Emo (an abbreviation of "emotional") is a term now broadly used to describe almost any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that expresses emotions beyond traditional rock's limited emotional palette of alienation and rage. It is also used to describe fans of this genre, most commonly teenagers. (e.g., emo kid). The actual term "emo" originated in the mid-1980s D.C. scene, with the band Rites of Spring. The term addressed both the way the band connected with its audience, as well as its tendency to deal more with topics of personal and relationship politics than with the standard themes of rock music.
History:
The roots of the emo style can be traced to two seminal bands of the post-punk era. In 1983, Mission of Burma's album VS did much to expand rock beyond its original constraints while still retaining its raw emotional punch. There are still emo bands around today, but most of them take on a full-on screaming approach (hence the name Screamo) like Circle Takes The Square and Saetia. In 1984, Hüsker Dü's album Zen Arcade established what is widely considered to be the definitive blueprint for emo: simple, raw guitar-oriented music with intense vocals and deeply introspective songwriting.
As the style caught on, bands such as Moss Icon, Policy of Three, Navio Forge and Indian Summer evolved the form into what became known as simply "emo", a style which intensified the dramatic aspects of vocal performances in order to achieve a cathartic breakthrough with the audience. Done well, the result was powerful emotional release that often left emo bands and their audiences crying or screaming at the end of performances. While effective, such open displays of emotion made many traditional rock fans uncomfortable, and caused much friction between the two camps.
With the mass-market acceptance of alternative music in the early 1990s, a new derivative style variously called "chaotic emo", "screamo", and "Emo Violence" emerged featuring a blend of the more aggressive parts of bands like Rites of Spring, mixed chaotic rock music and with abrasive, emotional screaming vocals. The record label Gravity from San Diego, California was a major influence in releasing many defining records of the style in the early 1990s. Significant emo bands include Heroin, Angel Hair, Antioch Arrow, Swing Kids, and Mohinder. Many of these emo bands, such as Antioch Arrow, were significant to a blossoming scene on the west coast of the United States. After the decline of the significant bands in this movement, the focus on emo has shifted to the east coast instead. Focus on Screamo has shifted to Europe.
Later in the 90s, bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Elliott, Christie Front Drive, Get Up Kids, Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring and Mineral explored a more moderately paced form of emo that mixed the early emo sound of Rites of Spring with the post-hardcore innovation of Fugazi and Quicksand. This style is sometimes referred to as "midwestern emo", due to many of the bands coming from midwestern American cities like Chicago or Kansas City.
Today, the term "emo" is increasingly ambiguous. With the success of such power pop bands as The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring, the music industry has eagerly appropriated the term "emo" as a marketing tool. Consequently, the emo label is now wrongly applied to a wide assortment of many diverse guitar-pop bands, such as Thursday, Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, the New Amsterdams, and more recently to quieter, acoustic-driven bands such as Dashboard Confessional. Bands such as Bright Eyes are often mistaken for emo but are not.
Recently, as emo has edged its way into the public consciousness, non-fans of the genre (and even some ironic fans) have taken to using the term as a condescending insult, representing the stereotype of the angst-filled and overly-dramatic teenager. Examples include "cheer up, emo kid" or "I hate emo-fags".
Emo fashion:
"Emo fashion" seems to be directly derived from pre-existing rock fashion and retains staples from it, including the tendency for dyed, flat matte black hair and multiple piercings; in particular, labrets and ear "plugs" are prominent. Rolled-up (and often times form-fitting) jeans and t-shirts displaying sarcastic slogans or images of old-time cartoons are popular as well. Also band t-shirts, buttons for bands, and converse all-stars tend to be worn. More recently, many aspects of emo fashion have become mainstream and are regularly sold at stores like Hot Topic. Emo fashion, according to its proponents, is deeply rooted in a "being proud of who you are", anti-consumer subculture. Critics of the fashion point out that it has become so mainstream that it has become shallow and antithetical to this notion. To this extent, various websites and magazines have taken to poking fun at "emo kids" and stereotypical emo fashion, some offering guides to "making yourself emo".
