Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Do you ever feel curious about the EMO music?
Welcome to EMO-tional, or the history of EMO music.
Pet Sounds
Yes. The Beach Boys, specifically frontman Brian Wilson, is credited with what some consider to be the OG EMO album. Wrought with emotional discontent and self-expression, the lyrics of Pet Sounds come straight from Wilson following his struggling with substance abuse and ensuing panic attacks from the Beach Boys' live tours.
What's more EMO than lamenting one's life and decisions?
Before it given a name, EMO was developing as a punk genre born in Washington, D.C. by the Rites of Spring. They often covered themes such as nostalgia, romantic bitterness, and poetic desperation which would sometimes leave fans in tears in their public performances.
thus EMO was born
Wanting to capitalize on the underground following of grunge, record labels began to sign emo bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Lifetime, and, most notably, Jawbreaker.
The cult popularity of these underground bands would create a path for bands to breakthrough into the mainsteam such as Brand New and Taking Back Sunday.
Post Y2K brought Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American [with ever-popular The Middle] becoming the first EMO-album to achieve platinum, launching EMO into mainstream status.
Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American
Catharsis in lyrical honesty and musical emotional outpour reached a wider audience of angsty teens becoming a staple in alt-rock radio stations.
Remember when everyone listened to Welcome to the Black Parade?
The familiar sounds of EMO began to fade.
Bands shed their EMO-brand and explored different styles — many significantly influenced by K-pop (think: Danger Days, Save Rock and Roll, + Too Weird to Live, Too Weird to Die!).
Billboard 100s began to feature more and more rap and pop songs. EMO faded back into the underground.
2010s
are touring DJ groups that specializes in hosting EMO-themed raves. Our inner angsty teenagers can revel in our times of obscene makeup and crying in our beds with any assortment of EMO songs turned up too loud. To borrow Jack Barakat of All Time Low's words: "a class reunion" for EMO-kids.