Emo Band Recommendations!!!

All waves, all subgenres! Adjacent bands won't typically be included.

[emo-band-recommendations]

About!

Hello! I'm the owner of this account. You can call me Jamie, or just the blog name. I use they/them pronouns. I have a special interest in emo music and made this blog to share it with others, and to educate other emos about some parts of the scene they might not be aware of! Important note - I am chronically ill and my energy levels vary a lot so I may be a little slow to respond to your ask, but I will get to it as soon as I have the energy!

Info about tags, asks, and how I decide if something’s emo below the cut!

Masterlist - CHECK BEFORE YOU ASK!

Emo Waves Explanation

Tags: #answered asks - This will be used for any submissions. If you submit an ask anonymously, this is the only tag indicating it was from your recommendation. If you don't submit anonymously I will also tag you at the end of the post. #not a band rec - For answering asks, posting updates, and anything else that is not a band recommendation

Ask Submissions: -If the band is obscure enough that it's going to be difficult to find information on it (i.e. if there isn't a wiki page or in-depth article that I can find with a quick google search), please include links to information! -If it's your personal band and there's not info about it online, indicate that it's yours, and then just give me as much information as you'd like included! -Feel free to submit corrections to posts, just give sources! -If the band you submit is not considered emo, I will most likely answer the ask saying as much. If you want to make a case and can give me a good amount of evidence from the community showing that it is considered emo, I might change my mind. -I will listen to at least a song or two of any band I post about!

How is it determined if a band is emo? Because emo is very subjective, there will always be minor disagreements. Typically, I use isthisbandemo, r/emo, wikipedia, and any news articles or forums I can find talking about it all together to determine what the general consensus on a band is.

If you disagree with something I say, please feel free to reply to a post or submit an ask about it! I will warn you that I do have some communication issues and I do best when things are very literal. Tone tags are appreciated if you're able to use them. If you're overly aggressive or refuse to give any reason other than "well I think they are" I will stop engaging with you. If you have good evidence to back something up, I may change my mind on the matter.

[emo-band-recommendations]

I'M ALIVE I PROMISE i'm just getting beaten to a pulp by school

[jamiemakesart]

My band now has a bandcamp! If you want to support us, please check it out and consider paying for a song or EP!

Sally Sold

Rural PNW garage emo

Also follow us on tumblr @sallysoldofficial !!

[jamiemakesart]

Oh and we released a new single!! Forgot to mention that part.

[emo-band-recommendations]

Please consider checking out my band’s new hardcore/skramz release along with our previous EP :)

[emo-band-recommendations]

Embrace

Subgenre(s): Emotional hardcore/emocore Wave(s): 1st Location: Washington D.C., USA Years Active: 1985-1986 Recommended Album(s): Embrace (1987) Members: Ian MacKaye (lead vocals), Michael Hampton (guitar), Ivor Hanson (drums), Chris Bald (bass) Spotify Monthly Listeners: 22.8k About: Embrace is one of the most well-known 1st wave emo bands. Lead singer Ian MacKaye was already known for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and would go on to start and join several more bands, the most well known being Fugazi. He's also known for having a major role in the start of the straight edge scene. The rest were former members of MacKaye's brother's (Alec MacKaye) former band, The Faith. Embrace had a major role in the 1985 Revolution Summer, along with Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring, Beefeater, Gray Matter, and others. They are generally considered one of the very first emo bands. Following the project, Hampton would collaborate with members of Rites of Spring (often dubbed the first emo band) to create another semi-well known emocore project known as One Last Wish.

[emo-band-recommendations]

sorry this isn't an answered ask btw your suggestions are all great and i will get to them, i just needed a STRONG motivation to get back into the swing of things and embrace is one of my favorite bands of all time lol

[emo-band-recommendations]

Embrace

Subgenre(s): Emotional hardcore/emocore Wave(s): 1st Location: Washington D.C., USA Years Active: 1985-1986 Recommended Album(s): Embrace (1987) Members: Ian MacKaye (lead vocals), Michael Hampton (guitar), Ivor Hanson (drums), Chris Bald (bass) Spotify Monthly Listeners: 22.8k About: Embrace is one of the most well-known 1st wave emo bands. Lead singer Ian MacKaye was already known for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and would go on to start and join several more bands, the most well known being Fugazi. He's also known for having a major role in the start of the straight edge scene. The rest were former members of MacKaye's brother's (Alec MacKaye) former band, The Faith. Embrace had a major role in the 1985 Revolution Summer, along with Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring, Beefeater, Gray Matter, and others. They are generally considered one of the very first emo bands. Following the project, Hampton would collaborate with members of Rites of Spring (often dubbed the first emo band) to create another semi-well known emocore project known as One Last Wish.

[emo-band-recommendations]

Hey all! Sorry I’ve been gone! I developed a pretty significant illness and long story short I kinda have permanent kidney damage now and a cold could send me to the ER so that’s fun. Hoping to get to posting here again soon tho!

