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| {{about|the style of music||Emo (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{pp-move-indef}} | |||
| {{Infobox Music genre <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Music genres --> | |||
| | name = Emo | |||
| | color = white | |||
| | bgcolor = crimson | |||
| | stylistic_origins = ], ] | |||
| | cultural_origins = Mid-1980s ] | |||
| | instruments = ], ], ], ] | |||
| | popularity = Early 2000s–present | |||
| | derivatives = | |||
| | subgenres = ] | |||
| | fusiongenres = | |||
| | regional_scenes = Washington, D.C.{{·}} ] and ]{{·}} ] and ] | |||
| | local_scenes = | |||
| | other_topics = ]{{·}} ] | |||
| }} | |||
| {{portal|Emo}} | |||
| '''Emo''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|ˈ|iː|m|oʊ}}) is a style of ] typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s ] movement of ], where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as ] and ]. As the style was echoed by contemporary American ] bands, its sound and meaning shifted and changed, blending with ] and ] and encapsulated in the early 1990s by groups such as ] and ]. By the mid 1990s numerous emo acts emerged from the ] and ], and several independent record labels began to specialize in the style. | |||
| Emo broke into mainstream culture in the early 2000s with the ]-selling success of ] and ] and the emergence of the subgenre "]". In recent years the term "emo" has been applied by critics and journalists to a variety of artists, including multiplatinum acts and groups with disparate styles and sounds. | |||
| In addition to music, "emo" is often used more generally to signify a particular relationship between fans and artists, and to describe related aspects of fashion, culture, and behavior. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ===Origins: 1980s=== | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Rites of Spring - Remainder.ogg | |||
| |title = "Remainder" by Rites of Spring | |||
| |description = The melodic guitars, varied rhythms, and deeply personal lyrics of ] broke from the rigid boundaries of ] and helped launch the "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" style.<ref name="Greenwald, 12">{{cite book|last =Greenwald|first =Andy|authorlink =Andy Greenwald|title =]|publisher =]|date =2003|location =]|isbn =031230863|page=12}}</ref> | |||
| }}Emo emerged from the ] scene of early-1980s ], both as a reaction to the increased violence within the scene and as an extension of the personal politics espoused by ] of ], who had turned the focus of the music from the community back towards the individual.<ref name="Greenwald, 12">{{cite book|last =Greenwald|first =Andy|authorlink =Andy Greenwald|title =]|publisher =]|date =2003|location =]|isbn =0-312-30863-9|pages=9–11}}</ref><ref name="Blush, 157">{{cite book|last = Blush|first = Steven|authorlink = Steven Blush|title = ]|publisher = ]|date = 2001|location = ]|isbn = 0-922925-71-7|page=157}}</ref> Minor Threat fan ] formed ] in 1984, breaking free of hardcore's self-imposed boundaries in favor of melodic guitars, varied rhythms, and deeply personal, impassioned lyrics.<ref>Greenwald, p. 12.</ref> Many of the band's themes would become familiar tropes in later generations of emo music, including nostalgia, romantic bitterness, and poetic desperation.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 12–13.</ref> Their performances became public emotional purges where audience members would sometimes weep.<ref>Greenwald, p. 13.</ref> MacKaye became a huge Rites of Spring fan, recording their only album and serving as their roadie on tour, and soon formed a new band of his own called ] which explored similar themes of self-searching and emotional release.<ref name="Greenwald, 14">Greenwald, p. 14.</ref> Similar bands soon followed in connection with the "Revolution Summer" of 1985, a deliberate attempt by members of the Washington, D.C. scene to break from the rigid constraints of hardcore in favor of a renewed spirit of creativity.<ref name="Blush, 157"/> Bands such as ], ], ], ], ], and Kingface were connected to this movement.<ref name="Blush, 157"/><ref name="Greenwald, 14"/> | |||
| The exact origins of the term "emo" are uncertain, but date back to at least 1985. According to ], author of '']'', "The origins of the term 'emo' are shrouded in mystery but it first came into common practice in 1985. If Minor Threat was hardcore, then Rites of Spring, with its altered focus, was emotional hardcore or emocore."<ref name="Greenwald, 14"/> ], author of '']'', also traces the word's origins to this time: | |||
| "The style was soon dubbed 'emo-core,' a term everyone involved bitterly detested, although the term and the approach thrived for at least another fifteen years, spawning countless bands."<ref name="azerrad, 380">{{cite book|last =Azerrad|first = Michael|authorlink =Michael Azerrad|title =]|publisher =]|date =2001|location =]|page =380|isbn =0316787531}}</ref> MacKaye also traces it to 1985, attributing it to an article in '']'' magazine referring to Embrace and other Washington, D.C. bands as "emo-core", which he called "the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life."<ref name="khanna">{{cite web|last = Khanna| first = Vish|date = February 2007|url = http://exclaim.ca/articles/timeline.aspx?csid1=107|title = Timeline: Ian MacKaye - Out of Step|publisher = Exclaim.ca|accessdate = 2009-04-19}}</ref> Other accounts attribute the term to an audience member at an Embrace show, who yelled that the band was "emocore" as an insult.<ref name="DePasquale">{{cite web|last = DePasquale|first = Ron|title = Embrace: Biography|url = {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p12874|pure_url=yes}}|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-04-21}}</ref><ref name="Popkin">{{cite web|last = Popkin|first = Helen|title = What Exactly Is 'Emo,' Anyway?|date = 2006-03-26|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11720603/|work = ]|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-04-21}}</ref> Others contend that MacKaye coined the term when he used it self-mockingly in a magazine, or that it originated with Rites of Spring.<ref name="Popkin"/> The '']'', however, dates the earliest usage of "emo-core" to 1992 and "emo" to 1993, with "emo" first appearing in print media in '']'' in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|title = emo-core, n.|url = http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00341634?query_type=word&queryword=emo-core&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha|work = ]|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-04-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = emo, n.| url = http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00341633?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=emo&first=1&max_to_show=10 | |||
| |work = ]|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-04-18}}</ref> | |||
