Rest in Peace, Emo! Long Live Emo!
Emo is coming back! Although that's assuming it ever left. Either way, it’s time to celebrate the genre by listening back to the greatest emo songs from the greatest emo artists of the 2000s—most of whom, often after a hiatus or two, are happily still with us! And the place to listen? Amazon Music’s Rediscover the 2000s: Emo playlist!
1. Long live Fall Out Boy, and “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” from the 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree!
This was a big one in the annals of emo/pop-punk lore. It was released back when compact discs were a thing--Cork Tree went multi-platinum, a feat mainly unheard of today—and terrestrial radio play rather than streaming was what determined how successful a single was. And “Sugar” was extremely successful. The melodies are so triumphant and catchy that it’s hard to classify FOB as pure emo. Regardless, after a hiatus, the band regrouped and, thankfully, lives on.
2. Long live My Chemical Romance, and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” from the 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge!
My Chem are right up there with Fall Out Boy in terms of impact as an emo band. They, too, went on a hiatus, but returned in the late ‘10s. “I’m Not Okay” was the track that put them on the map, and allowed for the ambitious concept work the band would embark upon down the road with albums including The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. “I’m Not Okay” is as melodic as any of MCR’s upper-tier emo peers, but rawer. A bit more intense. A little more punk than pop. And standing out most about the tune is Gerard Way’s fierce vocal.
3. Long live Jimmy Eat World, and “Sweetness” from the 2001 album Bleed American!
For Jimmy Eat World, it took leaving a major label to have their breakthrough moment with their fourth album. They were subsequently able to record Bleed American on their own terms, organically deciding to make it more accessible with singles like “The Middle” and “Sweetness.” The approach ended up inciting a bidding war amongst new major labels (so let that be a lesson!). For its part, “Sweetness” is likely the best song on Bleed American (which had to be renamed Jimmy Eat World for many years once the September 11th attacks took place). It certainly provides a prime opportunity for concert-goers to sing along with the band: can’t go wrong with great melodies and prominent “Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh” lyrics.
4. Long live Paramore, and “Crushcrushcrush” from the 2007 album Riot!
The Middle Tennessee punk-pop band Paramore, led by powderkeg singer Hayley Williams, had only moderate success with their first Fueled by Ramen-released album, All We Know Is Falling. But then singles like “Misery Business,” “That’s What You Get",” and “Crushcrushcrush” eventually catapulted sophomore LP Riot! to the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. “Crushcrushcrush” wasn’t quite as successful on traditional radio as lead single “Misery Business,” but it might just be the album standout anyway. Each section of the song—the verse, the pre-chorus, the chorus, the breakdown—all stand on their own as unique, stellar moments.
5. Long live Taking Back Sunday, and “Cute without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)” from the 2002 album Tell All Your Friends!
Taking Back Sunday might comfortably be considered a more straightforward emo outfit. They’re darker. The vocals of Adam Lazzara are properly snotty and biting. The whole track “Cute without the 'E'“ feels like it’s holding on for dear life, in a great way, until a bloodcurdling scream announces a broken-down reggae-ish bridge and the listener is allowed to take a breath. The song isn’t content to just go back to the same old chorus after the bridge, either. Instead, the band surprises with a half-time chorus that morphs into double-time. And then the tune just ends with three big, bold open chords. Interesting choices from a compelling band.
6. Long live the Used, and “The Taste of Ink” from the 2002 album The Used!
The Used singer Bert McCracken nestles right up to the edge of a scream a couple different times on his band’s first-ever single, “The Taste of Ink,” but ultimately sticks to a vocal that supports the melodies. And according to the band, they reject being called screamo, or even emo. They’re just a rock band, and indeed, “Ink” features stabbing guitar and a gigantic chorus that propelled the track to a Top 20 showing on Billboard’s alternative airplay chart. From there, the band would prove to be mainstays on said chart, steadily scoring a decade’s worth of alt-rock hits.
7. Long live Dashboard Confessional, and “Hands Down” from the 2003 album A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar!
