A Brief Intro to Emo: 10 Essential Albums
Want to get into rock's most misunderstood subgenre? Here's where to start.
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.
Rainer Maria, Look Now Look Again (1999)
Emo has historically excluded women. Taking their name from the notably sad Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Wisconsin band Rainer Maria marked one of the very few emo bands of the era to be fronted by a woman. Caithlin De Marrais' vocals are expectedly idyllic, and on her band's second album, Look Now Look Again, she gave emo a more elegant, brainy facelift.
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