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Emo Punk

Jennifer Ann Lourdes L. Fuller
English 10
March 8, 2006
Emo Punk
Of all the different subgenres of rock, emo punk is probably one of the hardest to define and distinguish. "Emo" is short for emotional, which "is very similar to hardcore punk except with more emotional lyrics often expressing sadness, love and even anger, hence the term emo" (Rock Music). A common misconception of emo punk by many people is that it is "an upbeat and lively music" (Bunag). People confuse it with pop punk which is actually more melodic and consist of lyrics that usually contain personal life experiences of the artist. According to Wikipedia "[…] pop punk [is] often times wrongly referred to as emo which draws its style from softer punk and alternative rock styles from the 1980s". Pop-punk actually comes very close to the authentic emo sound of being "more melodic and introspective/depressing than hardcore [punk]" (Lloyd), but less melodic than pop punk for it is, more often than not, devoid of simple chord progressions. Examples of pop-punk bands are Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup, Smash Mouth, and Good Charlotte to some extent. Another misconception is that emo punk is in stark contrast with the idea of "punk" for it is slow and whiny which in a sense, "kind of takes all the punk out of it" (Chaves). This is because some people tend to stereotype the "emotional" concept of emo punk in a slower and more sensual light as in love songs.
What many people and emo fans seem to agree on is that its roots go back in the "Washington D.C. area […] with bands inspired by that area's post-hardcore acceptance of new, diverse sounds within the punk scene" (Radin). It was during the 1980's when these punk bands started to emerge, most notably the band Rites of Spring, whose lead singer Guy Picciotto produced a "surprising deviation from standard punk music, and […] heavily emotion-laden lyrics, dangerously exposing himself and his personal feelings in each song"...