to reflect emo's hardcore origins, including Circle Takes the Square (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_Takes_the_Square), Hot Cross (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Cross), City of Caterpillar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Caterpillar), Funeral Diner (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Funeral_Diner&action=edit), and A Day in Black and White (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Day_in_Black_and_ White&action=edit).
Back in D.C., following the disbanding of both Rites of Spring and Embrace, MacKaye and Picciotto decided to join forces in a new band, called Fugazi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugazi_%28band%29). While Fugazi itself was not categorized as emo, the music it created would soon influence the second major wave of emo.
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=3)]

Early emo's influence

In California, particularly in the Bay Area, bands like Jawbreaker and Samiam began to mix the DC influence with pop punk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_punk) to come up with their own take on the classic DC emo sound. On Jawbreaker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbreaker_%28band%29)'s album Bivouac (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivouac), singer Blake Schwarzenbach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Schwarzenbach) evolved from the traditional hardcore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_Punk) vocal sound into a more melodic crooning, which displayed a more emotional feeling of loss than the desperation and frantic nature of MacKaye's voice. Other bands soon reflected the same sense of rough melody, including Still Life and Long Island's Garden Variety (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Variety). The style continued to evolve into the 2000s through bands like Avail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avail) and Hot Water Music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Water_Music).
Also in the early 90s, bands like Lifetime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifetime_%28band%29) reacted in their own way to the demise of youth crew (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_crew) styled straight-edge hardcore and desired to seek out a new direction. While their music was often classified as emo, it was also considered to be melodic hardcore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodic_hardcore). In response to the more metal direction their hardcore peers were taking, Lifetime initially decided to slow down and soften their music, adding more personal lyrics. The band later added a blend of speed, aggression, and melody that defined their sound. Lifetime's sound, lyrics, and style were a virtual blueprint for later bands, including Saves The Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saves_The_Day) and The Movielife (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Movielife).
Similarly, bands such as Converge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converge_%28band%29), heavily influential on modern metalcore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalcore), drew inspiration from East Coast emo bands and added a sense of catharsis and atypically introspective lyrics.
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=4)]

The second wave (1994–2000)

