My Favourite Emo Songs

My Favourite Emo Songs

I know that Emo is not the most loved genre by people who are not fans of the music, it's a bit cringey, melodramatic, repetitive and ultimately outdated. However, it's an important part of alternative rock music and music culture as a whole, and I just absolutely love it. I was going to do a list of essential emo songs before I realised that's kind of impossible and been done far too many times, so I've just gone with 25 of my favourite emo songs. This isn't a list of "pure" emo, it's fairly varied and not everything on the list are songs that everyone would even call strictly emo but I reckon they fit into the label fairly well. I've decided to branch out from my usual 10 or so simply because there are so many brilliant songs and it's in no particular order.

1. Joyce Manor - Constant Headache

A song that sounds pretty fucked up if you listen to the lyrics too closely, but really just a track that epitomizes modern emo, a little whiny, catchy and very emotive. I've never fully understood the hype around Joyce Manor as a whole (the 20-minute long albums seems pointless) but this song wants to make me find out more about them. 

2. Old Gray - Vulcan Death Grip

One of the more odd additions to this list, a track that includes a sample from an episode of Star Trek in the beginning before delving into a highly emotional repeated yelp of "Maybe some day you will love me, but I don't think that I can wait", but is ultimately just a fantastic Alternative-Emo song from a short-lived band.

3. Sunny Day Real Estate - In Circles

One of the founding bands of mid-west Emo and one of the most famous Emo tracks of all time, 'In Circles' is just everything that Emo should be and really is such a classic and amazing song, especially the characteristic loud-and-soft screaming and singing that I've come to really love. 

4. Pentimento - It's Okay

Possibly the most out of place on this list it still somehow feels like it belongs just because of how desperate and hopeless the singer sounds despite assuring that 'It's okay'. This song has been on my playlists for a long time simply because of how catchy the chorus is and how easy it feels to belt it out at random moments.

5. Blue October - Hate Me

A song that is strictly more Nu-metal than Emo, but realistically a song about feeling that your mum should hate you based on how your drug addiction has affected her fits the genre fairly well and the musical style isn't too far off, and it's just such a rousing but dark song that I had to include it. 

6. Have Mercy - Let's Talk About Your Hair

In my opinion, despite the rough sound and production of the record, this song really perfects the art of the singing softly right into a loud scream cliche, despite really being quite Pop-punk in nature (I won't lie I really dislike the Pop-Punk side of Emo). Another song that is just so perfectly emotional and raw while managing to be catchy that to me is the formula for a perfect Emo song.

7. Foxing - Rory

The lyrics are a little problematic, it's quite Nice GuysTM, but ultimately it's a brilliantly written song that fits into one of the best emo albums ever perfectly. Not to mention it has absolutely beautiful atmospheric and minimalist instrumentals that are a little more rare in the genre because of the delicate production. 

8. Brand New - Jesus Christ

Brand New are one of the most classic Emo bands of all time, and this is in my opinion their absolute best song partly because of subject matter, religion and theism being a scarcely discussed topic in The Scene, and just because of how beautiful yet tragic the music manages to be. Maybe not the most anthemic the band have ever done, but definitely one of the more deep, beautiful and well-thought-out.

9. My Chemical Romance - Early Sunsets Over Monroeville

Before they became the Emo icons of the 2000s and essentially defined what a lot of people thought Emo to be, and shaping what it was in a large way by opening it to a much larger audience, the band was doing much more classic Emo with much less Pop-Punk influence. This is one such song, which may not be immediately special but has always managed to weigh heavily on me. 

10. Brave Bird - Scared Enough

Another that doesn't really fit in perfectly with the traditional Emo label but for me takes the ethos in a different approach perfectly. The screamed refrain of 'Am I enough to live' doesn't really make sense but still manages to be incredibly emotional and poignant and is just generally a really catchy alternative song. 

11. Architects - An Open Letter To Myself

An anomalous entry into the discography of a Metalcore band, 'An Open Letter To Myself' has the intensity that is deserved of the band's normal genre, but a lot more sensitivity and other musical elements that make it a lot more fitting of the Emo label. Simply the track is an excellent example of a cut that builds and builds to the point where the screams of the latter half feel neccessary and deserved, just perfect. 