The version of “Hands Down” that is on the Rediscover the 2000s: Emo playlist is actually an acoustic version that bandleader Chris Carrabba recorded for 2001’s So Impossible EP. Response to the song went well enough that Dashboard rerecorded it as a full band for release as the lead-off single for their third full-length, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. But that acoustic interpretation shows how good the song is. It just needs an acoustic guitar, some extra lead guitar flourishes for spice, and Carrabba’s distinctive vocal style and idiosyncratic lyrics.
8. Long live Panic! At the Disco, and “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” from the 2005 album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out!
Ah yes, the 2000s emo tradition of the very long and painfully quirky song title. Panic! At the Disco learned from the best: Fall Out Boy were known to have thrown out some very long song titles in their earlier days (it’s not a thing for them so much anymore, though), and perhaps not so coincidentally, FOB bassist Pete Wentz gave Panic! their start by signing them to his imprint Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen. (Perhaps the long song title was a prerequisite for signing their contract?) But no matter: musically, “Press Coverage” easily stands on its own. It’s a driving alt-rock song with vocalist Brendon Urie making interesting melodic choices throughout. A disco-tinged breakdown adds yet another intriguing element.
9. Long live Hawthorne Heights, and “Ohio Is for Lovers” from the 2004 album The Silence in Black and White!
Now here is some proper screamo for listeners who need an injection of aggro in their emo. “Ohio Is for Lovers,” Hawthorne Heights’s debut single, seemingly covers some dark territory, and incorporates hardcore call-and-response screaming to make sure the intense messaging lands. The song is really just about the band missing their girlfriends while out on the road, but because of the level of distress of the vocal attack, the track is often cited as representing the epitome of emo.
9. Long live Saves the Day, and “At Your Funeral” from the 2001 album Stay What You Are!
Speaking of songs epitomizing the depressive turns that premium emo tends to take, try these lyrics on for size: “And you can bet that when we mourn the death of you that night / They'll lay me on the dinner table, I will be the pig / With the apple in my mouth, the food that celebrates your end.” Phew! Heavy. It took first recording a couple albums for an indie label, but Saves the Day eventually signed with Vagrant Records and released “At Your Funeral” as their first proper single to promote third LP Stay What You Are.
10. Long live AFI, and “Miss Murder” from the 2001 album Decemberunderground!
AFI began their journey in the early ‘90s, and started releasing records in the mid-’90s that were more hardcore than the emo-fueled alternative rock that would make them one of the most successful emo bands ever. Album number five, The Art of Drowning, gave the band their first taste of success and led to their signing with a major label. Their debut Dreamworks album, Sing the Sorrow, did that much better than Drowning, which in turn set the scene for seventh album Decemberunderground to top the Billboard 200 album chart. The snowball was already rolling down the hill by that point, obviously, but it certainly didn’t hurt Decemberunderground’s standing that lead single “Miss Misery” was a surefire hit.
11. Long live the All-American Rejects, and “Move Along” from the 2005 album Move Along!
No slugging it out on an indie label for the All-American Rejects. They started off on a major label and made the most of their good fortune right off the bat. The Oklahomans went platinum with their self-titled debut album and then double-platinum with sophomore LP Move Along. Their second album’s success was buoyed by two Top 10 pop singles (“Dirty Little Secret” and “It Ends Tonight”) and another, “Move Along,” that made it to Number 15. While it was the (slightly) lower charter, the title track to album number two features a sleek chorus and makes use of some smart dynamics that help the cut stand apart from the typical emo aesthetic.
12. Long live Thursday, and “Understanding in a Car Crash” from the 2001 album Full Collapse!
It makes sense that emo made a return to prominence at a time when young people describe themselves far too often in various polling as being depressed and feeling there’s little hope for things to improve. Emo music, one might worry, could therefore make things worse for impressionable kids. But despite the propensity for zeroing in on gloomy topics, listening to music that explores dark subject matter ends up being cathartic for many. Thursday’s “Understanding in a Car Crash,” their debut single and likely their most-beloved track, sounds like it’ll be a bummer (and it’s off an album called Full Collapse, too!), but ultimately the lyrics suggest introspection and hope: “I don't want to feel this way forever / A dead letter marked return to sender.”