| The "emocore" label quickly spread around the Washington, D.C. punk scene and became attached to many of the bands associated with MacKaye's ] label.<ref name="DePasquale"/> Although many of these bands simultaneously rejected the term, it stuck nonetheless. Scene veteran ] has recalled that "The only people who used it at first were the ones that were jealous over how big and fanatical a scene it was. existed well before the term did and they hated it. But there was this weird moment, like when people started calling music '],' where you were using the term even though you hated it."<ref>Greenwald, pp. 14–15.</ref> | |||
| The Washington, D.C. emo scene lasted only a few years. By 1986 most of the major bands of the movement—including Rites of Spring, Embrace, Gray Matter, and Beefeater—had broken up.<ref name="Greenwald, 15">Greenwald, p. 15.</ref> Even so, the ideas and aesthetics originating from the scene spread quickly across the country via a network of homemade ]s, vinyl records, and hearsay.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 15–17.</ref> According to Greenwald, the Washington, D.C. scene laid the groundwork for all subsequent incarnations of emo: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| What had happened in D.C. in the mid-eighties—the shift from anger to action, from extroverted rage to internal turmoil, from an individualized mass to a mass of individuals—was in many ways a test case for the transformation of the national punk scene over the next two decades. The imagery, the power of the music, the way people responded to it, and the way the bands burned out instead of fading away—all have their origins in those first few performances by Rites of Spring. The roots of emo were laid, however unintentionally, by fifty or so people in the nation's capital. And in some ways, it was never as good and surely never as pure again. Certainly, the Washington scene was the only time "emocore" had any consensus definition as a genre.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 15–16.</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| MacKaye and Piccioto, along with Rites of Spring drummer ], went on to form the highly influential ] who, despite sometimes being connected with the term "emo", are not commonly recognized as an emo band.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 17–18. "Fugazi is one of the best and most influential groups of the last thirty years—and yet, despite some opinion to the contrary, they are not an emo band. Fugazi's fan base is too varied, too diffuse—its themes likewise. Fugazi is a living blueprint for a truly committed, punk/DIY artistic life once both the rage and the tears have faded. Making the group, perhaps, an emo doctoral program, but not emo. People have their preconceived ideas crushed by Fugazi, they don't have crushes on its members."</ref> | |||
| ===Reinvention: early 1990s=== | |||
| ] in 2009.]] | |||
| As the ideals of the Washington, D.C. emo movement spread across the United States, many bands in numerous local scenes began to emulate the sound as a way to marry the intensity of hardcore with the complex emotions associated with growing older.<ref name="Greenwald, 18">Greenwald, p. 18.</ref> The style combined the fatalism, theatricality, and outsiderness of ] with the uncompromising and dramatic worldview of hardcore.<ref name="Greenwald, 18"/> Although the bands were numerous and the locales varied, the aesthetics of emocore in the late 1980s remained more or less the same: "over-the-top lyrics about feelings wedded to dramatic but decidedly punk music."<ref name="Greenwald, 18"/> However, in the early 1990s, several new bands reinvented the emo style and carried its core characteristic, the intimacy between bands and fans, into the new decade.<ref name="Greenwald, 19">Greenwald, p. 19.</ref> Chief among these were ] and ], both of whom fostered cult followings, recontextualized the word "emo", and brought it a step closer to the mainstream.<ref name="Greenwald, 19"/> According to Andy Greenwald: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| Sunny Day Real Estate was emo's head and Jawbreaker its busted gut—the two overlapped in the heart, then broke up before they made it big. Each had a lasting impact on the world of independent music. The bands shared little else but fans, and yet somehow the combination of the two lays down a fairly effective blueprint for everything that was labeled emo for the next decade.<ref name="Greenwald, 19"/> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| In the wake of the 1991 success of ]'s '']'', underground music and subcultures in the United States became big business. New distribution networks emerged, touring routes were codified, and regional and independent acts were able to access the national stage.<ref name="Greenwald, 19"/> Teenagers across the country declared themselves fans of independent music, and being punk became mainstream.<ref name="Greenwald, 19"/> In this new musical climate, the aesthetics of emo expanded into the mainstream and altered the way the music was perceived: "Punk rock no-nos like the ] and artistic abstraction suddenly become ''de rigueur''", says Greenwald. "If one definition of emo has always been music that felt like a secret, Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate were cast in the rolls of the biggest gossips of all, reigning as the largest influences on every emo band that came after them."<ref name="Greenwald, 20">Greenwald, p. 20.</ref> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Jawbreaker - Kiss the Bottle.ogg | |||
| |title = "Kiss the Bottle" by Jawbreaker | |||
| |description = {{" '}}Kiss the Bottle,' more than any other song, captures the sensitive boy machismo that drew (and continues to draw) male listeners to the altar of Schwarzenbach."<ref>Greenwald, p. 23.</ref> | |||
| }}Jawbreaker has been referred to as "the ] of contemporary emo".<ref name="Greenwald, 20"/> Emerging from the ] punk rock scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, their songwriting combined the heft of hardcore with ] sensibilities and the tortured artistry of mid-1980s emocore.<ref name="Greenwald, 20"/> Singer/guitarist ] focused his lyrics on topics that were personal, immediate, and lived, often lifting them directly from his journal.<ref>Greenwald, p. 21.</ref> Though they were often obscure and cloaked in ]s, their specificity to Schwarzenbach's own concerns gave the words a bitterness and frustration that made them universal and magnetic to audiences.<ref name="Greenwald, 21-22">Greenwald, pp. 21–22.</ref> Schwarzenbach became emo's first idol as listeners related to the singer more than the songs themselves.<ref name="Greenwald, 21-22"/> Jawbreaker's 1994 album '']'' became their most-loved amongst fans and is a touchstone of mid-1990s emo.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 24–25. "''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' is arguably Jawbreaker's best album, but it is also far and away its most loved".</ref> The band signed to major label ] and toured with Nirvana and ], but their 1995 album '']'' sold poorly and they broke up soon after, with Schwarzenbach later forming ].<ref>Greenwald, pp. 25–26.</ref> Their influence lived on, however, through later successful emo and pop punk bands openly indebted to Jawbreaker's sound.<ref>Greenwald, p. 26.</ref> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Sunny Day Real Estate - Seven.ogg | |||
