The rise of emo music in the early 2000s is something so very quintessential to that era of culture. From screamo to pop-punk, the underground scene was exploding with bands who would go on to be some of our favorite hitmakers.
But what about those overlooked and underrated albums that may not feature a bunch of hit singles, but still speak to your soul? Let’s talk about some.
‘I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love’ (2002) by My Chemical Romance
There is no denying that My Chemical Romance’s 2006 album, The Black Parade, is, quite possibly, the biggest emo album of all time. Its impact continues to be felt today, with the band still touring on the back of its legacy.
Before that, the band dropped their breakout album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, in 2004. This is one that a lot of oldheads will claim to love more than The Black Parade. They might actually feel that way, but they’re really only saying it out loud to be confrontational.
Then there are the people who, for whatever reason, cite Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010) as being their favorite/the best. I hear you. You absolutely have the right to this opinion.
But let’s be real… It’s MCR’s debut record—I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002)—that is actually their most underrated album. It sets the stage for Three Cheers and features a few killer hardcore riffs that the band mostly abandoned afterwards.
‘Vices and Virtues’ (2011) by Panic! At The Disco
To clarify, this is not some secret “best album” list. I tend to gravitate toward the opinion that Pretty. Odd. (2008) is Panic! At The Disco’s best album, based on sheer creativity and distinctiveness among the band’s repertoire. But most people don’t agree with me. Including my 13-year-old daughter, who is the biggest Panic fan I’ve ever known.
While working on this list, she and I talked a lot about which Panic album is the most underrated. Her pick is Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! (2013). She feels that because it sits right in the middle of the band’s discography, it too often gets overlooked.
Personally, I feel like the album prior, 2011’s Vices and Virtues, is Panic’s most unfairly ignored record. It takes the theatrical and whimsical qualities and applies them to a more pop-rock syntax, creating a blueprint for where founding frontman Brendan Urie would take the band moving forward.
‘Folie à Deux’ (2008) by Fall Out Boy
In 2008, the first era of Fall Out Boy came to an end with the band’s fourth album, Folie à Deux. While the album wasn’t a flop, it simply didn’t receive the same level of resounding praise as the band’s previous efforts.
The biggest single from the album was “I Don’t Care”, which is certainly a radio-friendly standout. But the record is so much more than one well-received single.
Folie à Deux achieves something that I think makes it unique from every other FOB album: cohesive maturity. What I mean is, the record genuinely feels written from a place of raw honesty, and it stays that way from start to finish. No moment feels like it exists simply to be fun. This might sound like a backhanded compliment, but I truly don’t mean it that way. Even the moments that are “fun” on this album give you the sense that we were born in some kind of pain or discomfort.
Then there’s the musical arrangements. Each song on Folie à Deux sounds like it was meticulously designed for maximum composition. They’re little chapters in a larger story that compels you to engage.
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