Boxcar to Fall Out Boy: The story of emo in 10 songs

With many of its most notable acts coming from Florida record label Fueled By Ramen, emo fused the sound of punk with confessional lyrics and the aesthetic of goth.

With My Chemical Romance reforming last year, Paramore embarking on a world tour and a new album by Fall Out Boy, the time is ripe to tell the story of emo.

Here’s the life of the genre hated by the Daily Mail, in songs.

Boxcar – Jawbreaker (24 Hour Revenge Therapy, 1994)

Emo emerged from the hardcore punk scene in the mid-1980s when it was known as ‘emotional hardcore’ but the first examples of what we’d recognise at the genre emerged in the Midwest of America in the wake of Nirvana. ‘Boxcar’ serves as a pre-emptive response to sellout accusations: “’You’re not punk and I’m telling everyone’/Save your breath, I never was one”.

El Scorcho – Weezer (Pinkerton, 1997)

Another forerunner of the emo scene was Weezer’s second album Pinkerton, a far more dark and emotional effort than their poppy debut. ‘El Scorcho’ sees Rivers Cuomo tell a tale of being turned down by the object of his affections: “I asked you to go to the Green Day concert/you said you’d never heard of them/how cool is that?”.

Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World (Bleed American, 2001)

The first real breakthrough of emo in the mainstream was Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American, with the title track the first release from it. It only reached number 60 on the UK singles chart but it remains a rock club favourite to this day. ‘Bleed American’ placed one higher on the Scottish chart, presumably thanks to its reference to Speyside whisky.

I Miss You – Blink-182 (Untitled, 2003)

Jimmy Eat World served as support for Blink-182 and Green Day on their Pop Disaster Tour, and went in an emo direction for their untitled album in 2003. ‘I Miss You’ features many of the touchstones of the genre, right down to the Tim Burton reference in Mark Hoppus’ first verse.

Ocean Avenue – Yellowcard (Ocean Avenue, 2003)

Another early hit from the emo scene, ‘Ocean Avenue’ hit number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and would sell 200,000 copies in the UK. Conceptually it tells the story of a failed relationship: “We're lookin' up at the same night sky/Keep pretending the sun will not rise/We'll be together for one more night somewhere somehow”.

I’m Not Okay (I Promise) – My Chemical Romance (Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, 2004)

The real emergence of emo came in the mid-2000s and My Chemical Romance are arguably the band most associated with it. A moral panic article by the Daily Mail calling the genre a ‘sinister cult’ saw the band’s fans, the MCRmy, protest outside the newspaper’s offices. ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’

Sugar, We’re Goin Down - Fall Out Boy (From Under The Cork Tree, 2005)

A relatively short title by the band’s standards, ‘Sugar We’re Goin’ Down’ remains one of Fall Out Boy’s biggest hits with a classic bitter kiss-off: “I’m just a notch in your bedpost but you’re just a line in a song”.

Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! At The Disco (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, 2005)

The slightly uncomfortable – and extremely long – title is taken from the 2004 film Closer, with the song a dark and angry missive from lyricist Ryan Ross in the direction of a flame who has cheated. Other titles on Panic!’s debut album include ‘The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage’ and ‘There’s a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought Of It Yet’.

All I Wanted – Paramore (Brand New Eyes, 2009)

Paramore broke into the mainstream with 2007’s Riot!, powered by smash single ‘Misery Business’. It’s arguably 2009’s follow-up that is their emo masterpiece though, and ‘All I Wanted’ closes things in storming fashion. “Think of me when you’re out there,” pleads singer Hayley Williams. “I’ll beg you nice from my knees”.

I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead – Nessa Barrett (Pretty Poison, 2021)

And with that we come to the modern revival of the genre. The likes of Willow Smith and Machine Gun Kelly have brought the sound back into the mainstream, but you’ll have to go a long way to find a better contemporary emo track than this. “I hope you never fall in love again/I hope you’ll be yourself and lose your friends/I hope they call you out for s*** you said/I hope you’re miserable until you’re dead”. Ouch.

Bonus

All Over You – The Spill Canvas (No Really, I’m Fine, 2007)

A classic emo tale of unrequited love that opens with the line, “yeah he’s a looker/but I really think it’s guts that matter most”.

Distracted – Honey Revenge (2022)

Another fine example of the modern emo revival, ‘Distracted’ was released as a standalone single last year. The Californian band are yet to release an album but this track about being ignored by a love interest can stand with any of the songs on this list.

Arizona – Hey Monday (Hold On Tight, 2008)

One of emo’s lost bands, Hey Monday released just one full-length album before splitting in 2011. This highlight from their debut tells the tale of travelling from Florida to Arizona to meet a significant other only for the relationship to turn into “a car wreck on the highway”.

Cute Without The E (Cut From The Team) – Taking Back Sunday (Tell All Your Friends, 2002)

One of the foundation stones of modern emo, the video for ‘Cute Without The E’ was inspired by Fight Club. Billboard said the song “basically helped popularize post-hardcore and emo to the public”.

All American Rejects – Gives You Hell (When The World Comes Down, 2008)

A cheeky love/hate letter to an old flame, ‘Gives You Hell’ sees vocalist Tyson Ritter rubbing the band’s success in the face of someone who didn’t believe: “when you hear this song and you singalong though you’ll never tell/then you’re the fool, I’m just as well, I hope it gives you hell”.