Emo Punk

Although emo punk may seem as though it's a relatively new musical genre, it's actually been around for over 20 years. As emotional as punk music may often be, it has traditionally focused on political or social messages, straying away from personal pain or feelings. In 1984, the band Rites of Spring changed all of that by delivering a new breed of punk: one that spoke of their own personal torments.

Defining Emo Punk

Over the following decade after Rites of Spring emo punk grew to become its own sub-culture. Fugazi was one of the principal acts that led the way for a wide number of bands to take emo punk into the mainstream. By the mid-'90s, emo punk bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate were beginning to break through, in great part thanks to the growing strength of a number of independent record labels.

As much of a following as emo punk may have generated, the style of music also suffered a significant backlash from the more traditional punk rock community. By the end of the '90s, emo had slowly retreated, with a number of its originating bands either changing styles or no longer playing together. Nevertheless, a number of more recent bands, such as Something Corporate, AFI and the Used, continue to play music that could be defined as emo punk, with significant success and major airplay.

Considering the ever-increasing number of musical genres and sub-genres, it's difficult to define particular bands as emo punk, emocore or simply emo. In truth, many bands dislike the terms, making efforts to stay away from the labels. Nevertheless, emo punk continues to influence a growing number of musicians and has left a considerable mark on the emotional intensity of today's rock songs.