Emo

The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture

Edited by Janet Sturman

SAGE Publications: pp. 790–92 (2019)

Abstract

Emo, short for “emocore” or “emotional hardcore,” refers both to a genre of rock music and to its subculture. The genre first emerged from punk rock and hardcore punk in the mid-1980s in local underground music scenes, most notably that of Washington, D.C. Throughout the 1990s, it gradually spread across the trans-local networks of underground music scenes in North America. In the early 2000s, several emo bands and the genre itself achieved mainstream success. Like punk rock and other subcultures in previous decades, emo became a popular trend and commodity at its commercial peak, especially among teenagers and young fans. Its growth was accompanied by a substantial backlash against the perception that the emo subculture prioritized fashion and style over other issues. Many bands refused to self-identify as emo to avoid controversy.