History:
The roots of the emo style can be traced to two seminal bands of the post-punk era. In 1983, Mission of Burma's album VS did much to expand rock beyond its original constraints while still retaining its raw emotional punch. There are still emo bands around today, but most of them take on a full-on screaming approach (hence the name Screamo) like Circle Takes The Square and Saetia. In 1984, Hüsker Dü's album Zen Arcade established what is widely considered to be the definitive blueprint for emo: simple, raw guitar-oriented music with intense vocals and deeply introspective songwriting.
As the style caught on, bands such as Moss Icon, Policy of Three, Navio Forge and Indian Summer evolved the form into what became known as simply "emo", a style which intensified the dramatic aspects of vocal performances in order to achieve a cathartic breakthrough with the audience. Done well, the result was powerful emotional release that often left emo bands and their audiences crying or screaming at the end of performances. While effective, such open displays of emotion made many traditional rock fans uncomfortable, and caused much friction between the two camps.
With the mass-market acceptance of alternative music in the early 1990s, a new derivative style variously called "chaotic emo", "screamo", and "Emo Violence" emerged featuring a blend of the more aggressive parts of bands like Rites of Spring, mixed chaotic rock music and with abrasive, emotional screaming vocals. The record label Gravity from San Diego, California was a major influence in releasing many defining records of the style in the early 1990s. Significant emo bands include Heroin, Angel Hair, Antioch Arrow, Swing Kids, and Mohinder. Many of these emo bands, such as Antioch Arrow, were significant to a blossoming scene on the west coast of the United States. After the decline of the significant bands in this movement, the focus on emo has shifted to the east coast instead. Focus on Screamo has shifted to Europe.
Later in the 90s, bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Elliott, Christie Front Drive, Get Up Kids, Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring and Mineral explored a more moderately paced form of emo that mixed the early emo sound of Rites of Spring with the post-hardcore innovation of Fugazi and Quicksand. This style is sometimes referred to as "midwestern emo", due to many of the bands coming from midwestern American cities like Chicago or Kansas City.
Today, the term "emo" is increasingly ambiguous. With the success of such power pop bands as The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring, the music industry has eagerly appropriated the term "emo" as a marketing tool. Consequently, the emo label is now wrongly applied to a wide assortment of many diverse guitar-pop bands, such as Thursday, Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, the New Amsterdams, and more recently to quieter, acoustic-driven bands such as Dashboard Confessional. Bands such as Bright Eyes are often mistaken for emo but are not.
Recently, as emo has edged its way into the public consciousness, non-fans of the genre (and even some ironic fans) have taken to using the term as a condescending insult, representing the stereotype of the angst-filled and overly-dramatic teenager. Examples include "cheer up, emo kid" or "I hate emo-fags".
Emo fashion:
"Emo fashion" seems to be directly derived from pre-existing rock fashion and retains staples from it, including the tendency for dyed, flat matte black hair and multiple piercings; in particular, labrets and ear "plugs" are prominent. Rolled-up (and often times form-fitting) jeans and t-shirts displaying sarcastic slogans or images of old-time cartoons are popular as well. Also band t-shirts, buttons for bands, and converse all-stars tend to be worn. More recently, many aspects of emo fashion have become mainstream and are regularly sold at stores like Hot Topic. Emo fashion, according to its proponents, is deeply rooted in a "being proud of who you are", anti-consumer subculture. Critics of the fashion point out that it has become so mainstream that it has become shallow and antithetical to this notion. To this extent, various websites and magazines have taken to poking fun at "emo kids" and stereotypical emo fashion, some offering guides to "making yourself emo".
emo: The Hated, Native Nod, Indian Summer, Sleepytime Trio, Evergreen, Embassy, Moss Icon
emocore: Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, early Lifetime, Samiam, Hot Water Music, Ignition, Jawbreaker, Kerosene 454
post-emo indie: Sunny Day Real Estate, Promise Ring, Mineral, Getup Kids, Jets To Brazil, Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Braid
nu-emo: The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Finch, Thrice, Senses Fail, Machbook Romance
emocore: Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, early Lifetime, Samiam, Hot Water Music, Ignition, Jawbreaker, Kerosene 454
post-emo indie: Sunny Day Real Estate, Promise Ring, Mineral, Getup Kids, Jets To Brazil, Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Braid
nu-emo: The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Finch, Thrice, Senses Fail, Machbook Romance
by Jadyn June 24, 2005
Horror punk is a dark style of music mixing Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery. Often, song topics are taken from horror movies, but the best horror punk creates atmosphere by telling tales through the song. Usually with poetic lyrics.
