Emo is a subgenre of rock that can generally be categorized by a willingness to express one’s emotions – no matter how dark, strange, or depressing they may come off.

Emo emerged around the late ‘80s and early '90s from the 'harDCore’ punk movement based in Washington, D.C. Into the 90s the genre moved away from the harsher sounds of hardcore and towards the mellower sounds of indie rock, gaining in popularity. The early 2000s saw the development as “emo” as it is most remembered culturally today, with the rise in popularity of both notorious emo bands and the controversial emo subculture. Emo saw a small revival around 2010, sounding more like the genre in the 90s than in the mid-noughts.

The mix of emo and rap, known as “Emo Rap” also gained in popularity in the late 2010s.

Artists:

Late ‘80s/Early '90s:

• The Rites of Spring

‘90s:

• Jimmy Eat World

Mid-Noughts:

• Fall Out Boy

2010 “Revival”:

• The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die