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Grab your eyeliner and black nail polish! Join us as we count down the most influential acts that shaped the emotional landscape of alternative rock. From heartfelt confessions to angsty anthems, these bands defined a movement that resonated with millions. Which band's music helped you through your darkest days?
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00:00When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the most influential and
00:13popular acts that fall within the wide genre parameters of emo.
00:18Sincerity.
00:24Number 20. Embrace.
00:26Genre labels can be a funny thing, often placed upon certain artists, regardless of whether
00:32or not said band members agree with that term.
00:39It went on to influence generations of artists in its wake.
00:44The band featured within its ranks former minor threat vocalist Ian McKay, while the LP consisted
00:50of two studio sessions that had been recorded over the previous two years.
00:56The music is remarkably prescient for this time frame, basically containing all of the
01:03busy, jangling riffs, introspective lyrics, and melodicism that would go on to define first
01:10wave emo.
01:11And you know what?
01:12It still holds up great today.
01:14These days, the old adage of separate the art from the artist feels more relevant than
01:28ever.
01:28And it's admittedly difficult to separate the legacy of New Jersey's Save the Day from
01:33the Misconduct allegations that were leveled at frontman Chris Conley back in 2021.
01:44That said, there are many modern emo and pop-punk groups that likely saw Saves the Days through
01:50being cool and can't-slow-down efforts as formative in their formation.
02:03The band's sound was definitely catchy, immediate and indicative of emo's continued musical progression
02:09The sound of emo can often take many different forms, and this can be seen within the diverse
02:25musical approach of Austin, Texas' Mineral.
02:28They only released a couple of albums, but their take on emo was refreshingly unique and
02:39devoid of any stylistic cliches.
02:42A spirit of indie rock experimentalism is coupled with an almost shoegazy aimlessness within the
02:49riffs, a place where the journey is as important as the destination.
02:53The Power of Falling, in particular, was an album that inspired a lot of admiration, both
03:05back then and today.
03:07It's an LP with a lot of ideas, and a refusal to compromise… an emo album that never forgets
03:14to rock.
03:15I've found myself, I've found myself, I've found myself…
03:21Number 17.
03:23Moss Icon
03:25The phrase, I know it when I see it, may have been popularized by the judge in a 1964
03:30court case, but it's also a fitting descriptor when describing the post-hardcore genre.
03:35We can see from the same mother, you know where we are, brother.
03:39The term post-anything is sort of nebulous, but Marilyn's Moss Icon went on to influence
03:46not only this experimental form of indie rock, but also emo groups.
03:58This latter tag was another one, with which Moss Icon might not have necessarily agreed,
04:04but it remains a stubborn stamp upon their legacy.
04:07This was thanks to a musical approach that felt borderless, incorporating a wide array
04:12of influences, together with emotionally insightful lyrics.
04:16So was Moss Icon an emo band?
04:19To paraphrase, I'm not sure, but I know it when I hear it.
04:27Number 16.
04:28Dag Nasty
04:30It's an album that's proven impossibly influential and important over the years since its 1986 release.
04:36Can I Say by DC's Dag Nasty is an LP that exists at the crossroads of melodic hardcore
04:50and emo in a musical place inhabited by groups like the Descendants, who inspired both hardcore
04:56and pop-punk groups over the years.
04:58Dag Nasty crafted an album that was fast and aggressive, sure, but also with songs that had something,
05:05pardon the pun, to say.
05:07The days go by, things get worse, but they say they can only get better.
05:11Punk rock and hardcore's natural aggression was starting to be tempered with other elements by the mid-80s,
05:17and Dag Nasty was there to sound a clarion call towards the emo horizon.
05:22I don't want to go back!
05:24I started looking closer, and I know it is McCall!
05:29Number 15.
05:30Rites of Spring
05:32Man, what's with these one-and-done emo bands that struck like lightning and then exploded into dust?
05:38Rites of Spring was from Washington, D.C., a hotbed of activity for this forward-thinking approach
05:50to emotional hardcore. They recorded and released a single album in 1985, a self-titled effort that's
05:57still serving as a blueprint for bands forming right now as you're listening to this video.
06:08To say that the rites of Spring album was important is an understatement. This is an album
06:14that's furious and angry, like all good hardcore should be, yet with a musicality and progressive
06:21spirit that's just bubbling below the surface. Meanwhile, the harsh vocals on the LP would go
06:31on to inspire screamo bands like Orchid years down the line.
06:35Number 14. Weezer
06:43Sometimes, all it takes is for a band to take one risk… a decision that may not reap dividends
06:50at the time, but will eventually be reappraised. The Pinkerton album was a risk for Weezer back in 1996,
07:04and it wasn't well received by fans that simply wanted retreads of Buddy Holly or Say It Ain't So.
