Appreciate Emo Music

Emo music is often associated with depressing lyrics, melodrama, and any number of negative stereotypes. In reality, it’s a misunderstood and underappreciated music genre with roots going back decades. There’s more to emo music than stereotypes: it’s packed with subgenres, interesting local scenes, and lesser-known talent. Learning to appreciate emo music means moving past expectations and getting to know its characteristics, history, and diversity.

Steps

Getting to Know Emo

1. Learn about its characteristics. Find out what emo music is, and have an open mind. Look up emo music articles on internet music magazines, like Stereogum. Sources like this can give you a sense for where emo fits into music culture, both at the present and the last few years. Such sources can also give you a balanced idea of what sets emo apart from a technical standpoint.
   • Take the time to get a grasp for emo musical structure, how it varies from typical verse-chorus-verse patterns, and other important sound qualities. Learn what to listen for when you hear a track, and be able to explain why it’s typically identified as emo.
   • Judging music genres is a bit like judging a dog show: instead of comparing one breed with another, the judge asks how well a dog meets the standards of its particular breed. Get to know emo’s particular standards before making any judgments.
   • It might seem a bit boring, but making sure you can understand musical qualities can help you learn more about what you like, discover more music, and be able to explain clearly why you don’t like something.
2. Get to know its history. In 2004, a well-known musicologist claimed that the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” (1966) was the first emo album – and “Pet Sounds” is often found at the tops of all-time rock album lists! Even if that claim doesn’t hold up, it’s undeniable that emo traces its lineage to the hardcore punk scene in the mid-1980s. Get to know the genre’s history: from these roots, to its mainstream popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to what many call its post-2013 revival.
   • Stereogum, and other internet sources such as Treblezine, can tell you about emo’s roots, it’s “Golden Age” in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and its post-2013 “revival.”
3. Listen to both popular and unknown bands. Like any genre in the age of mass communication, it’s easy to think of emo as just what you hear on the radio or other popular media. Emo is more like a loose collection of subgenres, however, rather than a rigidly defined category. Not every band sounds like what you hear on the radio, especially since its recent “second wave.” While it’s helpful to know what the best known examples of emo music are, make sure you’re taking the time to discover lesser known artists.
   • Check out emo tags on Soundcloud and other music-sourcing websites.

Defining Your Tastes in Emo

1. Make playlists and discover more. Once you’ve learned about its qualities and history, and after taking your first steps in getting to know both popular and lesser known artists, immerse yourself in the genre. Listen to everything you can get your hands on. Go on music browsing sites and browse under the "emo" category. Be open, explore, and see what you can find.
   • Find lists of top known and unknown bands, songs, albums, and so on from Stereogum, Mass Appeal, and other music news websites.
   • Use music services like Pandora that learn from your preferences and can recommend new tracks and artists.
   • Find out more about related genres and subgenres, like pop punk, hardcore punk, and screamo.
2. Read the lyrics. Lyrics are particularly important in emo music. Once you can put together a solid set of tunes that you got a good first impression from, find the lyrics online. Take some time to read and understand what they’re saying. Read what other people think about them, but definitely build your own interpretations: think about how you can relate to the words, and make them meaningful for you.
3. Decide what you like. You’ve done the research, learned the history, have started listening to everything emo under the sun, and even know the words to a few songs. Now it’s time to really think about lyrics that have hit you hard, or tunes that you can’t get out of your head. Consider what it is you like so much about your favorites, and use all you’ve learned to define your taste in emo music.
   • Alternatively, or in addition, decide what you don't like. Be able to give reasons that support your judgment.

Digging Deeper

1. Go to a show. Any genre of music has a live scene and lifestyle that you need to get to know. See if there are any emo bands playing a near you. Look for local bands you might want to check out. Music, whether emo or otherwise, is best when it’s live, so before you jump to any judgments, make sure you get a live experience under your belt. Going to shows also gives you opportunities to talk to and learn more from fans.
2. Explore emo fashion and culture. Many music genres have associated fashion and styles, and emo is no different. Explore emo fashion and culture in the same way you approached the music: with an open mind and without expectations.
   • Don’t assume all emo fans dress a certain way, especially since much of emo fashion has to do with non-conformity and looking different from the crowd.
   • Also, for the sake of learning and having a broad view, consider how emo fashion and styles have changed over the decades.
3. Learn to appreciate “the feeling.” Emo music isn’t all about depression, and it’s certainly not about hurting yourself. Sometimes people make fun of emo for its “#feelings,” but insightful and emotionally complex music can be good for you. There might be some sad stuff, but studies have shown that sad music actually helps you become more empathetic, that it helps you develop a fuller emotional life, and that it can even be consoling.
4. Be emo and proud. If you’ve put some work into building a knowledge in and taste for emo music and culture, then don’t let negative stereotyping affect you. If someone holds your taste in music against you, they’re not worth associating with. As you’ve learned, there are plenty of reputable music industry sources that validate emo music’s roots, history, and musical qualities – take pride in that!

Tips

• Keep an open mind to all types of music.
• Don't let other people decide your music taste for you. Decide what you like, find your own personality, and stand by it.

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Sources and Citations

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