Draft:Emo

Emo is a term of various meanings. For most, it refers to a music subculture associated with mall goth fashion and teenage angst.

Originally, it was a subgenre of post-hardcore that was mainly underground from the mid-'80s to late-'90s. Originating in Washington, D.C., it diverged from hardcore to be slower, more melodic, and to include more introspective lyrics compared to the politics of hardcore. During the 90s, emo would adopt more elements from indie rock in its Midwest scene. It would become mainstream as it merged with pop-punk in the 2000s to form emo-pop.

Due to its association with certain fashion and lyrical subject stereotypes that were somewhat out of step with the rest of the aught trends, the categorization "emo" received backlash as it grew, not the least from artists who were classified as "emo" by the press. On the flip side, in the 2020s, an "emo revival" of sorts took place that combined both adults seeking nostalgia and comfort from the music of their teens and new rap artists that combined emo influences with hip-hop into a genre called.

Introspective lyrics in rock and punk
In punk, after its first wave, some bands grew tired of the clichés associated with punk and decided to blend it with other styles where post-punk would be born. There was the radio-friendly new wave style, and then there was the gloomy melancholic style that would eventually influence post-hardcore and emo. The Cure and The Smiths are often the top examples of gloomy post-punk.

DC hardcore, revolution summer, and early emo
Bad Brains would be one of the first hardcore bands from the east coast since most of the hardcore scene were in California with Black Flag’s SST records. Their high energy shows would spawn a fanbase in DC, and so would new bands. Dischord records would be the main record label that would have a roster of DC hardcore bands, and later, emocore bands. It was founded by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, whom also lead the influential band Minor Threat. As the local popularity grew, so would the violence that would be present in the fanbases such as mosh pits, vandalism, and skinheads.

In response to the violent and political environment, some hardcore bands pulled away from the politics of hardcore and focus more on introspective and personal topics while changing their music style to be more reminiscent of the slower post-hardcore from the influence of post punk. This occurred during the summer of 1985 where it would be dubbed Revolution Summer. Rites of Spring would be the first. Due to their influence, more bands would occur such as Beefeater, Embrace, Dag Nasty, and Grey Matter, and other bands in which most were signed Dischord records.

This genre would be called emocore (a shortening of emotional hardcore), though the term was used pejoratively. Nevertheless, the genre would start to spread outside of DC with bands like Moss Icon and Indian Summer. Jawbreaker would be the most influential as it starts taking influence from pop punk into emo.

90s emo: Midwest emo and Screamo
Emo would start evolving in the 90s as indie rock bands started reinventing its style while maintaining introspective lyrics. Another factor to this evolution is the band Nirvana where due to their influence, more record labels started to gain interest in alternative rock bands. One of the early pioneers of this emo indie rock would be Sunny Day Real Estate. Bands in the midwest such as American Football, Cap’n Jazz, and Mineral would follow after the indie rock and grew an underground emo subculture of nerds.

In San Diego, its post-hardcore scene turned emo into a more extreme genre with screaming and faster speeds. Called screamo, along with its extremely, it is also known for its mod and goth inspired aesthetics that would develop into the stereotypical emo aesthetic known today. Heroin and Antioch Arrow are examples from San Diego, though the east coast had its fair share of screamo bands like Orchid and Saetia.