07:15Pinkerton is also the sole reason why Weezer makes this list. Because it was an album that was
07:22heavier and more dynamic, yet still possessing this air of emo-confessionalism.
07:27It's not hyperbole to admit that Pinkerton was ahead of its time. An album that many future emo
07:40groups would copy and hold high to the stars as a major influence.
07:53Number 13. The Promise Ring
07:56Do sweethearts still give each other promise rings?
07:59It's a courtship ritual that's definitely of its time. Just how the sound of Milwaukee,
08:04Wisconsin's The Promise Ring feels indicative of a certain era.
08:15This is melodic emo rock from the 90s that felt unafraid to be fragile and imperfect.
08:21The emo genre is one that's often criticized for its, let's go with, unique style of lead vocal.
08:35Davey Von Bolin is definitely more concerned with getting his lyrical point across than winning any
08:41sort of lead singer awards. But this is sort of the point, right?
08:51The Promise Ring connected with generations of fans on albums like 1997's Nothing Feels Good,
08:57and they're still tightly connected with classic emo from this period.
09:00Maybe it's us, oh, us. Maybe it's us, oh, us.
09:08Number 12. Texas Is The Reason
09:11The prevalence of Krishna consciousness with pop culture didn't end with the 1970s. It instead,
09:17surprisingly enough, spread through the hardcore scene.
09:20Well, this time was built on miles of heaven, I dare you to give you a reason to stay.
09:26Artists as diverse as Shelter, 108, and the Cro-Mags incorporated Krishna lyrics into their music,
09:33while Texas Is The Reason formed as an offshoot from those former two bands.
09:43Their debut LP, Do You Know Who You Are? doesn't necessarily require a Krishna-receptive audience to
09:49be effective, however, since it's since gone on to be considered a classic of the emo genre.
09:56Tell me that I'm right.
09:59Texas Is The Reason was a bit indie, a bit rock,
10:02with just enough of their hardcore past to be embraced by devotees of the heavier stuff.
10:16Number 11. Braid
10:18The life of a hardcore band is notoriously fleeting, with many musicians restlessly moving from new
10:24group to new group, consistently in search of a fresh sound.
10:34The members of Braid were similar in this regard, moving on to other bands in the wake of their
10:39critical success with album number three, Frame and Canvas.
10:43Braid's sound felt intensely personal, like something they had to get out of their collective systems.
11:13It's imperfect as a compliment, a rocked out slice of emo that saw a claim come to Braid,
11:19rather than the other way around.
11:25Number 10. Thursday
11:27New Jersey's Thursday are one of the most successful and popular bands from the screamo genre,
11:33a sub-style of emo that employs impassioned screaming and heavy guitars to create properly emphatic impact.
11:40A few of the band's members share vocal duties, alternating between sensitive,
11:50clean singing and screams to offset Thursday's energetic guitar attack.
11:55The band was active for almost 15 years before taking an extended hiatus in 2011, only to reunite in
12:072016 for a series of festival dates, which included a homecoming show in New Jersey's legendary Starland Ballroom.
12:15When you say my name, when you say my name, you're gonna slay.
12:22Number 9.
12:24Jawbreaker.
12:25Sprung up from the jammed spaces of New York University, this punk rock-inspired emo outfit
12:30progressed the genre to new heights during the latter part of the 1980s and into the 90s.
12:36Jawbreaker's subtle mixture of do-it-yourself ideals and jangly indie rock guitar work quickly
12:48won an audience, and it wasn't long before the band signed a major label deal with media mogul
12:54David Geffen.
13:00The resulting album's scrubbed-clean production style diluted the band's favor with fans, however,
13:06with Jawbreaker going their separate ways not long afterwards.
13:10Number 8.
13:17The Get Up Kids.
13:18Emo's second wave found a major power player with Kansas City, Missouri's catchiest young
13:24rock band, The Get Up Kids.
13:33Pop beat stripped-down songwriting was finding favor within this newer crop of emo bands,
13:39and The Get Up Kids were quick to lead the charge with straight-ahead sing-along rock and roll.
13:50The band's 1999 album, Something to Write Home About, focused upon anthemic melodies and big-time
13:57choruses and did a great job at increasing the band's profile, introducing them to a whole new
14:02group of fans.
14:04These fans included future pop-punk star groups Splink 182 and Fall Out Boy.
14:08Both of which cite The Get Up Kids as a major influence.
14:19Number 7.
14:20Dashboard Confessional.
14:22If you were to look up the textbook definition of emo in the dictionary,
14:26you'd see a photo of Dashboard Confessional and their charismatic frontman Chris Carraba.
14:31I'm cuddling close to blankets and sheets, but you're not alone, you're not discreet.
