Midwest emo

Midwest emo (or Midwestern emo^[1]) is a subgenre^[2] and scene of emo music that emerged in the Midwestern United States during the 1990s. Employing unconventional vocal stylings, distinct guitar riffs and arpeggiated melodies,^[3] Midwest emo bands shifted away from the genre's hardcore punk roots and drew on indie rock and math rock approaches.^[4] According to the author and critic Andy Greenwald, "this was the period when emo earned many, if not all, of the stereotypes that have lasted to this day: boy-driven, glasses-wearing, overly sensitive, overly brainy, chiming-guitar-driven college music."^[5] Midwest emo is sometimes used interchangeably with second-wave emo.^[6] While Midwest emo was initially associated to be music by the region, its sound and aesthetic gradually spread beyond the region. The style was adopted by artists across the United States and internationally.^[7]

According to The Chicago Reader critic Leor Galil, the second-wave bands of the Midwest emo scene "transformed the angular fury of D.C. emo into something malleable, melodic, and cathartic—its common features included cycling guitar parts, chugging bass lines, and unconventional singing that sounded like a sweet neighbor kid with no vocal training but plenty of heart."^[8]

Incorporating elements from indie rock, the genre also features "gloomy chord progressions"^[9] and arpeggiated guitar melodies,^[3] which according to The Post, results in "a much less intense version of emo." Midwest emo is also commonly associated with the use of math rock elements, which were utilized by 1990s bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and American Football to "create the backbone" of the subgenre.^[10] Texas Is the Reason guitarist Norman Brannon has stated that the 1993 albums The Problem with Me by Seam, In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi, and On the Mouth by Superchunk were particularly influential on the development of Midwest emo and have been "name-checked by every second-wave emo band I knew".^[11] Post-hardcore band Jawbox also impacted the sound of Midwest emo, being cited as an influence by such bands as Braid, Elliott, and the Jazz June.^[12][13][14]

The definable traits of the Midwest emo have proven to be easily fused with other genres of underground independent music. Revival bands including The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die mixed the Midwestern emo sound with genres such as post-rock and orchestral music.^[15] Other outfits, including Patterns Make Sunrise, The Pennikurvers, and Everyone Asked About You, introduced elements of twee pop and indie pop into the sound of Midwest emo.^[16] This proved influential to the aforementioned emo revival scene, with groups like Dowsing and Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) taking a similar approach. Midwest emo has also been described as a "whole band potluck"^[17] with several bands bringing in experimental sounds to develop the genre. The result is "a musical casserole of introspective lyrics, DIY sprinkles, and heartfelt garnishes that cooked up the signature Midwest Emo scene, where everyone brought their own instruments to the party".^[17] This style of shared sound and experimentation in the scene helped to develop the scene in the Midwest, where many alternative people^[who?] feel there is a lack of culture.^[18]

The Midwest emo scene came into prominence starting in the mid-1990s with bands such as American Football,^[8] Chamberlain,^[19] the Promise Ring,^[1] Cap'n Jazz,^[20] Cursive,^[21] Rainer Maria,^[22] Mineral and the Get Up Kids.^[23] Braid has been regarded as an important act to propel the Midwest emo sound across the United States.^[24][25] Some of the acts to practice the sound were originally not from the Midwestern United States, with Sunny Day Real Estate being from Washington and Mineral being from Texas.^[23]

Midwest emo saw a notable resurgence over the late 2000s and early 2010s with labels such as Count Your Lucky Stars Records,^[26] as well as by bands such as CSTVT,^[24] Oliver Houston,^[20] Camping in Alaska,^[27] Into It. Over It.,^[28] Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing,^[8] and Joie De Vivre.^[29]

In the 2020s, Midwest emo became a meme on TikTok with videos parodying the genre's stylings. This includes the use of long naming schemes, relationships, and poor singing quality.^[30]

• List of Midwest emo bands
• Math rock
• Midwestern United States
• Post-rock

• Greenwald, Andy (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-30863-9.

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