| |title = "Seven" by Sunny Day Real Estate | |||
| |description = ]'s epic sound challenged other bands to reach further with their own music. "Seven" helped bring emo towards the mainstream when it received airplay on ].<ref name="Greenwald, 29-31"/>}}Sunny Day Real Estate formed in ] during the height of the early-1990s ] boom.<ref name="Greenwald, 28">Greenwald, p. 28.</ref> In contrast to Jawbreaker, its members were accomplished musicians with high-quality gear, lofty musical ambitions, intricate songwriting, and a sweeping, epic sound.<ref name="Greenwald, 28"/> Frontman ] sang desperately, in a ] register, about losing himself and subsuming himself in something greater, often using haphazard lyrics and made-up words.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 28–29.</ref> The band's debut album '']'' (1994) was over-the-top and romantic, and the ] for "Seven" received airplay on ].<ref>Greenwald, p. 30.</ref> The band's ambitious sound challenged other bands to reach further with their own music in sentiment, instrumentation, and metaphor, and represented a generational shift between grunge and emo.<ref name="Greenwald, 29-31">Greenwald, pp. 29–31.</ref> Other emo-leaning punk bands soon followed suit, and the word "emo" began to shift from being vague and undefined to referring to a specific type of emotionally overbearing music that was romantic but distanced from the political nature of punk rock.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 31–32.</ref> Sunny Day Real Estate fell apart after ''Diary'', as Enigk became a ] and launched a solo career while the other members drifted into new projects such as the ]. They released three more albums through a series of breakups and occasional reunions, but are remembered primarily for the promise of their debut and the shift it engendered in the tastes of underground rock fans.<ref>Greenwald, p. 32. ""n many ways Sunny Day's brilliance ''was'' its zeitgeist-seizing debut, physically forcing a regime change in the hearts and minds of fans of underground rock."</ref> | |||
| ===Underground popularity: mid 1990s=== | |||
| In the mid-1990s the American ] and ] movements, which had been largely underground since the early 1980s, became part of mainstream culture. After ]'s success, major record labels capitalized on the popularity of ] and other underground music by signing numerous independent bands and spending large amounts of capital promoting them.<ref name="Greenwald, 33">Greenwald, p. 33.</ref> In 1994, the same year that Jawbreaker's ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' and Sunny Day Real Estate's ''Diary'' were released, ] acts ] and ] had ] successes with their respective albums '']'' and '']''. In the wake of the underground going mainstream, over the next several years emo as a genre retreated, reformed, and morphed into a national subculture, then eventually something more.<ref name="Greenwald, 33"/> Drawing inspiration from bands like Jawbreaker, ], and ], the new sound of emo was a mixture of ]'s passion and indie rock's intelligence, bearing the anthemic power of punk rock and its ] work ethic but with smoother songs, sloppier melodies, and yearning vocals.<ref name="Greenwald, 34-35">Greenwald, pp. 34–35.</ref> Many of the new emo bands originated from the ] and ], such as ] from ]-], ] from ], ], ] from ], ] from ], ] from ], and ] from ], ].<ref>Greenwald, p. 34.</ref> According to ], "This was the period when emo earned many, if not all, of the stereotypes that have lasted to this day: boy-driven, glasses-wearing, overly sensitive, overly brainy, chiming-guitar-driven college music."<ref name="Greenwald, 34-35" /> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Texas Is the Reason - If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours.ogg | |||
| |title = "If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours" by Texas Is the Reason | |||
| |description = ] bridged ] and emo by blending melody with punk musicianship and singing directly to the listener.<ref name="Greenwald, 38-39"/> | |||
| }}On the east coast, ]-based ] bridged the gap between indie rock and emo in their brief three-year lifespan by melding the melodies of Sunny Day Real Estate to churning punk musicianship and singing directly to the listener.<ref name="Greenwald, 38-39">Greenwald, pp. 38–39.</ref> In ], ] gained a reputation as a ] act, playing shows in fans' basements.<ref name="Greenwald, 121-122">Greenwald, pp. 121–122.</ref> Their 1995 album '']'' on rising independent label ] fused hardcore with emo's tunefulness, turning its back on cynicism and irony in favor of love songs.<ref name="Greenwald, 121-122"/> The album sold tens of thousands of copies<ref name="Greenwald, 122">Greenwald, p. 122.</ref> and the band inspired a number of later New Jersey and ] emo acts such as ], ], ],<ref name="Rashbaum">{{cite web|last = Rashbaum|first = Alyssa|title = A Lifetime of Rock|url = http://www.spin.com/articles/lifetime-rock|publisher = '']''|date = 2006-03-24|accessdate = 2009-03-28}}</ref> ], ],<ref name="Rashbaum"/> ],<ref name="Rashbaum"/><ref name="Greenwald, 80">Greenwald, p. 80.</ref> ],<ref name="Rashbaum"/> ],<ref name="Greenwald, 122">Greenwald, p. 122.</ref><ref name="Rashbaum"/> and ].<ref name="Rashbaum"/><ref name="Greenwald, 152">Greenwald, p. 152.</ref> | |||
| The Promise Ring were one of the premier bands of the new emo style. Their music took a slower, smoother, pop punk approach to hardcore riffs, blending them with singer ]'s goofy, picturesque lyrics delivered with a froggy croon and pronounced ], and they played shows in basements and ] halls<ref>Greenwald, pp. 35–36.</ref> Jade Tree released their debut '']'' in 1996 and it sold tens of thousands of copies, a blockbuster by independent standards.<ref>Greenwald, p. 36.</ref> Greenwald describes the effect of the album as "like being hit in the head with cotton candy."<ref>Greenwald, p. 37.</ref> Other bands such as ], ], ], and The Shyness Clinic incorporated elements of ] and ] into the emo sound.<ref name="Greenwald, 40">Greenwald, p. 40.</ref> The common lyrical thread between these bands was "applying big questions to small scenarios."<ref name="Greenwald, 40"/> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Weezer - El Scorcho.ogg | |||
| |title = "El Scorcho" by Weezer | |||
| |description = '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s abrasive sound and confessional lyrics led to critical and commercial failure in the short term, but in retrospect it is regarded as the most important emo album of the 1990s.<ref name="Greenwald, 51"/> | |||
