Many may not realize that emo music was actually created in the 1980s. The first wave of emo, originally dubbed emotional hardcore, derived from the hardcore punk movement of the 1980s. This first wave of emo took place from 1985 to 1991. Hardcore bands from both the East and West coasts laid the initial foundation of emo in the 80s, with bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate taking the genre into its second wave in the mid-90s.
After the turn of the century, bands such as My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy notably took the genre into the mainstream. These three 80s hardcore punk bands accidentally created the second and third waves of emo in the 90s and 2000s.
embrace
This short-lived hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C in 1985. It featured Minor Threat vocalist Ian MacKaye, a central figure in the decade’s hardcore movement. The vocalist is often credited with creating the straight edge movement, rejecting the use of drugs or alcohol. By the mid-80s, Minor Threat had parted ways, and MacKaye briefly joined Teen Idles as a bassist.
In the summer of 1985, MacKaye formed Embrace with three former members of The Faith. This summer has been dubbed Revolution Summer, which marks a time when many hardcore punk bands in the D.C. scene began experimenting and branching out. Other groups included in the Revolution Summer are Rites of Spring, Beefeater, Dag Nasty, and Egg Hunt. Embrace was one of the first bands the press dubbed emotional hardcore, though they despised the label. Still, it’s a fact that the group helped create the genre in 1985.
jawbreaker
On the West Coast, bands such as Jawbreaker also helped create emo with their poetic take on hardcore. Their initial run from 1986 to 1996 put them among the most influential hardcore punk groups of the 1990s. Formed in East Bay, California, in 1986, Jawbreaker released their debut album, Unfun, in 1990. Their debut is among the earliest examples of emo.
Bands that cited Jawbreaker as an influence include Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional, Alkaline Trio, The Get Up Kids, and many more. Genre-defining bands such as Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance also credit Jawbreaker as a major influence, as these bands took the genre into the mainstream in the 2000s.
turning point
Formed in Moorestown, New Jersey, this straight edge hardcore band is mostly categorized as youth crew hardcore. Their initial run from 1988 to 1991 saw the band become more emo-influenced in their later releases. This helped shape the second wave of emo in the 1990s. Bands such as Thursday, Lifetime, Texas is the Reason, and Fury credit Turning Point’s emotional hardcore side as a major influence. Many hardcore punk bands of the 2000s also cite Turning Point as a major influence on the youth crew resurgence in the 21st century. Additionally, bands such as Title Fight also cite Turning Point as a crucial influence.
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