“I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” by My Chemical Romance (I mean…duh) The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “What will it take to show you that it’s not the life it seems?” This was the music video that ignited your undying love for Frank Iero and affirmed your attraction to emo men. Gerard Way and the band just knew how much of an outcast you were and gave you an anthem that paved your way into emo-hood. “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I’ll be your number one with a bullet / A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it.” FOB really helped you transition into your emo phase. Those impossible-to-understand lyrics, Pete Wentz’s eyeliner, and Patrick Stump’s trucker hat: perfection. “MakeDamnSure” by Taking Back Sunday The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I just wanna break you down so badly.” But really, how much more romantic could you get? Knowing that the music title didn’t have any spaces in between the words was just so edgy to you.
“Ohio Is for Lovers” by Hawthorne Heights The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “You never stop until my final breath is gone.” Because damn, that guy must have been feelin’ some sadness, and you wanted just a *touch* of screamo. “Perfect” by Simple Plan The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I’m sorry I can’t be perfect.” So, this was the go-to song whenever you got in a huge fight with your parents, because NO ONE UNDERSTOOD YOU. “Misery Business” by Paramore The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “She’s got it out for me / but I wear the biggest smile.” DAYUM that’s some real shade right there. This was your ultimate revenge song and it made you feel totally badass. Also, you strived to have Hayley Williams’ hair. “I Miss You” by Blink-182 The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “Will you come home and stop this pain tonight / stop this pain tonight.”At least, Tom DeLonge knew how you felt. “Check Yes, Juliet” by We the Kings
The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “They can change the locks / don’t let them change your mind.” THAT LIP RING AND RED HAIR THO. After hearing this song, you stood at your window waiting for your crush to throw rocks at the glass. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “Haven’t you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?!” Because you asked that soul-searching question every night. “Only One” by Yellowcard The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you.” This lyrical masterpiece just HAD to be your MySpace song, and you loved SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS to it at parties. “Scars” by Papa Roach The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I tear my heart open just to feel.” Papa Roach just got you. He just cared TOO much. And that chin hair… <3 “Numb” by Linkin Park The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I’ve become so numb / I can’t feel you there.”
Because you were always numb to the world. “Dark Blue” by Jack’s Mannequin The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I said the world could be burning till there’s nothing but dark blue.” It didn’t really make that much sense but it sounded romantic. “Miss Murder” by AFI The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “With just a look they shook / and heavens bowed before him.” Like, hell yeah AFI. “Vindicated” by Dashboard Confessional The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself.” Like, you DISCOVERED yourself after hearing that line. “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” by Brand New The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “We kept it safe and slow / the quiet things that no one ever knows.” Can that music video get any sadder? He just LOVED HER SO MUCH. “With Me” by Sum 41 The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I don’t want this moment to ever end / where everything’s nothing without you.”
RIP Deryck Whibley and Avril. He knew what true heartbreak felt like. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I walk alone.” “Miserable at Best” by Mayday Parade The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “Without you I’ll be miserable at best.” No other song called for an glittery emo icon like this one. Life wasn’t complete without your crush. “Dear Maria, Count Me In” by All Time Low The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “There’s a story at the bottom of this bottle / and I’m the pen.” WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN IT’S SO GOOD?! You wanted to find the pen to your paper so badly. “Adam’s Song” by Blink-182 The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “I can’t wait till I get home / to pass the time in my room alone.” There was no song more depressing than Adam’s. When you needed a good cry, Mark Hoppus’ singing got you through it. “Dance Floor Anthem” by Good Charlotte
The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “We break up, it’s something that we do now / everyone has got to do it sometime.” Life was so hard, and love was such a curse. “Helena” by My Chemical Romance The angsty lyric that spoke to you: “We’ll meet again / when both our cars collide.” Because that’s not depressing at all. Gerard Way paved the ~way~ for guyliner perfection and knew just the right amount to wear. MCR was your jam and the string that held your emo stage together.Here’s the playlist that will fulfill all of your ’00s emo dreams. It's safe to say emo music today is barely a shadow of what it once was. Nobody today thinks about the DIY hardcore punk element that the genre was founded on. Now when you hear emo you think Hot Topic, you think whiny pre-teens, and you think terrible sellout radio tunes. Most people either hate or love the genre of emo based on the era they grew up in. Lovers of the first wave generally hate the 1990's second wave, listeners from the 90's generally hate the 2000's era, and people who grew up through the 3rd wave now realize what crappy music they were listening too.
Whether you love it or hate it, you might as well laugh at it. Here is our list of the top 10 Worst Emo Bands of All time. I know, I know... Wildlife was good, but have you ever seen Jordan Dreyer perform "Such Small Hands" live? I didn't think anybody that emotional could move around that much for any reason. This is by the most over dramatic and theatrical band I've ever seen. I like my emo told from a first person perspective, not novels with extremely overwrought imagery that gets nauseating by the third song. Once upon a time in middle school, I thoroughly enjoyed what Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump were writing. Back in the days where the single "Sugar We're Going Down" was the best song played on MTV, every track off Take This To Your Grave was great, and being on Warped Tour wasn't such a death blow to an underground emo band's credibility. It's debatable if those days ever existed, but at the age of 12 it sure felt like it. Basically it kills me to put this band up here, but let's face it, Fall Out Boy are a textbook example of an emo sellout.