[emo-band-recommendations]

Algernon Cadwallader

Subgenre(s): midwest emo revival/twinkledaddies Wave(s): 3rd-5th Location: Yardley, PA, USA Years Active: 2005-2012; 2022-present Recommended Album(s): Some Kind of Cadwallader (2008) Members: Peter Helmis (vocals, bass), Joe Reinhart (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Mahony (guitar), Nick Tazza (drums) Label(s): Saddle Creek, Lauren, Asian Man, Hot Green, Big Scary Monsters, Protagonist Spotify Monthly Listeners: 97.5k About: Algernon Cadwallader is one of the more well known midwest emo revival bands. They started out under the name Halfway to Holland, along with a friend named TJ DeBlois, known now for playing drums in the band A Life Once Lost. About a year after HtH broke up, Algernon Cadwallader was formed from most of the members. Their 2008 album Some Kind of Cadwallader was incredibly successful, pushing them from small house shows and tours in local cities to a full USA tour with some shows in Europe. They broke up in 2012, with band members doing various other musical projects, before reuniting in 2022.

Submitted by @kittycattastrophic

[emo-band-recommendations]

Title Fight

Subgenre(s): Emotional hardcore, emogaze

Wave(s): 3rd-4th

Location: Kingston, Pennsylvania

Years Active: 2003-2018 (still together but inactive)

Recommended Album(s): The Last Thing You Forget (2009)

Members: Jamie Rhodin (vocals, guitar), Ned Russin (bass, vocals), Ben Russin (drums), Shane Moran (guitar)

Label(s): ANTI-, Revelation, SideOneDummy, Run for Cover, Six Feet Under, Flightplan

Spotify Monthly Listeners: 2.2m

About: Title Fight is one of the most well known emo bands, and for good reason. The band formed at only age 13 in 2003, initially leaning into emocore and melodic hardcore, but eventually shifted further into shoegaze. Their sound ended up blending into what is commonly referred to as emogaze, one of the first bands to do this. They have been inactive since 2018, but still post on social media occasionally and in 2023 stated a possibility of returning in the future.

Submitted by @kittycattastrophic

[emo-band-recommendations]

Yeah trying to find a consensus on what subgenre title fight is is basically impossible. I just went with what I saw people agree on the most lol.

[emo-band-recommendations]

Title Fight

Subgenre(s): Emotional hardcore, emogaze

Wave(s): 3rd-4th

Location: Kingston, Pennsylvania

Years Active: 2003-2018 (still together but inactive)

Recommended Album(s): The Last Thing You Forget (2009)

Members: Jamie Rhodin (vocals, guitar), Ned Russin (bass, vocals), Ben Russin (drums), Shane Moran (guitar)

Label(s): ANTI-, Revelation, SideOneDummy, Run for Cover, Six Feet Under, Flightplan

Spotify Monthly Listeners: 2.2m

About: Title Fight is one of the most well known emo bands, and for good reason. The band formed at only age 13 in 2003, initially leaning into emocore and melodic hardcore, but eventually shifted further into shoegaze. Their sound ended up blending into what is commonly referred to as emogaze, one of the first bands to do this. They have been inactive since 2018, but still post on social media occasionally and in 2023 stated a possibility of returning in the future.

Submitted by @kittycattastrophic

[emo-band-recommendations]

Brave Little Abacus

Subgenre(s): Midwest emo revival Wave(s): 3rd-4th Location: Sandown, New Hampshire Years Active: 2007-2012 Recommended Album(s): Masked Dancers: Concern in So Many Things You Forget Where You Are (2009) Members: Adam Demirjian (vocals, guitar, drums), Andrew Ryan (bass), Zach Kelly-Onett (keyboard), Nick Morrone (drums) Label(s): Quote Unquote Spotify Monthly Listeners: 37k About: Brave Little Abacus is a midwest emo revival band formed in 2007 in New Hampshire. They released one demo, one split, one EP, and two studio albums before breaking up in 2012. While they have not reunited since, the members are still active in their own projects. Demirjian and Morrone are now part of the power-pop band, Me in Capris, Demirjian is also the drummer for another pop-pop band, Lilith, and Kelly-Onett is a solo modern classical musician.

Submitted by @kittycattastrophic

[jamiemakesart]

Emo zine pt1

[jamiemakesart]

Emo zine pt 2

[emo-band-recommendations]

Forgot to reblog it here but this the zine I made for a zine event!

[emo-band-recommendations]

MY EVIL PLAN IS WORKING

[jamiemakesart]

Emo zine pt1

[jamiemakesart]

Emo zine pt 2

[emo-band-recommendations]

Forgot to reblog it here but this the zine I made for a zine event!

[emo-band-recommendations]

I’M SORRY I’M NOT POSTING AGAIN I’M SORRY

I’m participating in a zine fair it’s eating up all my time. As soon as I get a chance I’ll answer some more asks!

