What is Emo Music? Guide & Example

The place of emo has become more and more stable since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Emo is constantly evolving and becoming more successful. Currently, there are many facts that characterise this kind of music and many people are fans. If you are interested in this kind of music, you have come to the right place, where you can find out about the history, characteristics and examples of emo music.

Definition and characteristics of emo music

The word emo comes from the other word emocore, which is also short for emotional hardcore. It brings together music related to emotion, songs that have sad and sentimental lyrics. More exactly, each emotional hardcore is centred on a specific theme related to emotion. In terms of musical genre, emo is part of the rock and punk genre. It differs in its more emotional expressions.

Three main traits differentiate emo music from other, more closely related musical genres. To make a long story short, emo music is mostly characterised by angst, sensitivity and dissonance. As the name suggests, emo music is full of emotions, especially sad emotions. Each of the lyrics is more focused on sorrows, pains, fears, worries and all that revolves around sadness. Despite all this, emo music is expressed with more gentleness to emphasise its sensitive side. As far as dissonance is concerned, this music is composed of various noises that sound a bit like badly arranged music. Thus evoking a feeling that expresses destabilisation.

History of emo music

From its inception to the present day, emo music has been marked by many stories. When it first appeared in 1980, it served as a refuge to express heavy emotions. At that time, in Washington DC, a few musicians got together to try a new sound besides punk, and that was where emo music was born.

For emocore, the 1990s marked an evolution and spread by artists like Jawbreakers and Sunny Day. It was at this time that emo music reached the western part of the world. Many young people were affected by this music, which explains why it spread so quickly. It was also at this time that the various sub-genres were created.

Since the 2000s, artists like Fall out Boy and Jimmy eat World have made history. Emo music is going viral, spreading as fast and reaching millions of people. It is well after that that Panic at the disco, Lil Peep, XXXTentacion appeared.

The different sub-genres of emo music

As mentioned above, after the basic emocore, many varieties appear. These subtypes share the same principles as emo music, but their differences lie in the rhythms and sounds. At present, several genres of emo music exist, but the most common are the following:

The screamo

This is a sub-genre that distinguishes the artist Senses Fail in particular. Screamo is easily distinguishable by the fact that it emphasizes and puts more precision on the way the lyrics are said. This makes it the most aggressive subgenre of emo music.

Emo pop-punk

Emo pop-punk is one of the most recognised of the emo genre. This sub-genre is distinguished by its melancholic and theatrical melodies. Paramore and My Chemical Romance are among the best known emo pop-punk bands.

Emo rap

Emo rap, on the other hand, is somewhat similar to other rap genres, with emo rap focusing more on heartache, angst and pain. Lil Peep is one of the most famous emo rappers in this world.

Some examples of emo music

For further understanding, the following lists are also worth a look :

Jawbreaker: this band is one of the most popular emocore artists. Founded in 1986 by Chris, Adam and Blake, Jawbreaker sings many songs such as Jet Black, Condition Oakland and many others.
You can also try tracks from Panic! At the Disco, a youth group from Las Vegas. This band has many tracks, but for starters we recommend “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”.
Paramore, an emo band from Franklin, will allow you to dive in and become a true fan of emo music. Like the others, it has about ten tracks, but you can start with “Ain’t it Fun”.
My Chemical Romance, known for its famous song “Famous last words”, was founded after 11 September 2001.
American Football, a group of urbanos created since 1997. Although this band had a 14 year hiatus, they have been back since 2014. To try this emo band, you can choose “Born to lose” or also “Stay home”.

Apart from these groups, there are many others. If you want to find out more, you can type in the names of the following groups on the net: