Has there ever been a style of music as misunderstood as emo?

Though rock's angstiest subgenre might get a bad reputation, there's a lot of history behind it—as well as great albums. Before bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, and Paramore boomed in the mid-2000s, emo fire rose to prominence from Washington, D.C.'s hardcore punk movement in the '80s. It's been a long road to get emo where it is today, but the genre wouldn't be what it is without the many bands who passed the torch over the years. There are many great albums to dive into, many of which timestamp Midwest emo's massive spike in popularity in the '90s.

Here are just ten essential emo albums to get you started on a very sad journey.

Texas Is the Reason, Do You Know Who You Are? (1996)

  

One of the last prominent emo records to feature heavy hardcore influence, the title of Texas Is the Reason's only album comes from what are, allegedly, the last words John Lennon ever heard before he died. Do You Know Who You Are? is expectedly dark, having earned its right as an underground favorite that's stood the test of time.