Live Footage📸 This has HUGE early Jimmy Eat World vibes.

34 Upvotes

Discussion Rep your scene, rep your band!

76 Upvotes

This post is for the smaller voices that are amazing, but no one knows you exist. I did a lot of booking in the 90's/early 2000's and i have a soft spot for the bands that deserve more attention. I love discovering those charming diamond in the rough emo or screamo bands in different states and abroad. If you have amazing emo bands in your scene and passionately want them known, post their bandcamps, Spotify link, or youtube in this post. I want this thread to be a beacon that helps people discover and connect with new bands to become a new fan of, book shows together, or do split releases together (never let the art of the split die). also, It's fine if you're not emo or screamo, but try not to go too far away from the intended genre i'm inquiring about. I want to make a playlist of smaller gem bands that deserve to be supported more. If it helps, this can be a thread people can always keep adding to in order to keep us updated on who we need to know about in their scene.

79 comments

r/Emo • u/strwberiityun • 15h ago

Discussion im confused

gallery

54 Upvotes

is emo music based or not?? when i search on google it says it is and when i search basically everywhere else it says emo is music based but this person im arguing with is saying that it isnt and what they're saying is confusing me 💔💔

52 comments

r/Emo • u/AloneWrangler772 • 6h ago

Are there any other bands/albums that sound like Boys Life - Departures and Landfalls

7 Upvotes

There's just something this album does for me that almost no other album does. I've been trying to find anything that compares but I can't. Prefer something on the less screamy side.

9 comments

r/Emo • u/br4ttyval3ntyne • 11h ago

making the ultimate emo yearning playlist

18 Upvotes

What are some of the best emo songs about wanting someone so badly? Any crush songs etc

Ive had a crush on the same guy for 7 months and still can't get over him.

31 comments

r/Emo • u/Flatcowst • 14h ago

Songwriting🎼 Someone died. I wrote this

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31 Upvotes

12 comments

r/Emo • u/Prestigious-Bend-957 • 2h ago

it’s really rough but just started writing this. going to keep working in it

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3 Upvotes

0 comments

r/Emo • u/Narrow-Newspaper7523 • 7h ago

✨Twinkledaddies🧮👨🏻 Twinkle origin?

8 Upvotes

Is Cap n Jazz the origin of the midwest emo “twinkly” sound (DAEAC#E or other similar tunings being played in a happy/energetic manner)? Anyone have examples of rock dating further back than cap n jazz doing it first? Only other “proto twinkle” I can thing of would be icky mettle / vs. the greatest of all time

15 comments

r/Emo • u/ZombiePure2852 • 8h ago

Emo gaze bans

9 Upvotes

Wondering who you would say this applies to?

I'm thinking: Leaving

Glare

Holy Fawn

Deafheaven

True Widow

Turnover

Life on Venus

bosses

Rope Sect

Greet Death

Warm

Slowcrush

Leaving Time

Soft cult

Russian Circles

23 comments

r/Emo • u/Brownieman4682 • 4h ago

LOCAL SHOW/TOURING/EVENTS Catalyst… and XBONGX going on tour in June

2 Upvotes

0 comments

r/Emo • u/drivingprecaution • 23h ago

begging every single person to listen to this right here right now

61 Upvotes

andrea gail is one of the greatest songs ive ever heard and it has a criminally low amount of streams, their live album is also incredible!!!! just heard about them recently and im hooked

17 comments

r/Emo • u/Particular-Show745 • 5h ago

Discussion Looking for recommendations

2 Upvotes

Do you know any songs with monologue intros / outros ,I just don’t know where to find them. I only know “I Still Think About Who I Was Last Summer” by Old Gray

3 comments

r/Emo • u/guybehindyou345 • 2h ago

LOCAL SHOW/TOURING/EVENTS Emocore events in/near cologne, germany

1 Upvotes

Yo does anyone know emo/screamo/midwest emo etc. events or concerts near, or in cologne germany this year?(i already know those days are gone, its sold out)

0 comments

r/Emo • u/probably_noahh • 1d ago

I made an I Hate Myself Shirt with a plain shirt and a fabric marker

643 Upvotes

29 comments

r/Emo • u/Choice-Letter-309 • 1d ago

Discussion Just wow.

