Emo is a music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and post-hardcore from the mid-1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands Rites of Spring and Embrace, among others, pioneered the genre. In the early-to-mid 1990s, emo was adopted and reinvented by alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock, and pop-punk bands, including Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Cap'n Jazz, and Jimmy Eat World. By the mid-1990s, Braid, the Promise Ring, and the Get Up Kids emerged from Midwest emo, and several independent record labels began to specialize in the genre. Meanwhile, screamo, a more aggressive style of emo using screamed vocals, also emerged, pioneered by the San Diego bands Heroin and Antioch Arrow. Screamo achieved mainstream success in the 2000s with bands like Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Story of the Year, Thursday, the Used, and Underoath.
Rites of Spring was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in late 1983. Along with Embrace, and Beefeater, they were one of the mainstay acts of the 1985 Revolution Summer movement which took place within the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene.
Indian Summer was an American emo band from Oakland, California. The band was created after the band Sinker broke up, and consisted of twin brothers Adam and Seth Nanaa, Marc Bianchi, and Eyad Kaileh, who replaced Dan Bradley early on due to commitment issues. They named their band after a Doors song from the 1970 album Morrison Hotel.
Doghouse Records is an American record label currently based in New York City. The company was founded by Dirk Hemsath in late 1987 while living in Toledo, Ohio, in order to release the recordings of his hardcore band, Majority of One. The label originally specialized in midwest emo and melodic hardcore, though it eventually incorporated punk rock, pop punk, indie rock and alternative rock artists.
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr (drums).
Walter David "Wattie" Buchan is a Scottish punk rock musician, best known as the lead vocalist for the Exploited.
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff, Matt Ridenour, Mark McMillon, and Chris Popadak.
The Appleseed Cast is an American rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. The band was founded in the early days of emo by singer-guitarist Christopher Crisci and drummer Louie Ruiz. The Appleseed Cast has steadily evolved over the release of eight full-length albums with Crisci serving as the main songwriter. The band has a frequently rotating lineup, with Crisci being the only consistent member since their conception. Currently the band's lineup includes Christopher Crisci, Ben Kimball, Nick Fredrickson and Sean Bergman.
Emotion Is Dead is the second studio album by American rock band the Juliana Theory, released on August 29, 2000, on Tooth & Nail Records. While touring in support of their debut studio album Understand This Is a Dream (1999), guitarist Jeremiah Momper and was replaced by Joshua Kosker of Dawson High. Shortly afterwards, the band had begun writing material for the follow-up album. In February and March 2000, the band recorded their next album, with producers Barry Poynter and frontman Brett Detar, at Poynter's Palace in Little Rock, Arkansas, The Detar House, and Poynter's spare bedroom and living room. Described as an alternative rock and emo release, Emotion Is Dead took elements from Iron Maiden, Radiohead, and the Smashing Pumpkins.
The Fists of Time is the debut extended play by American melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust. It was originally released by Belgian record label Good Life Recordings on July 13, 1998, on compact disc and 10" vinyl. American record label Doghouse Records reissued the release, under the expanded title The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction, on compact disc, 12" vinyl and digitally, with new artwork and two additional songs, on June 22, 2000. In promotion of the release, As Friends Rust toured the United States, United Kingdom and Europe several times between June 1998 and September 2000. The bands that accompanied As Friends Rust on these tours include Discount, Dillinger Four, Strike Anywhere, Grade, Ensign, Ignite, Good Clean Fun, Garrison, Glasseater, Mid Carson July, The Agency, Purusam, Fast Times and Keith Welsh.
Unfun is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Jawbreaker, released in May 1990 through Shredder Records. After going through several names and a line-up change, Jawbreaker sent a copy of "Shield Your Eyes" to punk publication Maximum Rocknroll, which would later catch the attention of Shredder Records founder Mel Cheplowitz. Following the release of the Whack & Blite EP and the "Busy" single, members of the band returned to education. While this was occurring, they wrote material that would appear on their debut album, which was then recorded with producer Richard Andrews.
The Cleanest War is the debut extended play by American metallic hardcore band Morning Again. It was released on May 15, 1996, by American record label Conquer the World Records, initially on compact disc, and subsequently on 12" vinyl and digitally.
Innerpartysystem is an American electronic rock band. The group consists of Patrick Nissley, Jared Piccone and Kris Barman. The band is well known for their live performance lighting largely by Andrew Nissley and videos directed by Stephen Penta.
The emo revival, or fourth wave emo, was an underground emo movement which began in the late 2000s and flourished until the mid-to-late 2010s. The movement began towards the end of the 2000s third-wave emo, with Pennsylvania-based groups such as Tigers Jaw, Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing eschewing that era's mainstream sensibilities in favor of influence from 1990s Midwest emo. Acts like Touché Amoré, La Dispute and Defeater drew from 1990s emo and especially its heavier counterparts, such as screamo and post-hardcore.
Real Friends is an American pop punk band from Tinley Park, Illinois. To date, the band has released seven EPs and three studio albums. Previously signed to Fearless Records, the band is currently signed to Pure Noise Records.
Midwest emo refers to the emo scene and/or subgenre that developed in the 1990s Midwestern United States. Employing unconventional vocal stylings, distinct guitar riffs and arpeggiated melodies. Midwest emo bands shifted away from the genre's hardcore punk roots and drew on indie rock and math rock approaches. According to the author and critic Andy Greenwald, "this was the period when emo earned many, if not all, of the stereotypes that have lasted to this day: boy-driven, glasses-wearing, overly sensitive, overly brainy, chiming-guitar-driven college music." Midwest emo is sometimes used interchangeably with second-wave emo. Although implied by the name, Midwest emo does not solely refer to bands and artists from the Midwestern United States, and the style is played by outfits across the United States and internationally.
Mom Jeans is an American alternative rock/indie rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 2014.
Indian Summer is the self-titled debut EP by American emo band Indian Summer. It was released in 1993 through Repercussion Recordings. After brothers Adam and Seth Nanaa's band Sinker dissolved, they started a new band and recorded songs for their EP at Bart Thurber's recording studio. The EP is an emo and post-hardcore release, containing three songs with a rhythmic structure that alternates from quiet spoken-word vocals to a loud sound.
Everyone Asked About You is an American emo band from Little Rock, Arkansas. They originally formed in 1996. The name of the band comes from a children's book of the same name by Theodore Faro Gross and Sheila White Samton. The band reunited in 2022 after a reissue of the band's material through Numero Group.