| }}A cornerstone of mid-1990s emo was ]'s 1996 album '']''.<ref>{{cite web|last = Edwards|first = Gavin|title = Review: ''Pinkerton''|url = http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weezer/albums/album/301487/review/6635729/pinkerton|publisher = Rolling Stone|date = 2001-12-09|accessdate = 2009-03-23}}</ref> Following the success of their ], ''Pinkerton'' turned from their ] sound to a much darker, more abrasive character.<ref>{{cite web|last = Erlewine| first = Stephen|url = {{Allmusic|class=album|id=r241030|pure_url=yes}}|title = Allmusic: Pinkerton: Overview|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2007-09-21}}</ref><ref name="Greenwald, 50">Greenwald, p. 50.</ref> Frontman ]'s songs were obsessed with messy, manipulative sex and his own insecurities of dealing with celebrity.<ref name="Greenwald, 50"/> A critical and commercial failure,<ref name="Greenwald, 50"/><ref>{{cite book|last =Luerssen|first = John D.|title =Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story|publisher =]|date =2004|location =]|isbn =1-55022-619-3|page =206}}</ref> it was ranked by '']'' as the second-worst album of the year.<ref>Luerssen, p. 137.</ref> Cuomo retreated from the public eye,<ref name="Greenwald, 50"/> later referring to the album as "hideous" and "a hugely painful mistake".<ref>Luerssen, p. 348.</ref> However, ''Pinkerton'' found enduring appeal with teenagers just discovering ], who were drawn to its confessional lyrics and themes of rejection and came to believe that it was directed at them.<ref name="Greenwald, 51">Greenwald, p. 51.</ref> Sales grew steadily as word of the album passed between fans, over online messageboards, and via ].<ref name="Greenwald, 51"/> "Although no one was paying attention", says Greenwald, "perhaps ''because'' no one was paying attention—''Pinkerton'' became the most important emo album of the decade."<ref name="Greenwald, 51"/> When Weezer returned in 2000, however, they did so with a decidedly ] sound. Cuomo refused to play songs from ''Pinkerton'', dismissing it as "ugly" and "embarrassing".<ref>Greenwald, p. 52.</ref> Nevertheless, the album held its appeal and eventually achieved both high sales and critical praise, and is noted for introducing emo to larger and more mainstream audiences.<ref>{{cite web|last = Montgomery|first = James|title = The Argument: Weezer Are the Most Important Band of the Last 10 Years|url = http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/weezer/news_feature_102504/|publisher = MTV|date = 2004-10-25|accessdate = 2009-03-23}}</ref> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Mineral - If I Could.ogg | |||
| |title = "If I Could" by Mineral | |||
| |description = ] calls "If I Could" "the ultimate expression of mid-nineties emo."<ref name="Greenwald, 41"/> | |||
| }}The emo aesthetic of the mid-1990s was embodied in Mineral, whose albums '']'' (1997) and '']'' (1998) encapsulated the emo tropes of somber music accompanied by a shy narrator singing seriously about mundane problems.<ref name="Greenwald, 41">Greenwald, p. 41.</ref> Greenwald calls their song "If I Could" "the ultimate expression of mid-nineties emo. The song's short synopsis—she is beautiful, I am weak, dumb, and shy; I am alone but am surprisingly poetic when left alone—sums up everything that emo's adherents admired and its detractors detested."<ref name="Greenwald, 41"/> Another significant band of the era was Braid, whose 1998 album '']'' and ] song "Forever Got Shorter" blurred the lines between band and listener, as the group was a mirror-image of its own audience in passion and sentiment and sang in the voice of their fans.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 46–48.</ref> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = The Promise Ring - Why Did We Ever Meet.ogg | |||
| |title = "Why Did We Ever Meet" by The Promise Ring | |||
| |description = ]'s '']'' was the most commercially successful emo album of the mid-1990s due to its effective blend of pop and punk.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 42-44.</ref> | |||
| }}Though the emo style of the mid-1990s had thousands of young fans, it never broke into the national consciousness.<ref name="Greenwald, 42">Greenwald, p. 42.</ref> A few bands were offered contracts with major record labels, but most broke up before they could capitalize on the opportunity.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 45–46.</ref> Jimmy Eat World signed to ] in 1995 and built a following among the emo community with their album '']'', but did not break into the mainstream despite their major-label association as their music was mostly lost amongst the popular ] movement of the period.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 99–101.</ref> The Promise Ring were the most commercially successful emo band of the time, with sales of their 1997 album '']'' topping out in the mid-five figures.<ref name="Greenwald, 42"/> Greenwald calls the album "the pinnacle of its generation of emo: a convergence of pop and punk, of resignation and celebration, of the lure of girlfriends and the pull of friends, bandmates, and the road."<ref name="Greenwald, 44">Greenwald, p. 44.</ref> He refers to mid-1990s emo as "the last subculture made of vinyl and paper instead of plastic and megabytes."<ref>Greenwald, 48.</ref> | |||
| ===Independent success: late 1990s and early 2000s=== | |||
| Beginning in the late 1990s emo had a surge of popularity in the realm of independent music, as a number of notable acts and record labels experienced successes that would lay the foundation for the style's later mainstream breakthrough. As emo gained a larger fanbase the music business began see its marketing potential, and as big business entered the picture many of the acts previously associated with the term intentionally distanced themselves from it: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| As the '90s wore to a close, the music that was being labeled emo was making a connection with a larger and larger group of people. the aspects of it that were the most contagious—the sensitivity, hooks, and average-guy appeal—were also the easiest to latch onto, replicate, and mass market. As with any phenomenon—exactly like what happened with Sunny Day —when business enters into a high-stakes, highly personal sphere, things tend to go awry very quickly As fans threatened to storm the emo bandwagon, the groups couldn't jump off of it fast enough. The popularity and bankability of the word—if not the music—transformed an affiliation with the mid-nineties version of emo into an albatross.<ref name="Greenwald, 119">Greenwald, p. 119.</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| In 1997 ] launched a series of ]s entitled '']'', which continued until 2007 with eleven installments.<ref name="emo diaries">{{cite web|title = The Emo Diaries|publisher = ]|url = http://www.deepelm.com/bands/index_emo.html#anchor1|accessdate = 2009-03-27}}</ref> Featuring mostly unreleased music from unsigned bands, the series included acts such as ], ], ], and ].<ref name="emo diaries"/> The diversity of bands and musical styles made the case for emo as more of a shared aesthetic than a genre, and the series helped to codify the term "emo" and spread it throughout the community of underground music.<ref name="Greenwald, 119"/> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Jimmy Eat World - Lucky Denver Mint.ogg | |||
| |title = "Lucky Denver Mint" by Jimmy Eat World | |||
| |description = '']'' was an underground hit for ] even though it was not a commercial success, despite the promotion of "]".<ref name="Greenwald, 103-104"/><ref name="vanderhoff"/> | |||
