Emo
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- See Emo (disambiguation) for other uses of the term Emo.
Emo (an abbreviation of "emotionally-driven Hardcore punk") is a term now broadly used to describe almost any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that expresses emotions beyond traditional punk'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, as well as bands such as Fugazi, Moss Icon, and Antioch Arrow. 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.
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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 what can be considered emo bands around today, but most of them take 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 traditional Hardcore into what eventually 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 hardcore fans uncomfortable, and caused much friction between the two camps. Some believe that the "emo" moniker was originally used as a derogatory term by these detractors.
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, mixing chaotic rock music with abrasive, emotional screaming vocals. The record label Gravity from San Diego, California was a major influence, releasing many defining records of this style in the early 1990s. Significant emo bands from this time include Heroin, Angel Hair, Antioch Arrow, Swing Kids, and Mohinder.
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. The musical genre that best describes Sunny Day Real Estate, The Get-Up Kids early work, Jimmy Eat World's early work, as well as Elliot and Christie Front Drive is Post Emo. This musical movement of the early 90s was very emo influenced, and can be very much heard in the Sunny Day Real Estate album, Diary, maybe more than any of the others. Today, the term "emo" is increasingly ambiguous. With the success of rock bands such as The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring, the music industry has However,the emo label is now correctly applied to a wide assortment of many diverse alternative bands, such as Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance and The Used, which are today's "emo".
Emo fashion
"Emo fashion" is a term used to describe someone with tight jeans, black hair over the eyes, and tight t-shirts or sweaters.
However, the fact of the matter is it is impossible to "be" emo, since emo is a genre of music. One cannot actually become emotionally driven punk, just as one can not become "metal." However, you can dress like the members of "emo" bands, which will make people consider you "emo".
The kids who follow the latest fashion trends are sometimes called "scenesters." Ironically, in attempting to be non-conformist, these kids often conform stringently to the fashion and music tastes popular within the emo scene.
Emo groups
See also
External links
- Myemospace.com (http://www.myemospace.com) Pokes fun at scenes and the scene-lover infested entity of myspace.com
- "what the heck *is* emo anyway?" (http://www.fourfa.com/) a semi-comprehensive FAQ/parody on the subject
- axioentertainment.com's emo guide (http://www.axioentertainment.com/main/index.php?categoryid=11&p2_articleid=19), a guide that pokes fun at emo attitudes/styles
- Identity Crisis Emo Game (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=video_games#3.), A parody of emo as done by Maddox.
- how to be: emo (http://www.somethingdirectory.com/) The Emo Guide To Life in video form.
- The Emo Videogame (http://emogame.com/) — an online video game series dedicated to emo culture, which is very tongue-in-cheek and self-effacing.
- Emo-ology (http://www.emo-ology.co.uk) — an attempt to create an emo discography
- Emo (http://www.youdontknowemo.tk) in the sense described by this Wiki page
- Emo Farm (http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=10663)- A funny film about a farm that raise emos.de:Emo
Categories: Emo | Punk | Hardcore punk | Punk genres