14:38This isn't an insult, of course, as Dashboard Confessionals seemingly have a knack for composing
14:44some of the most effective and memorable emo tunes around, including the hit single,
14:48hands tied.
14:55Carraba's sensitive and soft vocals meld perfectly with the band's often upbeat and
15:00laser-focused attention to songwriting detail.
15:10Dashboard Confessional also possesses a powerful connection with their fans, who have been known to
15:16shout back the band's lyrics in a passionate, call-and-response frenzy.
15:27Number 6.
15:28American Football.
15:30It isn't often that a band makes one of these best-of lists based solely upon the strength of a single
15:36album, but such was the impact of American football upon the emo scene with their 1999
15:43self-titled debut.
15:52The Illinois-based band struck a chord with fans with an EP before dropping the album
15:57via Polyvinyl Records, a collection of songs that hinged upon a soft, yet determined musical approach.
16:08Complex time signatures and a jazz influence permeated American football's songwriting,
16:13but the band didn't last long as a touring entity, and decided to call it quits shortly after the new
16:19millennium.
16:202016 saw the return of American football to the emo scene, however, with a new album and tour plans
16:26announced to their patient fans.
16:35Number 5.
16:36Brand New.
16:38It takes a bevy of influences to create the musical melting pot that is Long Island's brand new.
16:43Indie rock, pop, punk, and classic rock all make up the creative stew for songwriter
16:55Jesse Lacey and Company, with brand new drawing inspiration from a diverse spread of artists,
17:01such as the Smiths, the Cars, and the Beach Boys.
17:04It's not for you, it's not for you, it's not for you, it's not for you, it's not for you, it's not for you, it's not for you.
17:10Vocal and guitar melodies alike make up the intriguing sound of brand new,
17:15with particular attention paid to arrangements and songwriting.
17:18It's just a shameful, oh yeah, it's a reason that I had to believe you weren't to understand.
17:24Fans responded well, with brand new gaining more headway with each successive album.
17:30Number 4.
17:36Taking Back Sunday.
17:37Hot indie darlings to major label emo heroes?
17:41It's more likely than you think when we're talking about the story of Taking Back Sunday.
17:51Upbeat, punk-fueled guitar riffs and pop-friendly songcraft defined the early energy of Taking Back
17:57Sunday, while later albums incorporated more than enough layered vocals and aggressive musicianship
18:03to expose the band to fans beyond the traditional emo spectrum.
18:13Indeed, fast forward almost 20 years since their formation, and Taking Back Sunday are still going
18:19strong, in fact, dropping a new album in 2016 with Tidal Way.
18:30Number 3.
18:31Jimmy Eat World.
18:32The story of Mesa, Arizona's Jimmy Eat World is one of indie rock street cred done right,
18:38a success story for a band truly deserving of all their accolades.
18:42It's only in your head you feel locked out or looked down on.
18:50Radio came running for the pop-friendly sound of Jimmy Eat World with the breakout success
18:55of their 2001 album, Bleed American.
18:57It just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride,
19:02and everything, everything will be just fine.
19:05Follow-up albums, Futures, and Chase This Light, increased the band's profile exponentially,
19:10perfecting their balancing act of combining smart rock rhythms,
19:14strong songwriting, and an honest confessional sensibility with frontman Jim Atkins' explosive
19:20stage presence.
19:29Number 2.
19:30Sunny Day Real Estate.
19:32There are few emo bands from the 90s more influential than Sunny Day Real Estate.
19:37The quartet only managed a small handful of albums before calling it quits in 2001.
19:50But the legacy of their major label debut album, Diary, remains one of the most powerful in the
19:56genre's history.
20:06The album was a smash for label sub-pop records and inspired legions of younger bands with its
20:12fresh and dynamic approach to sensitive, melodic rock songwriting.
20:16Want proof?
20:17Simply listen to the album's lead single, Seven, for evidence of just how important Sunny Day was to
20:23emos' development as a viable and successful musical genre.
20:27When you die, when you die, when you die,
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20:481. My Chemical Romance
20:54New Jersey has been known for spawning a bevy of emo's most important and influential bands,
21:00one of which being a little band by the name of My Chemical Romance.
21:042. My Chemical Romance
21:11Goth, pomp, and unabashed punk rock were filtered into MCR's increasingly extravagant sound,
21:18amplified by the band's evocative and memorable music videos.
21:222. My Chemical Romance
21:25Epic tracks like Welcome to the Black Parade and The Ghost of You were offset by the comical
21:35I'm Not Okay I Promise to create a musical style that was unique and commercially successful across
21:42the board. What to you constitutes a true emo band? Sound off on your preferred definition of the style
21:57in the comments.
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