School of Emo

Today's band is synonymous with emotional honesty, piano-driven pop-punk, and some of the most devastating breakup songs of the 2000s. A band whose early years were marked by meteoric rise and one of the most talked-about internal splits in emo history.

This is Mayday Parade, a band that soundtracked teenage heartbreak, adult regret, and the long road toward healing.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today's band is one of the most debated, beloved, and emotionally complicated groups in post-hardcore history. A band whose name means 'small heart' in Chinese, but whose impact on the 2000s emo scene was anything but small.

This is the story of Saosin, a band defined by soaring melodies, shifting vocalists, and a fanbase that never stopped arguing about which era was best.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today's episode is a full recap of Story of the Year's album release show on February 14, 2026 at The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri and a review of their latest album A.R.S.O.N.

I'll share what happened with the album release day, the venue, the set, and my thoughts on this new album.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today we're talking about a group whose sound became shorthand for midwestern longing, quiet heartache, and emotional clarity without screaming… a band that took whispers and made them unforgettable.

This is American Football, the Urbana, Illinois trio whose lone 1999 record took years to catch on… and then never stopped.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand how a quiet college band became emo legend, why their music resonates like memory itself, and how their story reflects the way emo can grow up with us.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today, we're talking about a chapter of emo history that's a little overlooked, but deeply influential: the intersection of Christian youth group culture and the rise of the third wave emo/post-hardcore scene in the early 2000s.

This was an era where kids came out mosh pits on Saturdays to youth groups on Sundays. Where faith, frustration, introspection, and hardcore collided in ways that shaped how we felt music.

We'll explore the bands that bridged that gap, how faith influenced lyrics and communities, the way youth pastors unintentionally guided teens toward moshing, and how fans remember it all.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

This episode is a full review of my second sail away on the Emo's Not Dead Cruise - we talk about the setup of the bigger boat this year, activities on board, sets by some of our favorite emo artists, and more!

Want to be on the boat in 2027? Get all the details here: https://www.endcruise.com/

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today, we're prepping for the Emo's Not Dead Cruise 2026, which I'm currently on upon posting this episode!

I'll talk about the process up signing up, the band lineup, the schedule and all there is to do on the ship, how I'm packing, and some of my predictions and hopes for the cruise!

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today's band is loud, vulnerable, chaotic, deeply self-aware, and somehow the most relatable emo act of the last decade. A band that brought raw emotion back to the center of the genre… without polishing the edges or watering anything down:

Hot Mulligan — the band that made yelling about anxiety feel like group therapy.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today's band helped bridge the gap between second-wave emo and the pop-punk explosion of the early 2000s. They wrote songs about heartbreak, regret, and longing, but made them catchy enough that we screamed along anyway:

Saves the Day, one of the most quietly influential bands in emo history.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMO-ment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo

Today, we're reflecting over some of my favorite EMOments of 2025 and the EMOments I'm looking forward to in 2026, along with a few manifestations for this channel in the coming year.

If you'd like to come on to share your emo experiences, favorite stories or lore from bands you love, or an EMOment for a future episode, email [email protected] or message me on Instagram @school.of.emo