| }}Jimmy Eat World's 1999 album '']'' was one of the most significant emo albums of the late 1990s and became a touchstone for later emo bands.<ref name="Greenwald, 101">Greenwald, p. 101.</ref> Writing in 2003, ] called it "one of the most fiercely beloved rock 'n' roll records of the last decade. It is name-checked by every single contemporary emo band as their favorite album, as a mind-bending milemarker that proved that punk rock could be tuneful, emotional, wide-ranging, and ambitious."<ref name="Greenwald, 101"/> However, despite warm critical reception and promotion of the single "]" in the ] comedy film '']'', ''Clarity'' was commercially unsuccessful in a musical climate dominated by teen pop, and the band left major label ] the following year.<ref name="Greenwald, 103-104">Greenwald, pp. 103–104.</ref><ref name="vanderhoff">{{cite web|last = Vanderhoff|first = Mark|url = {{Allmusic|class=album|id=r396600|pure_url=yes}} |title=Review: ''Clarity''|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-03-26}}</ref> Nevertheless, the album gained steady popularity via word-of-mouth and was treasured by fans, eventually selling over 70,000 copies.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 102–205.</ref> Jimmy Eat World self-financed the recording of their next album '']'' (2001) before signing to ]. The album sold 30,000 copies in its first week and went gold shortly after. In 2002 it went platinum as emo broke into the mainstream.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 104–108.</ref> | |||
| ], founded in 1996, steadily built up a roster of primarily ] bands with emo characteristics such as ], ], The Movielife, and ].<ref>Greenwald, pp. 126–132.</ref> Drive-Thru's partnership with major label ] enabled their brand of emo-inflected pop to reach wider audiences.<ref name="Greenwald, 127">Greenwald, p. 127.</ref> The label's biggest early success was ],<ref name="Greenwald, 127"/> whose 2000 ] reached #107 on the ]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=351721&model.vnuAlbumId=1209750 |title=Artist Chart History - New Found Glory: Albums|publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-31}}</ref> with the single "]" reaching #15 on ].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Singles&model.vnuArtistId=351721&model.vnuAlbumId=1209750 |title=Artist Chart History - New Found Glory: Singles|publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-31}}</ref> Drive-Thru's unabashedly populist and capitalist approach to music allowed its bands' albums and merchandise to sell heavily through popular outlets such as ]:<ref>Greenwald, pp. 127–129.</ref> | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| In a world where cars are advertised as punk, Green Day members are platinum rock stars, and getting pierced and tatted up is as natural as a sweet-sixteen party, everyone is free to come up with their own definition of punk—and everyone is ready to embrace it. Emo had always connected with young people—it had just never aggressively marketed itself to them.<ref>Greenwald, p. 70.</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = The Get Up Kids - Action & Action.ogg | |||
| |title = "Action & Action" by The Get Up Kids | |||
| |description = ]' '']'' helped ] expand into a much larger label and sign numerous other emo acts. | |||
| }}Independent label ] was behind several successful emo acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ] had sold over 15,000 copies of their debut album '']'' (1997) before signing to Vagrant, who promoted the band aggressively and put them on tours opening for big-name acts like ] and ].<ref>Greenwald, pp. 77–78.</ref> Their 1999 album '']'' was an independent success, reaching #31 on ]'s ] chart.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=294&cfgn=Albums&cfn=Heatseekers&ci=3035794&cdi=7505634&cid=10%2F23%2F1999 |title=Heatseekers: Something to Write Home About|publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-25}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Vagrant signed and released albums by a number of other emo and emo-related acts over the next two years, including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>Greenwald, p. 79.</ref> Saves the Day had built a large following on the east coast and sold almost 50,000 copies of their second album '']'' (1999)<ref name="Greenwald, 80"/> before signing to Vagrant and releasing '']'' (2001), which sold 15,000 copies in its first week,<ref name="Greenwald, 81">Greenwald, p. 81.</ref> reached #100 on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=281258&model.vnuAlbumId=814700 |title=Artist Chart History - Saves the Day|publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-26}}</ref> and went on to sell over 200,000 copies.<ref name="Saves the Day Allmusic bio">{{cite web|last = Wilson|first = MacKenzie|url = {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p311722|pure_url=yes}} |title=Saves the Day Biography|publisher = ]|accessdate = 2009-03-26}}</ref> In the summer of 2001 Vagrant organized a national tour featuring every band on the label, sponsored by corporations such as ] and ]. This populist approach and the use of the ] as a marketing tool helped Vagrant become one of the country's most successful independent labels and also helped to popularize the term "emo".<ref>Greenwald, pp. 81–88.</ref> According Greenwald, "More than any other event, it was Vagrant America that defined emo to masses—mainly because it had the gumption to hit the road and bring it to ''them''."<ref name="Greenwald, 81"/> | |||
| ===Mainstream popularity: 2000s=== | |||
| {{Listen | |||
| |filename = Dashboard Confessional - Screaming Infidelities.ogg | |||
| |title = "Screaming Infidelities" by Dashboard Confessional | |||
| |description = "Screaming Infidelities" helped ] reach #5 on the ] chart in 2002.<ref name="Dashboard album charts"/> | |||
| |filename2 = Jimmy Eat World - The Middle.ogg | |||
| |title2 = "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World | |||
| |description2 = '']'' reached #1 on ]'s ] chart and helped '']'' reach platinum sales.<ref name="Greenwald, 68"/><ref name="Jimmy Eat World singles history"/> | |||
| }}Emo broke into the mainstream media in the summer of 2002 with a number of notable events:<ref name="Greenwald, 68">Greenwald, p. 68.</ref> ]'s '']'' album went platinum on the strength of "]", which reached #1 on ]'s ] chart.<ref name="Greenwald, 68"/><ref name="Jimmy Eat World singles history">{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=147715&model.vnuAlbumId=1085063 |title=Jimmy Eat World singles chart history |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref><ref>Greenwald, p. 94.</ref> ] reached #22 on the same chart with "Screaming Infidelities"<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=419236&model.vnuAlbumId=1082909 |title=Dashboard Confessional singles chart history |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> from their ] debut '']'', which was #5 on ],<ref name="Dashboard album charts">{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=419236&model.vnuAlbumId=1082909 |title=Dashboard Confessional albums chart history |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> and became the first non-platinum-selling artist to record an episode of '']''<ref name="Greenwald, 68"/> (the ] itself was a #1 Independent Album in 2003 and quickly went platinum).