13. Long live Say Anything, and “Alive with the Glory of Love” from the 2004 album ...Is a Real Boy!
Say Anything’s cerebral frontman Max Bemis placed the band on indefinite hiatus in 2018. And why not? He’s now, among other pursuits, a Marvel Comics writer. Other than occasional touring with a couple side projects, Bemis says music is largely in the past for him. At the same time, there have been assurances that Say Anything will reboot and return in some form or fashion. After a rough start to the band in the mid-’00s due to his various health issues, Bemis and company finally managed to tour to support the critically acclaimed SA debut ...Is a Real Boy, the highlight of which is “Alive with the Glory of Love.” No emo band sounds quite like Say Anything—unless there’s some other group who started off the first few moments of their debut single by quoting the famous ascending ahhhhh section of the Isley Brothers’ and the Beatles’ ‘60s ditty “Twist and Shout.”
14. Long live Coheed and Cambria, and "A Favor House Atlantic" from the 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3!
Speaking of cerebral, comic book-loving bands, Coheed and Cambria fit that bill as well. They are far more brainy progressive metal than emo, though, as all but one of their albums are concept records that follow a sci-fi storyline written by singer Claudio Sanchez. Sanchez does have an emo flair to his vocal style, but musically the band are more Iron Maiden or Dream Theater than AFI or even Thursday. "A Favor House Atlantic" is melodic and extremely musical, while not necessarily offering much in the way of accessibility. It’s not a difficult listen, per se, but it certainly requires some thoughtful concentration on the listener’s part—not that there is one thing wrong with that!
15. Long live Bright Eyes, and "Lover I Don’t Have to Love" from the 2002 album LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground!
Nebraska’s favorite indie-emo son, Conor Oberst, didn’t start off as a critical darling with his project Bright Eyes. Most folks who were supposed to be in the know just didn’t get it—until they did. With LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Oberst, primary collaborator Mike Mogis, and the rest of their Omaha crew emerged as favorites of high-profile media outlets from the New York Times to Rolling Stone to England’s top tastemaking music mag NME. As far as genre is concerned, it’s not necessarily a stretch to include emo as one of the sonic territories Oberst and company mine. But there is no wall of distorted guitar or angst-addled screaming heard in a track like "Lover I Don’t Have to Love"—just folky weirdness with a slight emo twinge to Oberst’s vocal delivery.
16. Long live Death Cab for Cutie, and "A Movie Script Ending" from the 2002 album The Photo Album!
Death Cab for Cutie is another group that doesn’t deal in aggressive guitars (distortion here and there, sure, but nothing too heavy) or doomy narratives, so they definitely can’t be classified as an emo band first and foremost. That said, “A Movie Script Ending" probably emanates more emo vibes than many Death Cab songs. It doesn’t focus on catchy pop melodies like their future hits would (“Soul Meets Body,” “I Will Follow You into the Dark”), but instead goes for a dreamy feel. Bandleader Ben Gibbard’s voice is instantly recognizable and differs quite a bit from the usual vocal stylings popularized via emo. Perhaps a good way of classifying the music is indie-pop whose quirks keep Death Cab within the realm of being able to tour with a straight-up emo outfit.
17. Rest in peace, the Academy Is..., but long live “About a Girl” from the 2008 album Fast Times at Barrington High.
Sadly, the Academy Is... are no longer with us, making them the first band on this list to have disbanded and not made a comeback (yet!). The pop-savvy Chicagoans are most certainly one of the more melodically inclined on this list, though. The Weezer vibes are strong with “About a Girl,” especially when the band arrive at the soaring chorus that swears the protagonist of the story is not in love, and is definitely not writing a song about the girl he is most assuredly not in love with. (Note: he’s in love with her, all right!)