As Fugazi and the Dischord Records scene became more and more popular in the indie underground of the early 1990s, new bands began to spring up. Combining Fugazi with the post-punk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk) influences of Mission of Burma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_of_Burma) and Hüsker Dü (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCsker_D%C3%BC), a new genre of emo emerged.
Perhaps the key moment was the release of the album Diary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_%28album%29) by Sunny Day Real Estate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Day_Real_Estate) in 1994. Given Sub Pop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_Pop)'s then-recent success with Nirvana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_%28band%29) and Soundgarden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgarden), the label was able to bring much wider attention to the release than the typical indie release, including major advertisements in Rolling Stone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone). The heavier label support allowed the band to secure performances on TV shows, including The Jon Stewart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Stewart) Show. As a result, the album received widespread national attention.
As more and more people learned about the band, particularly via the fledgling World Wide Web (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web), the band was given the tag emo. Even where Fugazi had not been considered emo, the new generation of fans shifted the tag from the earlier hardcore style to this more indie rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_rock) style of emo. It wasn't uncommon for Sunny Day and its peers to be labelled with the full "emo-core". However, when pressed to explain "emo", many fans split the genre into two brands: the "hardcore emo" practiced in the early days and the newer "indie emo".
In the years that followed, several major regions of "indie emo" emerged. The most significant appeared in the Midwest in the mid-90s. Many of the bands were influenced by the same sources, but with an even more tempered sound. This brand of emo was often referred to as "Midwestern emo" given the geographic location of the bands, with several of the best-known bands hailing from the areas around Chicago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago%2C_Illinois), Kansas City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City%2C_Missouri), and Milwaukee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee%2C_Wisconsin). The initial bands in this category included Boy's Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy%27s_Life_%28band%29) and Cap'n Jazz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap%27n_Jazz). In ensuing years, bands such as The Promise Ring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Promise_Ring), Braid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braid_%28band%29), Elliott (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_%28band%29), and The Get Up Kids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Get_Up_Kids) emerged from the same scene and gained national attention.
The area around Phoenix, Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix%2C_Arizona) became another major scene for emo. Inspired by Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate, former punk rockers Jimmy Eat World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Eat_World) began stirring in emo influences into their music, eventually releasing the album Static Prevails (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_Prevails) in 1996. The album was arguably the first emo record released by a major label, as the band had signed with Capitol Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Records) in 1995.
Other bands that followed the "indie emo" model included Colorado's Christie Front Drive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_Front_Drive), New York's Texas Is the Reason (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Is_the_Reason) and Rainer Maria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria), California's Knapsack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_%28band%29) and Sense Field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_Field), Austin's Mineral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_%28band%29), and Boston's Piebald (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piebald_%28band%29) and Jejune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jejune_%28band%29).
Strangely, as "indie emo" became more widespread, a number of acts who otherwise would not have been considered part of the "indie emo" scene had their albums referred to as emo because of their similarity to the sound. The hallmark example was Weezer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weezer)'s 1996 album Pinkerton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_%28album%29), which, in later years, was considered one of the defining "emo" records of the 90s.
As the wide range of emo bands began to attract notoriety on a national scale, a number of indie labels attempted to document the scene. Many emo bands of the late 90s signed to indie labels including Jade Tree Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Tree_Records), Saddle Creek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_Creek), and Big Wheel Recreation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Wheel_Recreation). California's Crank Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crank_Records&action=edit) released what many considered the defining compilation of 90s emo in 1997, titled (Don't Forget to) Breathe, which featured tracks by The Promise Ring, Christie Front Drive, Mineral, Knapsack, and Arizona's Seven Storey Mountain (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seven_Storey_Mounta in_%28band%29&action=edit). In 1998, Deep Elm Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Elm_Records) released the first installment in a series of compilations called Emo Diaries, featuring tracks from Jimmy Eat World, Samiam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samiam), and Jejune. In 1999, famed 70s compilation label K-tel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-tel) even released an emo compilation titled Nowcore: The Punk Rock Evolution, which, regardless of its source, was surprisingly comprehensive. (Nowcore included tracks by Texas Is the Reason, Mineral, The Promise Ring, Knapsack, Braid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braid_%28band%29), At the Drive-In (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Drive-In), and Jawbox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbox), among others.)
With the late-90s emo scene being more national than regional, major labels began to turn their attention toward signing emo bands with the hopes of capitalizing on the genre's popularity. Many bands resisted the lure, citing their loyalty to the independent mentality of the scene. Several bands cited what they saw as mistreatment of bands such as Jawbox and Jawbreaker while they were signed to majors as a reason to stay away. The conflict felt within many of the courted emo bands resulted in their break-ups, including Texas Is the Reason and Mineral.
By the end of the decade, the word emo cropped up in mainstream circles. In the summer of 1998, Teen People (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_People) magazine ran an article declaring "emo" the newest "hip" style of music, with The Promise Ring a band worth watching. The independent nature of the emo scene recoiled at mainstream attention, and many emo bands shifted their sound in an attempt to isolate themselves from the genre. In the years that followed, Sunny Day Real Estate opted to shift to a more prog-rock direction, Jejune aimed for happy pop-rock, and The Get Up Kids and The Promise Ring released lite-rock albums.
While "indie emo" almost completely ceased to exist by the end of the decade, many bands still subscribe to the Fugazi / Hüsker Dü model, including Thursday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thursday_%28band%29), The Juliana Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Juliana_Theory), and Sparta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta_%28band%29).
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=5)]

The third wave (2000–Present)