12. Modern Baseball - Your Graduation

Another modern classic, one with slightly lighter lyrical content and musical content now that I think about it, 'Your Graduation' has a lot more of a rousing oomph to it than some of the other entries on this list and make it difficult for me to sit still, whilst also being fairly relatable to most people at some point. 

13. Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without The "E" (Cut From The Team)

One of those songs that sounds so upbeat and maybe even happy but has pretty dark lyrical content, this song is simply so great because of the power and intensity of the vocal and instrumental performances, as well as paving the way for a lot of other work in the genre. 

14. The Juliana Theory - Into The Dark

A band who to my knowledge have yet to really break through into the underground mainstream but definitely deserve to with their particular brand of low-key chill Emo with pretty interesting hooks and choruses which are shown off well here. 

15. The Used - Blue And Yellow

An incredibly important band for the genre in that they were on the forefront of the screamo movement and the harder side of Emo and while this song doesn't necessarily show that off it is definitely a different breed of Emo.

16. Crystal Castles - Alice Practice

If Electro-Emo were a thing this would be a perfect example of it, and to anyone who says that techno and Electro-Punk can't be emotional should watch this video from Skins and tell me otherwise. While some of the band's other (and especially later) work had a lot less focus and was more just chaotic bleeps (but still amazing) this song is their absolute best and shows that Emo can be more than just guitar-led bands.

17. Jeff Rosenstock - I'm Serious, I'm Sorry

One of the saddest songs on the list, again with a not so obviously sad melody to back it and once again a slightly more alternative approach to Emo but has that amazing rapidly changing dynamics that I love as well as just a really great lyrical narrative. 

18. Los Campesinos! - The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future

Right after the less obviously sad is perhaps the most obviously sad, a song about anorexia, depression, grief, anxiety, love, drug abuse and suicidal thoughts with a beautiful and melancholic indie-pop melodies. The band may be best known for an upbeat party anthem but to me this more sensitive downbeat cut is their best. 

19. Manchester Orchestra - Everything To Nothing

Fairly relatable in that it seems to be about hating someone not long after a breakup despite still having feelings, with a good combination of a catchy and memorable chorus to go along with it, a fairly simple song that does the trick.

20. Crooks UK - A Few Peaceful Days

This may be more on the side of post-hardcore than Emo but it felt right for the list and I love it so I've put it on. The simple intensity of the music and emotional intensity of the vocals are what makes the song stand out and I really wish that the band would put out more music like this considering they currently have very little. 

21. Sorority Noise - A Portrait Of

Sorority Noise are becoming one of the more celebrated bands in the genre with a slightly lighter edge to them making them a lot more accessible but still the musical tropes and emotional intensity of the classics. 

22. XXXTENTACION  - SAD!

One of the most iconic names in Emo-Rap, despite being an extremely controversial figure himself and someone I basically despise, made one of the most iconic songs of the last decade, at least in terms of my generation. This is for good reason, SAD! is a genuinely well-written and executed Emo song that just happens to be Rap at the same time.

23. Better Off - Hello (Blues)

A song that manages to end on a somewhat hopeful note with the feeling that things will get better and always ends by making me want to replay the song, so much so that I've left it on repeat for countless plays before, while also managing to be incredibly personal and intimate to the listener. 

24. Citizen - How Does It Feel?

A powerful song (both musically and emotionally) from a band who seem to be growing exponentially, this cut has pretty much everything you want from a song in the genre with the added touch of rough production which I personally love. 

25. The Hotelier - Your Deep Rest

Closing off the list is probably one of my personal favourite songs of all time, a lot more obviously dark lyrically than some emo songs, addressing the guilt surrounding the suicide of a friend and not being able to show up to their funeral. It's pretty heavy, but wow it's just so well written, the lyrics and vocals are so emotive and it just sounds incredible. 

I've not posted in a little while for a few reasons but mainly because of laziness, I'll try to post again more often but lockdown's easing so who knows. 

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