18. Long live Thrice, and "The Artist in the Ambulance" from the 2003 album The Artist in the Ambulance!
“Post-hardcore” is the subgenre most used to describe SoCal band Thrice, and “emo” is probably one of the subgenres least used to describe them (or at least it’s used far less often). "The Artist in the Ambulance" appeared on album number three, which also was their major-label debut with Island Records. Melody had always been a mainstay within the band’s approach to songwriting, even on earlier albums that were much more hardcore punk-oriented, and that didn’t change. Their healthy predisposition to complex instrumentation also didn’t disappear. Somehow Thrice are able to make a song like “Artist in the Ambulance” artsy and experimental without taking away from the accessibility of the song itself.
19. Long live Motion City Soundtrack, and "Everything Is Alright" from the 2005 album Commit This to Memory!
Motion City Soundtrack made a logical decision in working with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus as the producer of their sophomore album, Commit This to Memory. The pop-punk king’s work in Blink is not that far-removed from the sound MCS seems to be going for: ultra-melodic alt-rock with acerbic and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that lend themselves well to the emo aesthetic. "Everything Is Alright" ambitiously starts off with the chorus—a tough trick to pull off, but the catchiness quotient is high enough for it to be appropriate. And the lyrics are perfect for emo: they’re all about singer Justin Courtney Pierre’s daily struggles with OCD and social anxiety.
20. Long live Alkaline Trio, and "Mercy Me" from the 2005 album Crimson!
Alkaline Trio also don’t necessarily exude the hallmark characteristics of emo, at least on "Mercy Me." There’s almost more of a mid-’90s alt-rock vibe to the music. But the lyrics are most certainly emo: “And I'm losing faith in everything / I'm lost, so lost, I'm lost at sea, you see / I used to long for broken bones / I used to long for a casket to call my own / I never had a problem facing fear / But I'm done, over and out, my dear.” Singer Matt Skiba certainly doesn’t sound as hopeless as his lyrics make him out to be; his voice is clear and has a matter-of-fact tone. And another good sign: it can officially be reported that Alkaline Trio were not done after “Mercy Me.” In fact, 2008’s “Help Me” gave them their highest placement on Billboard’s alternative chart yet.
Emo is coming back! Although that's assuming it ever left. Either way, it’s time to celebrate the genre by listening back to the greatest emo songs from the greatest emo artists of the 2000s—most of whom, often after a hiatus or two, are happily still with us! And the place to listen? Amazon Music’s Rediscover the 2000s: Emo playlist!
1. Long live Fall Out Boy, and “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” from the 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree!
This was a big one in the annals of emo/pop-punk lore. It was released back when compact discs were a thing--Cork Tree went multi-platinum, a feat mainly unheard of today—and terrestrial radio play rather than streaming was what determined how successful a single was. And “Sugar” was extremely successful. The melodies are so triumphant and catchy that it’s hard to classify FOB as pure emo. Regardless, after a hiatus, the band regrouped and, thankfully, lives on.
2. Long live My Chemical Romance, and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” from the 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge!
My Chem are right up there with Fall Out Boy in terms of impact as an emo band. They, too, went on a hiatus, but returned in the late ‘10s. “I’m Not Okay” was the track that put them on the map, and allowed for the ambitious concept work the band would embark upon down the road with albums including The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. “I’m Not Okay” is as melodic as any of MCR’s upper-tier emo peers, but rawer. A bit more intense. A little more punk than pop. And standing out most about the tune is Gerard Way’s fierce vocal.
3. Long live Jimmy Eat World, and “Sweetness” from the 2001 album Bleed American!
For Jimmy Eat World, it took leaving a major label to have their breakthrough moment with their fourth album. They were subsequently able to record Bleed American on their own terms, organically deciding to make it more accessible with singles like “The Middle” and “Sweetness.” The approach ended up inciting a bidding war amongst new major labels (so let that be a lesson!). For its part, “Sweetness” is likely the best song on Bleed American (which had to be renamed Jimmy Eat World for many years once the September 11th attacks took place). It certainly provides a prime opportunity for concert-goers to sing along with the band: can’t go wrong with great melodies and prominent “Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh” lyrics.
