emo

E-mo Emo (or "emotional hardcore" 'e-mo') originated in the mid 1980's and has evolved in present day (2008) as a shadow of its former self. It was born in Washington (USA) as a subgenre of hardcore punk which overlaid typically aggressive, political, rebellious music with introverted and personal lyrics which was reflected the persona of the bands. Emo began its passage into mainstream music in the mid 1990s with the Indie movement which was exemplified by the likes of Fugazi. Emo then accelerated its progression away from its hardcore punk origins towards 'mainstream' pop culture. The genre upheld the introverted lyrics which distinguished it from the hardcore punk movement of the 80s, and replaced its thrashier, more aggressive tempo with a blend of 'mainstream ' pop-punk and soft-rock. Emo's hardcore roots are the central derivative of many post-hardcore (or current hardcore/metalcore/scream o etc) bands, which have taken the central hardcore thrash tone and introverted lyrics and combined them with metal, pop-punk and other 'mainstream' influences. *The term 'core has also undergone a similar passage where it has been adopted as a suffix for a musical or cultural icon associated with emotional hardcore (eg metalcore, fashioncore, emocore).