<ref name="Dashboard album charts"/><ref name="Dashboard Billboard bio">{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=419236&aid=1082909 |title=Artist Biography - Dashboard Confessional |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> ]'s album '']'' debuted at #4 on the ].<ref name="Greenwald, 68"/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=351721&model.vnuAlbumId=1209750 |title=New Found Glory albums chart history |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> ] toured with ], ], and ], playing large arenas such as ],<ref>Greenwald, p. 67.</ref> and by the end of the year had performed on '']'', appeared on the cover of '']'', and had ]s for "At Your Funeral" and "Freakish" in heavy rotation on ].<ref name="Greenwald, 81"/><ref name="Saves the Day Allmusic bio"/> Articles on Vagrant Records were published in ] and '']'',<ref>Greenwald, p. 88.</ref> while the word "emo" began appearing on numerous magazine covers and became a catchall term for any music outside of mainstream pop.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 68–69.</ref> ] attributes emo's sudden explosion into the mainstream to media outlets looking for the "next big thing" in the wake of the ]: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| The media business, so desperate for its self-obsessed, post-9/11 predictions of a return to austerity and the death of irony to come true, had found its next big thing. But it was barely a "thing," because no one had heard of it, and those who had couldn't define it. Despite the fact that the hedonistic, materialistic hip-hop of Nelly was still dominating the charts, magazine readers in the summer of '02 were informed that the nation was deep in an introverted healing process, and the way it was healing was by wearing thick black glasses and vintage striped shirts. Emo, we were told, would heal us all through fashion.<ref>Greenwald, p. 69.</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| In the wake of this success, many emo bands were signed to major record labels and the style became a marketable product.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 140–141.</ref> ] senior ] representative Luke Wood remarked that "The industry really does look at emo as the new raprock, or the new grunge. I don't think that anyone is listening to the music that's being made—they're thinking of how they're going to take advantage of the sound's popularity at retail."<ref name="Greenwald, 142">Greenwald, p. 142.</ref> The depoliticized nature of emo, coupled with its catchy music and accessible themes, gave it a broad appeal to young mainstream audiences.<ref>Greenwald, p. 146.</ref> | |||
| At the same time, a darker, more aggressive offshoot of emo gained popularity. New Jersey–based ] signed a multi-million-dollar, multialbum contract with ] on the strength of their 2001 album '']'', which reached #178 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 149–150.</ref> Their music differed from the prominent emo bands of the time in that it was more politicized and lacked dominant pop hooks and anthems, drawing influence from more maudlin bands such as ], ], and ]. However, the band's accessibility, openness, basement-show roots, and touring alongside bands like Saves the Day made them part of the emo movement.<ref>Greewald, pp. 153–155.</ref> | |||
| ==Offshoots== | |||
| ===Screamo=== | |||
| {{Main|Screamo}} | |||
| The term "screamo" was initially applied to a more aggressive offshoot of emo that developed in San Diego in 1991, which used short songs that grafted "spastic intensity to willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics."<ref name=Heller>Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002. Access date: June 15, 2008</ref> Screamo is a particularly dissonant style of emo influenced by ] <ref name=ScreamoAM/> and uses typical rock instrumentation, but is noted for its brief compositions, chaotic execution, and ]. The genre is "generally based in the aggressive side of the overarching ] scene."<ref name=ScreamoAM> at '']'' Music Guide</ref> The style began in 1991, in San Diego, at the ],<ref>"A Day with the Locust", ''L.A. Weekly'', September 18, 2003 Access date: June 19, 2008</ref> with groups such as ], ],<ref>''Local Cut'', Q&A with Aaron Montaigne. May 14, 2008. Access date: June 11, 2008.</ref> Angel Hair, ], ], and ].<ref name=ebullition>Ebullition Catalog, Portraits of Past discography. Access date: August 9, 2008.</ref> These groups were influenced by ] ] (particularly ] and ]),<ref name="Heller"/> ], the Chicago group ], hardcore punk band ]<ref name=AP>{{cite news | |||
| | title =Blood Runs Deep: 23 A hat. | |||
| | pages =126 | |||
| | publisher =Alternative Press | |||
| | date =2008-07-07}}</ref> and ], such as ]<ref>Swing Kids covered "Warsaw"; ] discusses Joy Division's influence in an interview on Skatepunk.net, Access date: June 13, 2008</ref> and ].<ref name="Heller"/> | |||
| Some bands that formed in the United States during the late 1990s and remained active throughout the 2000s, such as ], ], and ] made screamo much more popular. Many of these bands took influence from the likes of ] and ].<ref name=ScreamoAM/> By the mid-2000s, the over-saturation of the screamo scene caused many bands to purposefully expand past the genre’s trademarks and incorporate more experimental elements.<ref name=ScreamoAM/> Even bands that weren’t necessarily screamo would often use the style's characteristic guttural vocal style.<ref name=ScreamoAM/> Derek Miller, guitarist for the post-hardcore band ], claimed that the term screamo "describes a thousand different genres."<ref>http://www.jimdero.com/OtherWritings/OtherScreamoGW.htm</ref> According to Jeff Mitchell of ], "there is no set definition of what screamo sounds like but screaming over once deafeningly loud rocking noise and suddenly quiet, melodic guitar lines is a theme commonly affiliated with the genre."<ref name=IowaSC>{{cite web| last = Mitchell| first = Jeff| title = A Screamin' Scene| work = ]| date = July 26, 2001| url = http://www.iowastatedaily.com/article_7c9f7210-850e-5905-af02-9bcdb2b07f3e.html| accessdate = September 11, 2010}}</ref> Juan Gabe, vocalist for the band ], alleged that the term "has been kind of tainted in a way, especially in the States."<ref name=jan></ref> | |||
| ===Emo pop=== | |||
| "Emo pop," also called "emo pop punk,"<ref name=Trinity /> emerged as an offshoot from emo that also embraces ] influences, such as more concise songs and ] filled ]es. ] describes the style as blending "youthful ]" with "slick production" and mainstream appeal, using "high-pitched ]s, ]ic guitars, and lyrics concerning ], relationships, and heartbreak."<ref name=Allmusic >{{cite web|title=Explore: Emo-Pop|url=http://allmusic.com/explore/style/emo-pop-d13770|work=]|publisher=]|accessdate=10 June 2011}}</ref> ]'s '']'' described the style as a cross between "saccharine ] pop" and emo.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web|last=Lester|first=Paul|title=New band of the day - No 445: Metro Station|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/08/new-band-metro-station|publisher=]|accessdate=10 June 2011|date=8 December 2008|quote=They peddle "emo-pop", a sort of cross between saccharine boy-band pop and whatever it is that bands like Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy do – emo, let's be frank.}}</ref> Modern emo pop bands have toned down extremities in loud/soft variations to provide a more widespread appeal.<ref name=Trinity>{{cite web|last=Grehan|first=Keith|title=An Emotional Farewell?|url=http://trinitynews.ie/wordpress/archives/2368|work=]|publisher=]|accessdate=11 June 2011|date=25 January 2011}}</ref> | |||