4. Long live Paramore, and “Crushcrushcrush” from the 2007 album Riot!
The Middle Tennessee punk-pop band Paramore, led by powderkeg singer Hayley Williams, had only moderate success with their first Fueled by Ramen-released album, All We Know Is Falling. But then singles like “Misery Business,” “That’s What You Get",” and “Crushcrushcrush” eventually catapulted sophomore LP Riot! to the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. “Crushcrushcrush” wasn’t quite as successful on traditional radio as lead single “Misery Business,” but it might just be the album standout anyway. Each section of the song—the verse, the pre-chorus, the chorus, the breakdown—all stand on their own as unique, stellar moments.
5. Long live Taking Back Sunday, and “Cute without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)” from the 2002 album Tell All Your Friends!
Taking Back Sunday might comfortably be considered a more straightforward emo outfit. They’re darker. The vocals of Adam Lazzara are properly snotty and biting. The whole track “Cute without the 'E'“ feels like it’s holding on for dear life, in a great way, until a bloodcurdling scream announces a broken-down reggae-ish bridge and the listener is allowed to take a breath. The song isn’t content to just go back to the same old chorus after the bridge, either. Instead, the band surprises with a half-time chorus that morphs into double-time. And then the tune just ends with three big, bold open chords. Interesting choices from a compelling band.
6. Long live the Used, and “The Taste of Ink” from the 2002 album The Used!
The Used singer Bert McCracken nestles right up to the edge of a scream a couple different times on his band’s first-ever single, “The Taste of Ink,” but ultimately sticks to a vocal that supports the melodies. And according to the band, they reject being called screamo, or even emo. They’re just a rock band, and indeed, “Ink” features stabbing guitar and a gigantic chorus that propelled the track to a Top 20 showing on Billboard’s alternative airplay chart. From there, the band would prove to be mainstays on said chart, steadily scoring a decade’s worth of alt-rock hits.
7. Long live Dashboard Confessional, and “Hands Down” from the 2003 album A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar!
The version of “Hands Down” that is on the Rediscover the 2000s: Emo playlist is actually an acoustic version that bandleader Chris Carrabba recorded for 2001’s So Impossible EP. Response to the song went well enough that Dashboard rerecorded it as a full band for release as the lead-off single for their third full-length, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. But that acoustic interpretation shows how good the song is. It just needs an acoustic guitar, some extra lead guitar flourishes for spice, and Carrabba’s distinctive vocal style and idiosyncratic lyrics.
8. Long live Panic! At the Disco, and “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” from the 2005 album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out!
Ah yes, the 2000s emo tradition of the very long and painfully quirky song title. Panic! At the Disco learned from the best: Fall Out Boy were known to have thrown out some very long song titles in their earlier days (it’s not a thing for them so much anymore, though), and perhaps not so coincidentally, FOB bassist Pete Wentz gave Panic! their start by signing them to his imprint Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen. (Perhaps the long song title was a prerequisite for signing their contract?) But no matter: musically, “Press Coverage” easily stands on its own. It’s a driving alt-rock song with vocalist Brendon Urie making interesting melodic choices throughout. A disco-tinged breakdown adds yet another intriguing element.
9. Long live Hawthorne Heights, and “Ohio Is for Lovers” from the 2004 album The Silence in Black and White!
Now here is some proper screamo for listeners who need an injection of aggro in their emo. “Ohio Is for Lovers,” Hawthorne Heights’s debut single, seemingly covers some dark territory, and incorporates hardcore call-and-response screaming to make sure the intense messaging lands. The song is really just about the band missing their girlfriends while out on the road, but because of the level of distress of the vocal attack, the track is often cited as representing the epitome of emo.
9. Long live Saves the Day, and “At Your Funeral” from the 2001 album Stay What You Are!
Speaking of songs epitomizing the depressive turns that premium emo tends to take, try these lyrics on for size: “And you can bet that when we mourn the death of you that night / They'll lay me on the dinner table, I will be the pig / With the apple in my mouth, the food that celebrates your end.” Phew! Heavy. It took first recording a couple albums for an indie label, but Saves the Day eventually signed with Vagrant Records and released “At Your Funeral” as their first proper single to promote third LP Stay What You Are.