At the end of the 1990s, the underground emo scene had almost entirely disappeared. However, the term emo was still being bandied about in mainstream media, almost always attached to the few remaining 90s emo acts, including Jimmy Eat World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Eat_World).
However, towards the end of the 1990s, Jimmy Eat World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Eat_World) had begun to shift in a more mainstream direction. Where Jimmy Eat World had played emocore-style music early in their career, by the time of the release of their 2001 album Bleed American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_American), the band had almost completely removed its emo influences. As the public had become aware of the word emo and knew that Jimmy Eat World was associated with it, the band continued to be referred to as an "emo" band. Newer bands that sounded like Jimmy Eat World (and, in some cases, like the more melodic emo bands of the late 90s) were soon included in the genre.
2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003) saw the success of Chris Carrabba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Carrabba), the former singer of Further Seems Forever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Further_Seems_Forever), and his project Dashboard Confessional (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_Confessional). Carrabba's music featured lyrics founded in deep diary-like outpourings of emotion. Where earlier emo had featured lyrics of a more dark and painful direction, Carrabba's featured a greater focus on love won and lost and the inability to cope. While certainly emotional, the new "emo" had a far greater appeal amongst teenagers experiencing love for the first time, who found insight and solace in Carrabba's words and music.
With Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eat World's success, major labels began seeking out similar sounding bands. Just as Nirvana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_%28band%29), Pearl Jam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam), and the other Seattle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle) scene bands of the early 1990s were unwillingly lumped into the genre "grunge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge_music)", some record labels wanted to be able to market a new sound under the word emo. Which sound that was didn't particularly matter.
At the same time, use of the term "emo" expanded beyond simply the musical genre, which added to the confusion surrounding the term. The word "emo" became associated with feelings of unashamed emotion. Common fashion styles and attitudes that were becoming idiomatic of fans of similar "emo" bands also began to be referred to as "emo". (For further discussion, see Emo (slang) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28slang%29).) As a result, bands that were loosely associated with "emo" trends or simply demonstrated emotion began to be referred to as emo.
In an even more expanded way than in the 90s, emo has come to encompass an extremely wide variety of bands, many of whom have very little in common. The term has become so wide-ranging that it has become nearly impossible to describe what exactly qualifies as "emo".
Correctly or not, emo has often been used to describe such bands as AFI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI_%28band%29), Alexisonfire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexisonfire), A Static Lullaby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Static_Lullaby), Brand New (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_New), Coheed and Cambria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coheed_and_Cambria), Fall Out Boy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_Out_Boy), Finch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finch_%28U.S._band%29), From Autumn To Ashes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Autumn_To_Ashes), From First To Last (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_First_To_Last), Funeral for a Friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_for_a_Friend), Hawthorne Heights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_Heights), Matchbook Romance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchbook_Romance), My Chemical Romance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Chemical_Romance), Panic! At The Disco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic%21_At_The_Disco), Silverstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverstein), Something Corporate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Corporate), The Starting Line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starting_Line), Taking Back Sunday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Back_Sunday), The Used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Used), Thrice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrice), and Thursday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thursday_%28band%29). Fans of several of these bands have recoiled at the use of the "emo" tag, and have gone to great lengths to explain why they don't qualify as "emo". In many cases, the term has simply been attached to them because of musical similarites, a common fashion sense, or because of the band's popularity within the "emo" scene (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28slang%29), not because the band adheres to emo as a music genre. (The revulsion of some bands from the term emo is not unlike the retreat from the genre by the bands in the indie emo scene near the end of the 90s.)
As a result of the continuing shift of "emo" over the years, a serious schism has emerged between those who relate to particular eras of "emo". Those who were closely attached to the hardcore origins recoil when another type of music is called "emo". Many involved in the independent nature of both 80s and 90s emo are upset at the perceived hijacking of the word emo to sell a new generation of major label music. Regardless, popular culture appears to have embraced the terms of "emo" far beyond its original intentions, out of the control of the independent-minded.
In a strange twist, screamo, a sub-genre of the new emo, has found greater popularity in recent years through bands such as Thrice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrice) and Glassjaw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassjaw). (As a reference, see Jim DeRogatis' November 2002 article about Screamo (http://www.jimdero.com/OtherWritings/OtherScreamoGW.htm).) The term screamo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamo), however, was used to describe an entirely different genre in the early 1990s, and the new screamo bands more resemble the emo of the early 1990s. Complicating matters further is that several small scenes devoted to original screamo still exist in the underground. However, the new use of "screamo" demonstrates how the shift in terms connected to "emo" has made the varying genres difficult to categorize.
Even still, the difficulty in defining "emo" as a genre may have started at the very beginning. In a 2003 interview (http://www.markprindle.com/picciotto-i.htm) by Mark Prindle, Guy Picciotto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Picciotto) of Fugazi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugazi) and Rites of Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Spring) was asked how he felt about "being the creator of the emo genre". He responded: "I don't recognize that attribution. I've never recognized 'emo' as a genre of music. I always thought it was the most retarded term ever. I know there is this generic commonplace that every band that gets labeled with that term hates it. They feel scandalized by it. But honestly, I just thought that all the bands I played in were punk rock bands. The reason I think it's so stupid is that - what, like the Bad Brains weren't emotional? What - they were robots or something? It just doesn't make any sense to me."
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=6)]

