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.

Thursday, Full Collapse (2001)

  

New Jersey hardcore titans Thursday weren't quite part of the Hot Topic generation of emo, but they sure as hell helped raise it. A major influence of beloved acts after them like My Chemical Romance (even opening MCR's reunion show late last year), Thursday delved deep into emo's darker side, taking the title of "screamo" by the horns.