Alternative rock of the 1990s walked so that emo of the 2000s could run. What alt-rock brought to mainstream rock music was deeply personal lyricism with no shame in recognizing sad and painful times. Ultimately, this funneled straight into the DNA of emo music, which capitalized on this outlet of expression. These underrated songs helped to lay the groundwork, accidentally creating 2000s emo.
“muzzle” by the smashing pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins don’t get enough credit for their influence on the 2000s. Brothers Gerard and Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance saw the band in 1996 on their Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness Tour. It was an experience that left them determined to create a band. You can hear Billy Corgan’s distinct influence on Gerard Way’s vocal techniques. Additionally, Mikey Way often cites The Smashing Pumpkins as his favorite band to this day. In 2025, MCR invited Billy Corgan on stage for a cover of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”.
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness was a landmark release for 90s alternative. 28 songs stretched the band’s limits into minimalist soft rock, grunge, hard rock, and early hints of emo and screamo. Songs such as Muzzle were early examples of what emo eventually became. With the opening line “I fear that I am ordinary just like everyone”, this could’ve fit any early 2000s emo band. Non-conformity became the forte of emo fans in the early 2000s.
Undeniably, Muzzle isn’t entirely underrated. It’s not recognized for its influence on 2000s emo and is not nearly as well-known as the hits from Mellon Collie.
“Why Bother?” by weezer
From Weezer’s 1996 cult classic Pinkerton, this track is an anthem about dealing with rejection following a breakup. Rivers Cuomo’s theory was simple: “Why bother? / It’s gonna hurt me, gonna kill when you desert me / This happened to me twice before / It won’t happen to me anymore.” Much of Pinkerton has a depressing tone as the band distanced themselves from the more polished, pop-rock sensibilities of the Blue Album.
Emo hadn’t been defined yet when the album was released, so there wasn’t much of a platform yet. Weezer helped define the genre and has been cited as an influence by bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, and Saves The Day, among many others.
“f.o.d” by Green Day
Green Day’s Dookie wasn’t underrated upon release, that’s for sure. Generally, many might not realize that the album’s final track showed signs of what emo would become in the early 2000s. More specifically, the acoustic emo songs of the new millennium. The first half of the song is Billie Joe Armstrong alone. He strums an acoustic guitar and speaks what’s on his mind. Overall, the song is about betrayal, emotional outbursts, and the internal pain of holding onto a toxic relationship.
In 2004, on American Idiot, the band reinvented themselves and drastically changed their look. During this era, the band favored black and red while adapting to emo music that had now broken into the mainstream.
Photo by Patrick Ford/Redferns
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