Backlash

Main article: Emo (slang) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28slang%29) As the chorus of detractors increased, emo became more and more a target of derision. As certain fashion trends and attitudes began to be associated with "emo", stereotypes emerged that created a specific target for criticism.
In the early years of the "third wave", the derision was relatively light-hearted and self-effacing. In September of 2002, web developer Jason Oda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Oda) put forth Emogame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emogame). The game poked fun at numerous emo stereotypes and musicians, but in a manner that could be appreciated by fans and detractors alike.
In ensuing years, the derision increased dramatically. Male fans of emo found themselves hit with homosexual slurs, largely a reflection of the style of dress popular within the "emo scene" and the displays of emotion common in the scene. Complaints pointed to the histrionic manner in which the emotions were often expressed, not necessarily to the emotions themselves.
In October of 2003, Punk Planet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_Planet) contributor Jessica Hopper levelled the charge that the "third wave" era of emo was sexist. In her opinion, it was all too common for emo bands to write songs from a male perspective that castigated women for causing emotional damage. The collective result was that women were being demonized, and in a wholly generic manner, given that the songs didn't appear to be about a particular female. The problem was enhanced by the seeming lack of balance in emo, given the apparent absence of females participating in emo music. Hopper believed that the sexism was unique to the new version of emo, as "indie emo" era bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Day_Real_Estate) seemed to provide depth to the female characters portrayed in their songs.
Collective reaction to Hopper's article was mixed, and many dismissed the charge outright, noting that rock music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_music) as a genre had a long history of issues with sexism; the problem wasn't unique to emo music or directly related. By comparison to a genre like 1980s hair metal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_metal), in which popular songs (such as Warrant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_%28band%29)'s "Cherry Pie") often objectified women, the perceived sexism in emo was more of an intellectual argument than something that could be specifically cited in the music.
Critics of modern emo also point to the increasingly generic nature of the music. As popular bands have attempted to flee the "emo" tag (some have adopted the "post-hardcore" tag), the remaining bands appear to fit the genre solely because of their similarity to other so-called "emo" bands. Critics note a slow homogenization of the genre, with newer bands adhering to a stereotypical style rather than redefining it, not unlike the waning years of grunge music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge_music) in the 1990s.
At the same time, the persistent criticism and negative stereotypes have led to an increasing perception of modern emo as the new "guilty pleasure". Despite the criticism, the modern version of emo has maintained mainstream popularity. However, given the disfavor of the term "emo", the question of whether new bands will openly associate with "emo" leaves the future unclear.
[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emo_%28music%29&action=edit&section=7)]

See also

Category: Emo musical groups (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Emo_musical_groups)
Art rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_rock)
Emo (slang) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_%28slang%29)
Emo Violence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo_Violence)
Hardcore Emo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_Emo)
Math rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_rock)
Screamo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamo)
Straight edge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge)

[x togepi x]

the wiki article is so bad on many levels

[deathwish]

emo is just a type of music. emotional music. but sum people get the wrong idea and think it's people

[Czarsy]

This thread could have ended with two words.

[reeef]

emo is just a type of music. emotional music. but sum people get the wrong idea and think it's peopleits not the wrong idea... punk is a type of music.. we call the fans "punks"... fans of emo are called "emo" or melodramatic and depressive ppl are also call "emos" because emo music is melodramatic and depressive, fuse punk with melodramatic/depressive sh''it.... what do you get? Emo. Emo is dead nowdays... so instead Hawthorne Heights, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, etc.. are called emo bands, because their lyrics are melodramatic and depressive without caring about the fact that most of these bands are actually post-hardcore instead of punk (which is why they arent emo)

[Czarsy]

There are so many things wrong with that post.

[Blake Solomon]

This thread could have ended with two words.

what are the two words?

[Czarsy]

"Emotional" and "hardcore."

[Freud]

no. the 2 words should have been: "fuck" and "off"

[Blake Solomon]

no. the 2 words should have been: "fuck" and "off"

ah, interesting choice. i was going to go with "donkey" and "punch"

[nescover]

emo-core started out as a sub-genre of hardcore punk with introspective lyrics. it slowly began to encompass any band that featured a whiney vocalist who sprinkled in random, incoherent screams throughout a song. so basically the genre doesn't exist anymore, just bad bands that have the name "emo" associated with them for popularity reasons.

[x togepi x]

wrong. just because morons call something emo doesn't mean it is.

[xvszero]

The thing about language though is when a lot of people start calling something a specific word it DOES become that eventually. Hence we call native Americans Indians when they sure as hell didn't come from India.

[x togepi x]

the thing about language is that we don't use momentary trends to define a word. unless this trend lasts for a lot longer than it will, it's not going to morph into what the public thinks emo is. look emo up in the oxford english dictionary. it backs up my definition.

[xvszero]

It's not really just "momentary" though when did this new definition arise? It's been awhile.

The first "new" emo bands I got into were the Get Up Kids and Brandtson, both of which people were calling emo already back like 8 years ago or whatever. And its even MORE popular now.

I think it won't go away. This isn't some weird kind of music like 3rd wave ska which will be a trend then die, it's more "anyone can get into whenever" like pop punk or something.

