In today’s scene, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know what “midwest emo” is.
It’s for sure a sub-genre of the punk music we all know and love, and it has brought us some of our favorite names. Hot Mulligan, Heart Attack Man, Tiny Moving Parts, and Modern Baseball, just to name a few.
So what is it about this music? Why has it been gaining so much more traction in recent years? What is making people fall in love with it more and more? Will it ever be the new sound of emo, and grow out its sub-genre placement? Let’s discuss this.
First, a history lesson.
I am going to overview it, but if you would like something more detailed I highly recommend The Central Times piece on the matter. I will be summarizing author Carson Thurman’s piece while I talk about the history.
We have to go back in time to go forward here. Our timeline places us in the 1980s, when the mainstream punk music was loud, heavy, and in your face. It wasn’t until bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace came about that pushed out music that was a bit slower, a bit more personal with the lyrics. It was a softer sound. It was different. These are what some people call the “origins” of Midwest Emo.
Other people would argue that the origin starts in the 90s, with American Football and similar artists taking what those did before them, and creating a “second wave” of emo music.
Next come the early 2000s, the emo we know and love.
An era in emo history littered with names like Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance. Surely it’s the most popular tide of emo music to come through, but I would argue the one we have now is the most popular.
That brings us to today’s times. Some call it “Emo Revival”, and I would agree to an extent. I think people are definitely inspired by the acts of the past, but the sound we have today is the most unique, most authentic piece of emo culture we have created so far. These are exciting times to be an emo, scene kid.
Midwest Emo today is characterized by the same things that it was back in the 80s and 90s. Introspective lyrics, emotional, raw screams (when they are present, I’m using Tades Sanville from Hot Mulligan to pull from on this one), and thoughtful melodies.
How has it become so popular in recent years?
One of the reasons I can think of right off the bat is that it resonates with people more. Sure, everyone writes songs about heartbreak, or hating their parents, or wanting to move on and become somebody, but the way the Midwest Emo bands do it, it just resonates with the listener on a whole other level. Their songs are so emotional, that I think they will always find a listener.
There are also just a lot of bands in general that come from the midwest region of America as well. The Midwest is a pretty big area if you think about it. It’s 12 different states. That is a lot of ground to cover.
Will it ever become the most popular genre of emo music?
I think it’s definitely popular now, but no one can say for certain what it will be. It is relevant, good music that will stick around for a while and continue to rise and grow. But, with all that said, I do think we will eventually see it as the most popular style of emo music within the next decade. Will we ever hear it on the radio like we hear Panic! and Fall Out Boy songs? I think you would need a pretty niche station for that, but I don’t think it’s out of the question. It is definitely on the rise and will continue to rise because the music is just all-around great.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts! Toss me a message on my socials!
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