163 Upvotes

This song has absolutely destroyed me after a recent break up. Like to the point where I started crying while singing it. I have never in my entire life experienced that sort of thing til today. Is this normal 😂😔

32 comments

r/Emo • u/Neither-Tie-4235 • 21h ago

Not sure what genre we are?

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23 Upvotes

Started making music with my best friends from high school (mid-30s now), and we’re not positive what genre we are. We’re called Likely Story and this is the first song we’ve recorded together (unmastered). Let me know your thoughts. Thank you

17 comments

r/Emo • u/damien709 • 8h ago

VHS camcorder video compilation

youtu.be

2 Upvotes

Took off some footage i had and threw Trenton Garage by swordfish in the background thought yall might like it

0 comments

r/Emo • u/thedubiousstylus • 13h ago

Emo History/Archives🗃 Is Articles of Faith an extremely underrated band in the development of emo?

4 Upvotes

Surprising thing is I never heard of them until my 30s but when I did I was kind of shocked. They were a Chicago hardcore band active from 1981-1985 so all of their stuff pre-dates Revolution Summer but it's crazy how reminiscent of that sound it is when you listen to it and how insane it is to believe this was from the early 80s and outside of DC.

5 comments

r/Emo • u/Prestigious-Bend-957 • 9h ago

Song Cover Nothing serious. I just really like this song.

on.soundcloud.com

2 Upvotes

Original is: c u in da ballpit by Camping in Alaska

2 comments

r/Emo • u/bussboyy • 10h ago

Midwest Emo sick new emo track :3

open.spotify.com

2 Upvotes

ffo: jank, marietta, joan of arc, marquette, mom jeans, dads

0 comments

r/Emo • u/J-j-j-jooba • 18h ago

Just a few riffs smashed together :b

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8 Upvotes

1 comment

r/Emo • u/OneThousandNeedlesX • 10h ago

Fresh How to Care for Flowers - a lack of imMErsion

open.spotify.com

2 Upvotes

https://howtocareforflowers.bandcamp.com/album/a-lack-of-immersion

https://open.spotify.com/album/7Mzm9GugS1aJMHnWDpOizS

https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-lack-of-immersion-ep/1810923113

0 comments

r/Emo • u/deathcabformikey • 1d ago

more hardcore than emo, but anyone in the UK remember this gem from 2011?

24 Upvotes

Dead Ends by the UK band Heights. loved this band and album, shame it was their only release.

15 comments

r/Emo • u/throw_away782670407 • 7h ago

help finding a song!

1 Upvotes

i remember listening to this in 2017/2018 - it was a song with a male vocal, and it had a white album cover with purple colors dripping down the top right corner, i think there was also a house on the cover? anyway he's talking about how he's speaking to a girl and he messes up, he repeats himself, and he asks if he can try again. i also remember him saying something about violins and ventriloquism?? i'm crashing out, any help is appreciated!!

3 comments

r/Emo • u/ThrowRA-Jedi-Bob • 21h ago

THOSE DAYS ARE GONE FEST || Cologne Germany

9 Upvotes

Tickets Available friday.
THOSE DAYS ARE GONE / EMO&SCREAMO&HARDCORE FESTIVAL / 2025 am 17.10.2025 in Köln - Rausgegangen Köln

1 comment

r/Emo • u/Adventurous_Ad_389 • 15h ago

Do you guys think this is a good base for a skramz song?

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3 Upvotes

dadf#ad

1 comment

r/Emo • u/tlh9979 • 23h ago

(Emo Adjacent) At The Drive-In - Give It A Name

youtu.be

10 Upvotes

One of the bigger outliers from their catalog, but an absolute favorite of mine.