10. Long live AFI, and “Miss Murder” from the 2001 album Decemberunderground!
AFI began their journey in the early ‘90s, and started releasing records in the mid-’90s that were more hardcore than the emo-fueled alternative rock that would make them one of the most successful emo bands ever. Album number five, The Art of Drowning, gave the band their first taste of success and led to their signing with a major label. Their debut Dreamworks album, Sing the Sorrow, did that much better than Drowning, which in turn set the scene for seventh album Decemberunderground to top the Billboard 200 album chart. The snowball was already rolling down the hill by that point, obviously, but it certainly didn’t hurt Decemberunderground’s standing that lead single “Miss Misery” was a surefire hit.
11. Long live the All-American Rejects, and “Move Along” from the 2005 album Move Along!
No slugging it out on an indie label for the All-American Rejects. They started off on a major label and made the most of their good fortune right off the bat. The Oklahomans went platinum with their self-titled debut album and then double-platinum with sophomore LP Move Along. Their second album’s success was buoyed by two Top 10 pop singles (“Dirty Little Secret” and “It Ends Tonight”) and another, “Move Along,” that made it to Number 15. While it was the (slightly) lower charter, the title track to album number two features a sleek chorus and makes use of some smart dynamics that help the cut stand apart from the typical emo aesthetic.
12. Long live Thursday, and “Understanding in a Car Crash” from the 2001 album Full Collapse!
It makes sense that emo made a return to prominence at a time when young people describe themselves far too often in various polling as being depressed and feeling there’s little hope for things to improve. Emo music, one might worry, could therefore make things worse for impressionable kids. But despite the propensity for zeroing in on gloomy topics, listening to music that explores dark subject matter ends up being cathartic for many. Thursday’s “Understanding in a Car Crash,” their debut single and likely their most-beloved track, sounds like it’ll be a bummer (and it’s off an album called Full Collapse, too!), but ultimately the lyrics suggest introspection and hope: “I don't want to feel this way forever / A dead letter marked return to sender.”
13. Long live Say Anything, and “Alive with the Glory of Love” from the 2004 album ...Is a Real Boy!
Say Anything’s cerebral frontman Max Bemis placed the band on indefinite hiatus in 2018. And why not? He’s now, among other pursuits, a Marvel Comics writer. Other than occasional touring with a couple side projects, Bemis says music is largely in the past for him. At the same time, there have been assurances that Say Anything will reboot and return in some form or fashion. After a rough start to the band in the mid-’00s due to his various health issues, Bemis and company finally managed to tour to support the critically acclaimed SA debut ...Is a Real Boy, the highlight of which is “Alive with the Glory of Love.” No emo band sounds quite like Say Anything—unless there’s some other group who started off the first few moments of their debut single by quoting the famous ascending ahhhhh section of the Isley Brothers’ and the Beatles’ ‘60s ditty “Twist and Shout.”
14. Long live Coheed and Cambria, and "A Favor House Atlantic" from the 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3!
Speaking of cerebral, comic book-loving bands, Coheed and Cambria fit that bill as well. They are far more brainy progressive metal than emo, though, as all but one of their albums are concept records that follow a sci-fi storyline written by singer Claudio Sanchez. Sanchez does have an emo flair to his vocal style, but musically the band are more Iron Maiden or Dream Theater than AFI or even Thursday. "A Favor House Atlantic" is melodic and extremely musical, while not necessarily offering much in the way of accessibility. It’s not a difficult listen, per se, but it certainly requires some thoughtful concentration on the listener’s part—not that there is one thing wrong with that!
15. Long live Bright Eyes, and "Lover I Don’t Have to Love" from the 2002 album LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground!
