What The Hell… is Midwest Emo
In today’s scene, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who know what “midwest emo” is. It can mean a lot of things or nothing to you depending on if you had a social life in high school or not (I’m joking, sorry). Midwest Emo is a sub-genre of the punk music we all know and love. Midwest emo is a sub-genre that includes unique guitar riffs and unconventional vocals that draw from indie, traditional punk and hardcore rock in special ways. Bands like American Football and Braid paved the way in the 1990s. More recently, popular emo music of the 2000s, from bands such as My Chemical Romance, has come to the spotlight.
It’s depressing, niche, and generally emotionally taxing to listen to. If you’re not currently getting over a breakup, nearing the end of your high school experience, and are less-than-satisfied, or are just depressed, it may seem unrelatable and juvenilely dramatic. Tropes of the girl that doesn’t like you back, living in a small town with big dreams (or no dreams at all), and your parents not understanding you are just a few of the emo undertones that pervade this math-rock-heavy genre, a genre characterized by its unique and polyrhythmic clever musical stylings.
There are many cultural undertones associated with Midwest emo. For Example, a low-budget sounds that inspired teenagers to pick up their electric guitars and form bands with their friends in the garage. This is how many Midwest emo bands that are popular today actually started. Local bands such as Jail Socks from Charlotte have made it big despite their small beginnings, partially because the Midwest emo genre is relatively low-key and has a very loyal fan base. There’s a sort of underground culture that goes along with these bands, fans who follow incessantly as their favorite performers tour at small venues across the country.
First, Let’s Do a History Class
Emo music emerged in the late 1980s as a response to the prevailing hardcore punk rock scenes in major cities, which typically featured intense guitars, rapid riffs, and anger-filled screaming vocals. Groups like Rites of Spring, Embrace, and Dag Nasty diverged from these traits, embracing slower melodies, introspective lyrics, and whining vocals instead.
During the mid to late 1990s, several bands, including but not limited to American Football, Cap’n Jazz, and Sunny Day Real Estate, fused elements from the math rock genre with those of the earlier emo genre. This musical evolution marked the onset of the second wave of emo music and the birth of what is known as Midwest Emo.
The genre has many assorted stereotypes such as band members adopting a ‘nerdy’ fashion sense, names of bands that reference sports, and album covers that feature suburban houses. While some view these as playful inside jokes, it’s also used by some artist to easily associate themselves with the genre.
Later in the early 2000s, a third wave of emo music began to take shape, largely overshadowing the Midwest Emo movement. This new wave was characterized by a distinct image featuring black t-shirts, ‘guy-liner’ (eyeliner worn by male musicians), and dark-dyed hair, and it is what most people nowadays associate with the term ‘emo.’ Bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco rapidly gained mainstream popularity, leaving the second wave of emo music to dust.
Midwest Emo and Its Revival
Midwest emo is not done yet. many bands are now taking inspiration from the original Midwest Emo movement in a fourth wave called Emo Revival. Modern Baseball, Mom Jeans, and Cardboard Swords are among the very many bands taking part in this revival. Teens at the end of their high school career and college students are unsure of what’s to come: feeling all alone, no last hurrah with your friends at 3 a.m., face the world as an adult. It’s more than not being able to get the girl this year. We may act as though there are better things for us coming, which I don’t doubt of course, but that doesn’t erase the chance of it end before even had the chance to start.
Midwest Emo become somewhat of popular these recent years. Well, it depends on your social life though (I’m joking again, sorry). One of its reasons is that it resonates with people more. Sure, everyone writes songs about heartbreak, or hating their parents, or wanting to move on and become somebody nowadays, but the way Midwest Emo bands do it, it just resonates their listener to the next level. Their songs are so emotional and make you feel more intense about your feeling.
Midwest Emo didn’t have a huge breakout band because it wasn’t supposed to. It comes back in spurts when we need it most. It’s a song you’ll listen when you have an intense emotion of sadness and grief. Even though it didn’t have a huge breakout, Midwest Emo will always be relevant. It will stick around for a while and continue to rise and grow. Tough, I don’t think it will become popular and hits like Taylor Swift or The Weeknd. So what do you guys think about Midwest Emo?