Emo music is a subgenre of punk rock that is characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics, usually dealing with angst and social alienation. The music is sometimes raw, but almost always very melodic. Emo's heyday emerged after the year 2000, when it was popularized by bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco. That era of emo is now strongly associated with the Millennial generation. These Millennial fans are likely feeling excited because these days, emo has taken over clubs in the Seattle area, and across the USA, with events like Emo Nite and Emo Night (two distinct emo parties), as well as “This Party Sucks! Emo Night,” and even “I’m Not OK. An Emo and Pop Punk Brunch” (hey, we did say it was strongly associated with Millennials, so there ya go). 

It's a funny thing, however, because as beloved as emo may be, there seems to be no consensus on what actually counts as emo music or an emo band. If you had asked our host Dyer Oxley before this episode, he would have pointed you to the 1990s for bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, or Mineral. He was in for a big surprise. In this episode, Dyer speaks with three emo experts, KISW DJ Danny Vigill, Sub Pop's Michelle Fegahli, and KUOW's Teo Popescu, to discuss why emo nights are so popular and what qualifies as emo music in the first place.

Upcoming Emo Night Events:

Emo Nite at Neumos, May 2

Emo Night at El Corazon, May 3

Emo Night at The Airport Tavern, June 20

Other event recommendations from this week’s episode:

• Free Comic Book Day, May 3
• Music Trivia at Easy Street in West Seattle, May 5/every other Monday
• Crypticon, May 2-4

Where’s your favorite place to meet up around arts and culture in the region? Drop us a line at [email protected].

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