Nebraska’s favorite indie-emo son, Conor Oberst, didn’t start off as a critical darling with his project Bright Eyes. Most folks who were supposed to be in the know just didn’t get it—until they did. With LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, Oberst, primary collaborator Mike Mogis, and the rest of their Omaha crew emerged as favorites of high-profile media outlets from the New York Times to Rolling Stone to England’s top tastemaking music mag NME. As far as genre is concerned, it’s not necessarily a stretch to include emo as one of the sonic territories Oberst and company mine. But there is no wall of distorted guitar or angst-addled screaming heard in a track like "Lover I Don’t Have to Love"—just folky weirdness with a slight emo twinge to Oberst’s vocal delivery.
16. Long live Death Cab for Cutie, and "A Movie Script Ending" from the 2002 album The Photo Album!
Death Cab for Cutie is another group that doesn’t deal in aggressive guitars (distortion here and there, sure, but nothing too heavy) or doomy narratives, so they definitely can’t be classified as an emo band first and foremost. That said, “A Movie Script Ending" probably emanates more emo vibes than many Death Cab songs. It doesn’t focus on catchy pop melodies like their future hits would (“Soul Meets Body,” “I Will Follow You into the Dark”), but instead goes for a dreamy feel. Bandleader Ben Gibbard’s voice is instantly recognizable and differs quite a bit from the usual vocal stylings popularized via emo. Perhaps a good way of classifying the music is indie-pop whose quirks keep Death Cab within the realm of being able to tour with a straight-up emo outfit.
17. Rest in peace, the Academy Is..., but long live “About a Girl” from the 2008 album Fast Times at Barrington High.
Sadly, the Academy Is... are no longer with us, making them the first band on this list to have disbanded and not made a comeback (yet!). The pop-savvy Chicagoans are most certainly one of the more melodically inclined on this list, though. The Weezer vibes are strong with “About a Girl,” especially when the band arrive at the soaring chorus that swears the protagonist of the story is not in love, and is definitely not writing a song about the girl he is most assuredly not in love with. (Note: he’s in love with her, all right!)
18. Long live Thrice, and "The Artist in the Ambulance" from the 2003 album The Artist in the Ambulance!
“Post-hardcore” is the subgenre most used to describe SoCal band Thrice, and “emo” is probably one of the subgenres least used to describe them (or at least it’s used far less often). "The Artist in the Ambulance" appeared on album number three, which also was their major-label debut with Island Records. Melody had always been a mainstay within the band’s approach to songwriting, even on earlier albums that were much more hardcore punk-oriented, and that didn’t change. Their healthy predisposition to complex instrumentation also didn’t disappear. Somehow Thrice are able to make a song like “Artist in the Ambulance” artsy and experimental without taking away from the accessibility of the song itself.
19. Long live Motion City Soundtrack, and "Everything Is Alright" from the 2005 album Commit This to Memory!
Motion City Soundtrack made a logical decision in working with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus as the producer of their sophomore album, Commit This to Memory. The pop-punk king’s work in Blink is not that far-removed from the sound MCS seems to be going for: ultra-melodic alt-rock with acerbic and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that lend themselves well to the emo aesthetic. "Everything Is Alright" ambitiously starts off with the chorus—a tough trick to pull off, but the catchiness quotient is high enough for it to be appropriate. And the lyrics are perfect for emo: they’re all about singer Justin Courtney Pierre’s daily struggles with OCD and social anxiety.
20. Long live Alkaline Trio, and "Mercy Me" from the 2005 album Crimson!
Alkaline Trio also don’t necessarily exude the hallmark characteristics of emo, at least on "Mercy Me." There’s almost more of a mid-’90s alt-rock vibe to the music. But the lyrics are most certainly emo: “And I'm losing faith in everything / I'm lost, so lost, I'm lost at sea, you see / I used to long for broken bones / I used to long for a casket to call my own / I never had a problem facing fear / But I'm done, over and out, my dear.” Singer Matt Skiba certainly doesn’t sound as hopeless as his lyrics make him out to be; his voice is clear and has a matter-of-fact tone. And another good sign: it can officially be reported that Alkaline Trio were not done after “Mercy Me.” In fact, 2008’s “Help Me” gave them their highest placement on Billboard’s alternative chart yet.