| As emo became more successful in the mid-1990s due to the rise of ],<ref name=Trinity /> emo pop was developed by bands such as ], which pioneered a form of emo-pop on 1996's '']'', <ref name="Scaruffi 90">{{cite web|title=The History of Rock Music: 1990-1999|url=http://www.scaruffi.com/history/cpt515.pdf|author=Piero Scaruffi|authorlink=Piero Scaruffi|year=2010}}</ref> and ], which in 1996 released the definitive emo pop album '']''.<ref>{{cite news|last=SPIN Mobile|title=Weezer Reveal 'Pinkerton' Reissue Details|url=http://m.spin.com/entry/view/id/1/pn/all/p/0/?KSID=44d36181b28adf4a07ea253efa89940a|accessdate=11 June 2011|newspaper=]|date=23 February 2011}}</ref> Other bands which put out emo pop releases in the 90s included ],<ref name=CMJ>{{cite web|last=Kieper|first=Nicole|title=Sense Field: Tonight and Forever - Nettwerk America|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rCoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=%22emo+pop%22+techniques&source=bl&ots=i4UzABKAc8&sig=mzxcOhZAGV1bSnOXKGS3yNFaGdM&hl=en&ei=_EnyTfi8JozUgQeWnbjCCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBjgU#v=onepage&q&f=false|work=]|publisher=CMJ Network|accessdate=10 June 2011|month=October|year=2001}}</ref> ],<ref name=CMJ/> ],<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Rock Music. Alkaline Trio: biography, discography, reviews, links|work=The History of Rock Music|url=http://www.scaruffi.com/vol7/alkaline.html|publisher=Piero Scaruffi|accessdate=11 June 2011|author=Piero Scaruffi|authorlink=Piero Scaruffi|year=2003}}</ref> and ].<ref name=CMJ /><ref name="google book">{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Blake|title=Four Minute Mile|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&pg=PA462&lpg=PA462&dq=%22emo+pop%22+techniques&source=bl&ots=XIcUKOxXNR&sig=xEPVvZZU06X1AoUWJmfQpoIh2K8&hl=en&ei=_EnyTfi8JozUgQeWnbjCCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q&f=false|work=All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul|publisher=]|accessdate=10 June 2011|coauthors=], Chris Woodstra, ]|page=462|year=2002}}</ref> As emo became commercially successful in the early 2000s, the emo pop movement was birthed by ]'s 2001 release '']'' and the success of that album's single "]".<ref name=Allmusic /> Genre pioneers Weezer and The Wrens both saw great success in this new movement, the former with its release '']''<ref name=Allmusic /> and the latter with '']'', which "reinvented ] for the new generation".<ref name="Scaruffi 90"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Wrens: biography, discography, reviews, links|url=http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/wrens.html|work=The History of Rock Music|publisher=Piero Scaruffi|accessdate=10 June 2011|author=Piero Scaruffi|authorlink=Piero Scaruffi}}</ref> As the genre coalesced, the record label ] became a center of the movement, releasing ] selling albums from bands like ], ], and ].<ref name=Allmusic /> Two main regional scenes developed; in ] the scene was created by the label Fueled by Ramen and the band ], and in the ] emo-pop was promoted by Pete Wentz, whose band Fallout Boy rose to the front of the style in the mid-2000s.<ref name=Allmusic /><ref name="Fall out boy">{{cite web|last=Loftus|first=Johnny|title=Fall Out Boy|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fall-out-boy-p533936|work=]|publisher=]|accessdate=10 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Futterman|first=Erica|title=Fall Out Boy Biography|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/fall-out-boy/biography|publisher=]|accessdate=10 June 2011}}</ref> In 2008, the band ] released '']'', which Allmusic stated could be "the definitive statement of airheaded, glittery, and content-free emo-pop.<ref name=Cash >{{cite web|last=Sendra|first=Tim|title=Take It to the Floor|url=http://allmusic.com/album/take-it-to-the-floor-r1471616/review|work=]|publisher=]|accessdate=11 June 2011}}</ref> Allmusic further stated that with this release "the transformation of emo from the expression of intensely felt, ripped-from-the-throat feelings played by bands directly influenced by post-punk and hardcore to mall-friendly ] pop played by kids who look about as authentic as the "punks" on an old episode of '']'' did back in the '70s was made pretty much complete with the release of Cash Cash's ''Take It to the Floor'' album."<ref name=Cash /> | |||
| ==Fashion and stereotype== | |||
| Today emo is commonly tied to both music and fashion as well as the emo subculture.<ref name="3news">{{cite video | url = http://www.3news.co.nz/TVShows/Nightline/Archive/tabid/227/articleID/10701/cat/17/Default.aspx#video | title = Emo Culture - Why The Long Fringe? | work = Nightline | publisher = 3news | time = 1:17–1:22 | date = 2006-07-05 }}</ref> Usually among teens, the term "emo" is stereotyped with wearing ], sometimes in bright colors, and tight ]s (usually short-sleeved) which often bear the names of emo bands. Studded ] and black wristbands are common accessories in emo fashion. Some males also wear thick, black ].<ref name="knot magazine"></ref><ref name="incendiary magazine"></ref><ref name="gurl magazine">{{cite web | first="Marni" | title=Label it. .. emo | work=gURL | publisher=iVillage Inc | url=http://www.gurl.com/findout/label/pages/0,,673303,00.html | accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> | |||
| The emo fashion is also recognized for its hairstyles. Popular looks include long side-swept ], sometimes covering one or both eyes. Also popular is hair that is straightened and dyed black. Bright colors, such as blue, pink, red, or bleached blond, are also typical as highlights in emo hairstyles. Short, choppy layers of hair are also common. This fashion has at times been characterized as a ].<ref name="fairfield">{{cite web | last=Poretta | first=JP | date=2007-03-03 | title=Cheer up Emo Kid, It's a Brand New Day | work=The Fairfield Mirror | url=http://media.www.fairfieldmirror.com/media/storage/paper148/news/2007/03/08/Entertainment/Cheer.Up.Emo.Kid.Its.A.Brand.New.Day-2762635.shtml | accessdate=2007-03-08}}</ref> In the early 2000s, emo fashion was associated with a clean cut look,<ref></ref> but as the style spread to younger teenagers, the style has become darker, with long bangs and emphasis on the color black replacing ]s. | |||