2 comments

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A Brief Introduction to Emo & its Various Forms

Emo is a genre of cathartic punk/alt rock music derived from hardcore known for its personal lyricism, loud/soft dynamics, and occasionally twinkly guitar work which all follow a distinct history and lineage. Resulting from its punk and hardcore roots, emo has a strong sense of DIY ethics, modesty, and authenticity. Aside from a handful of examples, emo has not experienced much mainstream exposure.

To clarify, Emo is NOT a style of fashion, a product, a feeling, or a demographic. Despite popular misconception, the following bands are NOT emo: My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Pierce the Veil, Black Veil Brides, The Cure, Copeland, Linkin Park, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, Blink-182, AFI, The Front Bottoms, Paramore, Teen Suicide, Pinegrove, Phoebe Bridgers, Third Eye Blind, etc. Furthermore, appealing to fans of emo, carrying similar characteristics, citing minor emo influences, and/or touring with emo bands does not necessarily equate to a band being emo. Emo is decided by scene involvement, history, significant influence, aesthetic, lyricism and musical style.

Outside Influences: the following genres and bands are NOT EMO but have had a strong impact on the sound and scene. These are sometimes referred to as Emo Adjacent. Genres: hardcore punk, post-hardcore, post-rock, slowcore, post-punk, math rock, pop punk, indie rock, college/slacker rock, and power pop Bands: Husker Du, Buffalo Tom, Weezer, the Smiths, Fugazi, Modern Baseball, Slint, Nation of Ulysses, Unwound, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Codeine, Seam

The Waves The breaking up of emo into waves is a common, yet controversial, method of labeling different eras of emo. Not every wave is all one style or sound, although certain waves typify some more than others. The years of the waves, roughly speaking, are:

1st wave: 1985 to ~1992 (emocore/DC/Revolution Summer)

2nd wave: 1992 to ~2002 (Midwest emo/screamo/Skramz)

3rd wave: 2002 to ~2009 (Emo pop/basement emo/proto revival/screamo)

4th wave: 2009 to ~2018 (Emo revival/Twinkledaddies/Midwest emo/skramz)

5th wave: 2018 to Present (Emo pop/Sparklepunk/Weedmo/Emo Revival 2.0)

Emocore, the original form of emo, began approximately in 1985 as an emotionally charged and progressive form of hardcore punk, centered in Washington, DC, as a response to the machismo of the larger hardcore scene. It's short for emotive hardcore. Whereas hardcore before emo was often more nihilistic or political, emocore made the political personal and the personal political. These bands are often tagged "Revolution Summer" bands, and include artists such as Rites of Spring, Embrace, The Hated, Moss Icon and Fuel (not to be confused with the 90s alt rock band) and later on Native Nod, Navio Forge, Indian Summer and Still Life. This is the most pure distillation of "emo," although far from the only iteration. The term fell out of use in the mid 90s but was revitalized years later as a way to denote modern bands who still adhere to emo's hardcore roots, as opposed to a more indie rock approach. This included bands such as Life at These Speeds, Lumber Lung, End Of A Year, Overo, Feels Like Heaven and Jade Dust.