[x togepi x]

I don't think so. The beginnings of the new definition can be tied to midwest emo, which is really just people being lazy and dropping the midwest than a bastardization of the term. People will get tired of every band that isn't cock rock being called emo becuase they're "emotional" at some point. Use of that word in that way will fall out of favor just like calling hair metal bands metal isn't something that happens.

but the thing is, we're not just talking about language, we're talking about genres. genres are defined by music theory, not by people's opinion. A genre is static. it doesn't morph. Bands within a genre can evolve all they want and a genre can thusly be expanded, but none of these bands that the mainstream call emo, come from an emo scene, so it's not a case of the genre being expanded, it's a case of the genre being mislabeled.

[Dan CiTi]

music helps people express themselves.
fixed.

[xXMissMurderXx]

oh my god if u don't know wat emo is ur seriously fucked up..........

[heyRomanticA__x]

I don't think so. The beginnings of the new definition can be tied to midwest emo, which is really just people being lazy and dropping the midwest than a bastardization of the term. People will get tired of every band that isn't cock rock being called emo becuase they're "emotional" at some point. Use of that word in that way will fall out of favor just like calling hair metal bands metal isn't something that happens.

but the thing is, we're not just talking about language, we're talking about genres. genres are defined by music theory, not by people's opinion. A genre is static. it doesn't morph. Bands within a genre can evolve all they want and a genre can thusly be expanded, but none of these bands that the mainstream call emo, come from an emo scene, so it's not a case of the genre being expanded, it's a case of the genre being mislabeled.

We need to give togepi a microphone and air time on NBC. This will clear up all the bullshit.

Seriously, we need to hold a press conference on Emo.

[com(?)]

It's funny that you all care so much

[x togepi x]

yeah, you're right. I probably shouldn't care about a scene of music that positively influenced my life, career goals, college, etc.

[kissesneverdie]

emotional people and music...although that is stupid because...well what music isnt emotional?

[x togepi x]

did you come up with that all by yourself? it's so deep and insightful.

[x togepi x]

We need to give togepi a microphone and air time on NBC. This will clear up all the bullshit.

Seriously, we need to hold a press conference on Emo.

i can just imagine the sweet press conference and fox news's response. They'd probably get some 15 year old girl and bring up how I'm destroying America.

[heyRomanticA__x]

i can just imagine the sweet press conference and fox news's response. They'd probably get some 15 year old girl and bring up how I'm destroying America.

Well of course you're destroying America togepi. I mean, if the media can mislable and misuse the word Emo, what else can they do wrong? If you, the model American citizen can expose them..then well..there really is hope in the proles. You are Mr.Miagi after all.. :miagi:

[x togepi x]

it wouldn't be the first time I've been called a terrorist.

[Narcissm]

yeah, you're right. I probably shouldn't care about a scene of music that positively influenced my life, career goals, college, etc.

indeed....[appreciation]

/x

[riseagainst89]

togepi is thursday emo or post hardcore... cause out of all the mainstream bands that ppl consider emo .... and i know on mxtabs. net on there emo fourm ppl would talk bout thursday... and they have mods like crazy and theyd never lock the thread... thrice isnt emo though right?

[the thread]

togepi is thursday emo or post hardcore... cause out of all the mainstream bands that ppl consider emo .... and i know on mxtabs. net on there emo fourm ppl would talk bout thursday... and they have mods like crazy and theyd never lock the thread... thrice isnt emo though right?

actually, according to many people, thursday is a huge crossover. if i remember correctly, they were pretty tight with neil perry and some other jersey "screamo" bands way back when. many say that they started as a post hardcore-ish emo band, and caught on enough to basically make a huge jump from the emo world which we all know, to a mainstream post hardcore band, if you want to call them that. while im not sure if i agree with all of that, i do think they were a pretty legitimate band as far as "emo" goes...but victory and post-victory sort of changed that. i sort of think that thursday becoming such a popular band is part of the reason that the term emo is thrown around so much.

and no, thrice is not.

feel free to correct me, togepi.

[x togepi x]

I agree with the person above me in a sense. I call thursday post-hardcore, though I definitely see how they could have connections to the emo scene. I do remember Geoff basically building a lot of the new Jersey scene in his basement, so I'd probably be more inclined to call them post-hardcore than emo.

Just the way they've progressed in their career makes me feel like they'd be a better embodiment of what post-hardcore is than emo. Though, Geoff hates the fact that his band gets called screamo/emo, or at least did.

I think full collapse is a great album to show people who wouldn't be likely to listen to stuff like Fugazi what post hardcore really is.

[BreakerBreaker]

Waiting is so goooooooood.