| Emo has been associated with a stereotype that includes being particularly emotional, sensitive, shy, introverted, or ]-ridden.<ref name="findingemo">{{cite news | last=La Gorce | first=Tammy | date=2007-08-14 | title=Finding Emo | work=] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/14njCOVER.html?pagewanted=1 | accessdate=2007-10-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Bunning | first=Shane | date=2006-06-08 | title=The attack of the clones: an emo-lution in the fashion industry | work= | url=http://www.newspace.uq.edu.au/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=288 | accessdate=2007-10-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Stiernberg | first=Bonnie | date=2007-03-13 | title=What is emo? | work= | url=http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/03/13/Diversions/What-Is.Emo-2773568.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-20 }}</ref> It has also been associated with ], ], and ].<ref name="daily mail">{{cite web | last=Sands | first=Sarah | date=August 16, 2006 | title=EMO cult warning for parents | work=] | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=400953&in_page_id=1770 | accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Walsh | first=Jeremy | date=2007-10-18 | title=Bayside takes Manhattan | work= | url=http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18931360&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542408&rfi=6 | accessdate=2007-10-20 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071021003108/http://timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18931360&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542408&rfi=6 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-10-21}}</ref> | |||
| ==Criticism and controversy== | |||
| ===Gender bias=== | |||
| Emo has been criticized for its ].<ref>Greenwald, pp. 133–134.</ref> ] notes that there are very few women in emo bands, and that even those few do not typically have an active voice in the songs' subject matter: "Though emo—and to a certain degree, punk—has always been a typically male province, the monotony of the labels' gender perspective can be overwhelming."<ref name="Greenwald, 133">Greenwald, p. 133.</ref> The triumph of the "lonely boy's aesthetic" in emo, coupled with the style's popularity, has led to a litany of one-sided songs in which males vent their fury at the women who have wronged them:<ref name="Greenwald, 133"/> Some emo bands' lyrics disguise violent anti-women sentiments in a veneer of pop music.<ref name="Greenwald, 135">Greenwald, p. 135.</ref> However, despite emo's frequent portrayal of women as powerless victims, fans of the style are from both genders, and some acts have even greater popularity with women than with men.<ref>Greenwald, pp. 137–138.</ref> One explanation for this is that the unifying appeal of emo, its expression of emotional devastation, can be appreciated equally by both sexes regardless of the songs' specific subjects.<ref>Greenwald, p. 139.</ref> | |||
| === Backlash === | |||
| ] | |||
| The genre emo inspired a backlash movement in response to its rapid growth. Several bands considered to be "emo" rejected the label for the social stigma and controversy surrounding it.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://www.nme.com/news/nme/24758 | |||
| |title=Panic! At The Disco declare emo "Bullshit!" The band reject "weak" stereotype | |||
| |publisher=] |date=2006-10-18 |accessdate=2008-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2007/09/20/Style/My.Chemical.Romance.Talks.To.The.campus-2979744.shtml|title=My Chemical Romance talks to The 'Campus | |||
| |author=Brett Sowerby |publisher="]"|date=2007-09-20 |accessdate=2008-08-10 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080617220116/http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2007/09/20/Style/My.Chemical.Romance.Talks.To.The.campus-2979744.shtml <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2008-06-17}}</ref><ref></ref> ] founder ] stated that there was a "real backlash" among bands on the tour towards emo groups, but he dismissed the hostility as "juvenile" in nature.<ref>{{cite book| title=My So-Called Punk| author=Matt Diehl| publisher=Macmillan|date=2007|page=83 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=fyXcnhLCZPoC&pg=PT94&dq=emo+music| isbn=9780312337810}}</ref> The movement grew with intensity over time. '']'' reported in 2008 that "anti-emo" groups attacked teenagers in Mexico City, ], and ].<ref>Grillo, Ioan. "." '']''. Thursday March 27, 2008. Retrieved on May 12, 2009.</ref><ref></ref> In Russia, a law was presented at the ] to regulate emo websites and forbid emo style at schools and government buildings, for fears of emo being a "dangerous teen trend" promoting anti-social behaviour, depression, social withdrawal and even suicide.<ref>{{cite web | title = Emo to be made illegal in Russia? New laws planned to stop 'dangerous teen trends' | publisher = ] | date = 2008-07-23 | accessdate = 2008-09-29 | url = http://www.nme.com/news/my-chemical-romance/38392 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Russia wages war on emo kids | author = Sean Michaels | work = ] | date = 2008-07-21 | accessdate = 2008-09-29 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/22/russian.emo }}</ref> In May 2010 in ], the religious police in the city of ] arrested 10 emo girls for allegedly offensive un-Islamic behaviour and dress.<ref></ref> | |||
| === Suicide === | |||
| Emo music has been blamed for the suicide by ] of teenager Hannah Bond by both the ] at the inquest into her death and her mother, Heather Bond, after it was claimed that emo music glamorized suicide and her apparent obsession with ] was said to be linked to her suicide. The inquest heard that she was part of an Internet "emo cult" <ref name="thesun"/> and her ] page contained an image of an 'emo girl' with bloody wrists.<ref name=nme/> It also heard that she had discussed the "glamour" of hanging online<ref name="thesun">{{cite web | |||
| | url= http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1138968.ece | |||
| | publisher= The Sun | |||
| | title= Suicide of Hannah, the secret 'emo' | |||
| | date= 2008-05-08 | |||
| | author= Clench, James | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> and had explained to her parents that her ] was an "emo initiation ceremony".<ref name=nme>{{cite web | |||
| | url= http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/36468 | |||
| | publisher= NME | |||
| | date= 2008-05-08 | |||
| | title= Emo music attacked over teen suicide}}</ref> Heather Bond criticised emo fashion, saying: "There are 'emo' websites that show pink teddies hanging themselves." After the verdict was reported in '']'', fans of emo music contacted the magazine to defend against accusations that it promotes self harm and suicide.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| | url= http://www.nme.com/news/my-chemical-romance/36480 | |||
| | publisher= NME | |||
| | date= 2008-05-08 | |||
| | title= Emo fans defend their music against suicide claims}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| *{{cite book | author=Andersen, Mark | title=Dance of Days, Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capitol | publisher=Soft Skull Press | year=2001 | isbn=1-887128-49-2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{wiktionary|emo}} | |||
| {{commons category}} | |||
| {{Emo}} | |||
| {{Hardcorepunk}} | |||
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Revision as of 15:22, 9 July 2011
FIX DIZ SHIDD! I DISLYKE NON ACCURATE WEBSITES!