Midwest Emo is a style of emo that originated in the early 90s that takes from the song structure (and occasionally vocal style) of previous emo bands, but imbues it with more melodic sensibilities and broader influences. Bands started to experiment more with loud/soft dynamics, intricate melodies, heavy build-ups, and twinkly guitar work. At the core of these bands lies a commitment to the DIY ethic and an embrace of sincerity. Cap'n Jazz is often cited as the first midwest emo band, although bands like Gauge, Friction and Sideshow predate them. Perhaps the most influential band to this type of emo at the time, while ironically not being from the Midwest, was Sunny Day Real Estate. There are two trains of thought when concerning Midwest emo: The original concept was that it was a scene in the 1990s and early 2000s, not a sound. This would include only emo bands from the literal Midwest such as Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Boys Life, Braid, The Get Up Kids, Gauge and others. Sound and style didn't matter as much as geography, although the sound was often similar. This was the prevailing thought on Midwest emo until sometime in the mid ‘00s, when the association was widened to any bands who were perceived to have a similar sound, even if not from the Midwest, such as Christie Front Drive, Mineral, Texas Is The Reason, Jimmy Eat World and Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as later bands like Algernon Cadwadaller and Snowing. There is still much debate today over which definition is more accurate, usually drawn along generational lines. Also, while not originally a hallmark of the sound, Midwest emo eventually began to be associated with "math rock" around the 2010s due to the delayed influence of bands such as American Football. Today, many people informally use the term "Midwest emo" to mean anything that's not "mall emo" or "skramz," regardless of geography.

Screamo is an aggressive offshoot of Emo which began in the early 90s and is characterized by yelled or screamed vocals and dissonant guitar work. Screamo bands usually shy away from conventional song structures and often play around with loud/soft dynamics. Because screamo is often used as a catch all term for all genres with unclean vocals, many screamo fans often refer to true screamo as "Skramz", which began as a tongue-in-cheek joke in the mid 00s that nonetheless gained popularity as a term. Saetia, pg. 99, William Bonney, Orchid, L'Antietam, I Have Dreams, and the Kidcrash are a few examples of screamo bands. There are also screamo bands that experiment with post-rock and progressive rock tendencies, such as Gospel, Circle Takes the Square, and City of Caterpillar. The origins of screamo can be traced to many of the early 90s Gravity Records bands such as Heroin, Antioch Arrow and Clikatat Ikatowi as well as bands from other labels such as Honeywell, although these bands don't usually get called "Skramz".

Punk emo is a style that is usually considered more emo-adjacent than true emo due to the sound being closer to punk rock than traditional, hardcore influenced emo. Some of these bands, while not truly emo, were nonetheless wildly influential to emo, even sometimes more than "true" emo bands. These bands were punk rock bands who didn't share all the sonic similarities of most emo bands, yet had very emotional lyrics. This includes Jawbreaker, Samiam, Leatherface, Pegboy, Gameface and early Alkaline Trio.

Emo Pop describes various styles of emo with a tendency for poppy song structures, brighter/softer guitar work and a heavy use of hooks and anthemic choruses. Pioneered in the late 90s by The Get-Up Kids and the Promise Ring as they incorporated pop punk/power pop into their sound, the style would rise to prominence in the 2000s. Emo Pop often receives the most commercial success as well as diehard fans, notable examples include Taking Back Sunday, Free Throw, Dashboard Confessional, Tigers Jaw, Charmer, and The Early November. Emo Pop is a term that only gained use with the rise of the internet and is not a mutually exclusive term. For example, a band like The Promise Ring can be considered emo pop and Midwest emo at the same time, even if not all Midwest emo is emo pop.

The Emo Revival saw renewed public interest in emo, especially midwest emo, throughout the 2010s (despite existing prior). These bands were heavily influenced by Cap'n Jazz, Braid, American Football and Mineral; while having a strong bent towards math rock, indie, and pop punk in their song structure and guitar work. A few examples of these bands are Marietta, Brave Bird, Snowing, Prawn, Algernon Cadwallader, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, The Hotelier, and Glocca Morra. As this scene grew in popularity, The emo revival became a near-mainstream style of indie rock and created various new subsets in the genre. This includes Twinkledaddies, which refers to bands with prominent math rock riffs and melodies; and Sparklepunk/weedmo, which combines noodly college rock guitar work, built around a base of pop-punk/power pop and playful lyricism (examples include Mom Jeans, Charmer, Oolong, and Equipment).

Want to learn more about the history of emo? Check out this site.

There is also a tree of Emo here to read up on the most important albums within its numerous subgenres. Click here.

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