also see: goth punk / gothic punk
also see: goth punk / gothic punk
by Jadyn May 20, 2005
by Jadyn April 24, 2005
"I wish everyone whould stop saying that I'm not "punk"! God damnit, I created punk for this day and age. Do you see Britney walking around wearing ties and singing punk? Hell no. Thats what I do. I'm like a Sid Vicious for a new generation. People look up to me and want to be me. And thats fine, just don't try to copy the sh*t I do!" -Avril Lavigne
by Jadyn May 15, 2005
by jadyn February 20, 2005
Is the drummer of the band green day.
'tre cool' isn't even his real name.
'tre cool', more like 'tre uncool'.
'tre cool' isn't even his real name.
'tre cool', more like 'tre uncool'.
"Good Charlotte have nothing to do with punk rock music. They're just a pop band trying to be punk band." -tre cool
Not that I care whether GC is 'punk' or not; but who made him the judge of whats 'punk' and whats not? And why does he even care? Its just music.
Not that I care whether GC is 'punk' or not; but who made him the judge of whats 'punk' and whats not? And why does he even care? Its just music.
by Jadyn May 12, 2005
Simple Plan is a Canadian pop-punk rock band. The band has recently achieved widespread popularity despite receiving little appreciation from critics who claim they are posers with no creativity, talent, musicianship, or depth. Simple Plan claims that they are just doing what they love and will never stop. On their second album 'Still Not Getting Any...' the track "Shut Up" is a response to critics.
The band:
Pierre Bouvier — vocals
Chuck Comeau — drums
David Desrosiers — bass and background vocals
Sebastien (Seb) Lefebvre — guitar and background vocals
Jeff Stinco — lead guitar
Simple Plan came about in stages that began with the founding of Reset, a Canadian punk band, by high-school friends Pierre Bouvier and Charles Comeau at the age of thirteen. Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only ever gained mild popularity. The debut album was released in 1997. Comeau soon left to go to college, but two years later he hooked up with Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre, and again started making music. It was coincidence that brought Comeau and Bouvier back together at a Sugar Ray concert in late 1999, and Bouvier soon left Reset and joined his old friends. David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join the foursome, he too left the band and joined the four friends. Simple Plan was born.
Role Model Clothing, the label that Bouvier and Comeau are often seen sporting, was actually formed before Simple Plan by Comeau, Bouvier, and their friend Patrick Langlois, who is now responsible for merchandising and the web, as well as being videographer for the band. Langlois and Lefebvre also have their own side project, a label called Man of the Hour, which is just starting out.
Pierre Bouvier also appears as the host of Damage Control, MTV's new reality television series.
albums:
'No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls'(2002)
'Still Not Getting Any...' (2004)
The band:
Pierre Bouvier — vocals
Chuck Comeau — drums
David Desrosiers — bass and background vocals
Sebastien (Seb) Lefebvre — guitar and background vocals
Jeff Stinco — lead guitar
Simple Plan came about in stages that began with the founding of Reset, a Canadian punk band, by high-school friends Pierre Bouvier and Charles Comeau at the age of thirteen. Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only ever gained mild popularity. The debut album was released in 1997. Comeau soon left to go to college, but two years later he hooked up with Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre, and again started making music. It was coincidence that brought Comeau and Bouvier back together at a Sugar Ray concert in late 1999, and Bouvier soon left Reset and joined his old friends. David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join the foursome, he too left the band and joined the four friends. Simple Plan was born.
Role Model Clothing, the label that Bouvier and Comeau are often seen sporting, was actually formed before Simple Plan by Comeau, Bouvier, and their friend Patrick Langlois, who is now responsible for merchandising and the web, as well as being videographer for the band. Langlois and Lefebvre also have their own side project, a label called Man of the Hour, which is just starting out.
Pierre Bouvier also appears as the host of Damage Control, MTV's new reality television series.
albums:
'No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls'(2002)
'Still Not Getting Any...' (2004)
by Jadyn June 24, 2005