Most people have a horribly limited idea of what emo is, simply because the most important records in the development of emo were largely released on on vinyl, in small numbers, and with limited distribution. These were however very influential, so nowadays you have the situation that a lot of kids listen to third- and fourth-generation emo styles without even knowing it. I hope to expose such people to a wealth of great preceding music that's getting easier to find all the time...

After Minor Threat broke up in late 1983, the vibrant DC hardcore-punk scene that exploded in 1981 seems to start to run out of steam and fresh ideas within the established DC hardcore sound. The wistful, posthumous Minor Threat 7" "Salad Days" comes out in 1984 and drives the final nail into the coffin of DC hardcore punk. Bands all over the country begin casting about for new things to do : DRI and Bad Brains start going cheeze-metal, New York bands start doing tough-guy mosh, 7Seconds goes jangly U2 alternative, etc. The prevailing change in D.C. is toward melodic rock with punk sensibilities.

1984 marks the release of Zen Arcade by Minneapolis band Hüsker Dü, documenting their new mature sound combining furious, intense vocal delivery and driving guitars with slowed-down rockish tempos and more-complex, melodic songwriting.

In spring 1984, a new band called Rites Of Spring forms from members of The Untouchables/Faith and Deadline. This band retains a punk speed and frenzy, but brings a totally new vocal approach to the mix. Singer Guy Picciotto keeps an out-of-breath punk style most of the time, at times delving into intensely personal lyrics dripping with emotion and sweat. His voice breaks down at climactic moments into a throaty, gravelly, passionate moan.

The summer of 1985 becomes known as "Revolution Summer" when a new wave of rock-tempo, melody based, sung-vocal bands forms out of the DC punk musician pool with diverse rock sounds - Three, Gray Matter, Soulside, Ignition, Marginal Man, Fire Party, Rain, Shudder to Think, etc. Few bands retain the fast hardcore punk-based sound with the new vocal approach, Dag Nasty being the notable exception.

Minor Threat's singer, Ian MacKaye's, sings for a band called Embrace (compare the band name to earlier DC bands Minor Threat, Void, and State Of Alert) whose lyrics are emotional and deeply self-questioning, but still clear and unambiguous. Musically, the group (formed mostly of ex-Faith members) writes midtempo, somewhat jangly music with a lot of pop guitar hooks. MacKaye's vocals retain his trademark bold enunciation, with only occasional sparks of emotive delivery.

These bands' sound eventually becomes known as the classic "D.C. sound." Some of it is derisively labeled "emo," as shorthand for "emotional." One account has this term first appearing in a Flipside interview with Ian MacKaye. Shortly thereafter DC bands aquire the tag "emo-core."

Slightly later (1986), some bands begin to focus on the "emo" element itself. The Hated in Annapolis (near D.C.) seem to be the first post-Rites of Spring to do this. Shortly thereafter, Moss Icon appears in in the same town. Moss Icon strips the "emo" element down to the core, and adds a great deal of intricate, arpeggiated guitar melody (by Tonie Joy, later of Born Against, Lava, Universal Order of Armageddon, etc.) with a strong focus on loud/soft dynamics. The vocals, too, break new ground by building up to actual top-of-the-lungs screaming at songs' climaxes.

Moss Icon, as a relatively well-known band that toured some, introduces the punk scene to music that has core emphasis on emotion instead of punk energy. As such, I consider them the starting point for the emo movement, not Rites of Spring as is more commonly asserted. Later emo bands draw heavily from the Moss Icon dynamics, guitar style, and vocal delivery.

A group of emos who write and sing about love, not your pop 'love', but real love, break ups, depression. All the stuff everyone encounters in their life at one point.

A group of people who perform 'emo' music.


see: emo

a band that play emotive hard core music with rawkus vocals and fairly complex melodies. Slower tempos than most hard core music, its considered 'softer' but trust me, its not really. Generally in thes tyle of bands like CTTS or city of catterpiller.

There are also newer emo bands, such as Hawthorne Heights, who play accoustic peices with soft 'whiny' vocals. This is Emotional Core Bands. and the newest stage of 'emo'

DEFENITION 1.
Pronoun, Eme-Oh-Band:The plural tense of Emo; effectively identical to the word "Emos." The emos that are not entirely shunned by every other natural life form on God's Green Earth will automatically congregate into these gatherings. It is a natural instinct, and thus far not one emo that is capable of basic human interaction has been proven to exist outside of a band. Scientists have determined that even in the case of the elimination of one or more sensory organs, an emo is still fully capable of seeking out and finding a band. After much debate and the deft amputation of perhaps more emo eyes and fingers than is truly necessary, science has begun to unravel why. The currently accepted explanation to this odd natural phenomena is that the minds of emos think and work as a collective, much in the same way as bees or ants. The social structure of an emo band is staggeringly close to that of a beehive or anthill, which not only contributes to the hivemind theory, but also to the widely held belief that emos are not mammals at all, but instead very large, color-challenged insects. This would explain why it is socially acceptable to abuse emos, as insects are excempt from the majority animal cruelty laws.

A few crucial differences *must* be ascertained between the emo band and the hives of other insects, though, to fully understand the concept:

WORK HABITS OF THE EMO BAND: Ants and Bees work constantly, only s...

A band, commonly made by a record company, that plays a combination between pop and rock'n'roll. Most of these emo bands don't play their instruments. They hire musicians to play on their CD for them. They don't write their own music and are the most popular form of music today. Their music lacks guitar solos, intricate riffs, drum fills and solos, and complex bass lines, showing no signs of talent whatsoever.

A band that expresses their feelings through lyrics.