Check out @jamiemakesart if you wanna see a sneak peak of the zine, I’ll post it here too whenever I manage to finish it. It’s about emo music.

[emo-band-recommendations]

I Have Dreams

Subgenre(s): Skramz Wave(s): 2nd Location: Tallahassee, Florida, USA Years Active: 1998-1999 Recommended Album(s): Three Days Til' Christmas (1999) Members: Allen Compton (vocals), Mike Peters (vocals), Mike Hanson (guitar), Ben Seals (bass), Clayton Rychlick (drums) Label(s): None (self-published) Spotify Monthly Listeners: N/A (not on streaming) About: This band formed out of another band, New Ethic, after their guitar player (Daniel Chapman) died in a car crash. I Have Dreams' intentions were less framed around the music itself, but around coping with their loss. They only ended up lasting roughly 6 months. While this band isn't on typical streaming services, you can listen on LastFM or download the .mp3 files through archive.org.

[emo-band-recommendations]

I feel the need to reblog this one because I cannot emphasize how much I love this band

[emo-band-recommendations]

A Brief Explanation of the Waves of Emo

Emo is divided up into 5 waves (or sometimes just 4, because we're still early in 5th wave and it's very difficult to draw a distinction). Here's a quick explanation of each of them:

1st wave - 1984ish-1991 - Emotional hardcore/emocore. These bands are all still hardcore punk (or sometimes just barely post-hardcore), but with more focus on melody, and lyrics that tend to be about more personal topics ("i'm depressed and my girlfriend broke up with me" as opposed to punk's typical "capitalism fucking sucks you guys"). It originated in DC during the Revolution Summer. Most of the well known bands from this era are either from there or another part of the east coast.

2nd wave - 1992-2001 - Midwest emo, skramz, and the start of emo pop. This is when we see people inspired by emocore start to get further into the melodic side of things while keeping true to the confessional lyrics, creating the subgenre of midwest emo (named for the fact that the scene started in Illinois and then spread around the midwest). We also see screamo, or skramz, develop in San Diego and later parts of the east coast, heavily inspired by emocore and hardcore. The difference is that skramz bands, you guessed it, use a vocal style referred to as screaming (because that's... basically what it is). We also see the start of emo pop, whose origins are quite messy, but are considered part of the scene due to the confessional lyric style and similar punk influences.

3rd wave - 2002-2008 - Emo pop, post-hardcore, and metalcore influences. This is the scene most people think of when they hear 'emo'. The genre became mainstream, specifically the emo pop side. It grew less confessional and more produced as bands tried to appeal to wider audiences. Post-hardcore, a more experimental form of hardcore punk, also became very closely connected with the scene due to their shared origins and sound. Because metalcore was also getting popular around the same time, you can see its influence in many 3rd wave bands. This is where you'll see probably the most debate around which bands are and aren't emo. Skramz and Midwest were also still definitely being made but they were not very popular.

4th wave - 2009-2018ish - Midwest emo revival. This is a straightforward one. Emo pop-punk fell out of mainstream and more people started to move their focus back towards midwest emo, creating a revival movement. While for the most part the sound is incredibly similar to that of 2nd wave's midwest emo, it should be noted that many of these bands had more pop than punk influences.

5th wave - 2018ish-now - all of the genres. This is a very difficult genre to define. Midwest emo is still very, very prevelant, and you can hear at least a little of it in most popular 5th wave bands. Screamo is also gaining traction again. There's a lot more external influence, as we see genres like shoegaze and bedroom pop start to get incorporated into some bands.

[emo-band-recommendations]

MASTERLIST

Rites of Spring

I Have Dreams

Northstar

My Chemical Romance

Modern Baseball

Orchid

Cap’n Jazz

Knapsack

Midwest Pen Pals

Aferia

La Dispute

Excuse Me Who Are You?

Foxtails

Boy Problems

Oolong

Brave Little Abacus

Title Fight

Algernon Cadwallader

Embrace

[emo-band-recommendations]

Oolong

Subgenre(s): Midwest emo

Wave(s): 5th

Location: Long Island, New York, USA

Years Active: 2018-present

Recommended Album(s): About Your Imaginary Friend (2020)

Members: Vinny Colardi (vocals, guitar, trumpet, misc instruments), Jesse Silver (bass, vocals), Scott Lang (guitar, misc instruments), Sam Becht (drums, vocals), Jack ? (drums, bass, vocals, vocals), Matt Brando (guitar, vocals)

Label(s): N/A

Spotify Monthly Listeners: 18.4k

About: Oolong formed in 2018, and has been slowly accumulating more and more members as time goes on. Their band name comes from an episode of Dragonball entitled “Oolong the Terrible”. Their 2020 album About Your Imaginary Friend, a concept album about the personification of one’s ideal self, launched them into popularity. They have continued to stay well known within the emo scene, and have since released multiple other successful albums.

Submitted by @dcdisorder

(Side note - if anyone knows Jack’s last name please let me know in the replies because I cannot find it anywhere!)