I thought I'd give it a try...
What Emo Is And Some History.
Emo is
short for emotive
hardcore. It's a DIY music style (not a shitty fashion) that started in the 80's. Emo follows (but is not restricted to) the lines of
hardcore.
Hardcore is a subgenre of punk, therefore, so is emo. The first emo band is often credited to Rites Of Spring. They played with hardcore punk rock energy (as the members were previously involved with hardcore bands) and lots of emotion through their performance and with their audience. Their lyrics seem to have important views about life and a sense of deepness.
"Emo" As A Term.
The term "emo" was generated as an insult to people in the hardcore
scene that liked these bands. An emo band's performance on stage (can include crying/moaning/etc. their lyrics and various other events) probably made them look "weaker" to the hardcore kids, which is (why I think) "emo" was directed as an insult.
What Screamo is.
Screamo has evolved from emo. This music style invloves more screaming and often has more melodic breakdowns. Screamo is still emo, therefore follows its guidelines.
What Emo Is Not.
Emo is not
short for emotional. Emo is not a fashion. Emo is not "XxXxXxXOMMMFFGZZZZ IM LYKE, SO DEPRESSED!XxXxX!!!1!!111 IM GONNA
SLIT MY WRISTZZZZZZZ...LOL..XxXxXxX" Emo was not mainstream (because it was DIY). Emo has nothing to do with being depressed, shitty metaphors, or
suicide. Emo is not whiney,
bullshit music sung by pubescent males that haven't dropped their balls yet.
Real Emo Bands: Rites Of Spring, Embrace, Moss Icon, Funeral Dinner, Gray Matter, Hot Cross, Off Minor, Indian
Summer, Sleepytime Trio, etc...
Screamo Bands: Saetia, Orchid, Pg. 99, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, Love Like...Electrocution, Angel Hair, Antioch Arrow, Majority Rule, Usurp Synapse, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, etc...
Record Labels Known To Produce Important Emo Bands: Discord Records, Level-Plane Records, Magic Bullet Records, Ebullition Records, etc...
NOT Emo Bands: Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights,
My Chemical Romance, Dashboard Confessional, From First To Last, Bright Eyes,
Simple Plan, The Used, Senses Fail, etc...
