Graphic by Vik Pepaj
If you think back to your middle school emo phase, bands that had their heyday nearly 20 years ago might come to mind. While the bands themselves were left behind in the 2000s emo craze, many popular artists of the 2010s had their own emo phases, influencing their work and resulting in a lasting impact on pop for the following decade.
The 2010s saw continued interest in hip-hop and R&B from previous decades, as well as a surge in electronic music’s popularity. It’s seen in Taylor Swift’s “1989,” a widely acclaimed synth-pop album. It’s seen in Ariana Grande’s work, who spent the decade releasing R&B-inspired and EDM-influenced music. DJs like Zedd and Skrillex were also brought to the forefront, becoming defining artists for the decade. So, where do we see the emo influence?
A few defining artists of the 2010s have cited those from the 2000s emo scenes as influences on their work. Halsey named bands like My Chemical Romance and Brand New as influences in their songwriting and lyricism. As part of the promotion for her most recent album, “The Great Impersonator,” she did a photo shoot impersonating Amy Lee of Evanescence.
Taylor Swift drew inspiration from Fall Out Boy and Paramore, and featured both bands’ lead singers on the rerelease of her 2010 album “Speak Now.”
Parts for the general defining sound of pop for the 2010s, and even today, also have their ties to recording artists from that 2000s scene. Think of Charli XCX’s 2024 release “BRAT,” one of the most acclaimed albums of all time. The album has strong hyperpop ties, with Charli XCX citing SOPHIE as a major influence on her work. Sophie’s work can be traced all the way back to electropop band 3OH!3.
The 2010s saw the birth of an EDM subgenre with SOPHIE, called hyperpop. This genre exaggerates pop characteristics by utilizing brash synths and excessive distortion, merging pop and electronic music in new, experimental ways. Artists such as Kesha and Britney Spears are credited with setting the stage for some aspects of hyperpop, but one of the earlier artists to draw the blueprint was also 3OH!3.
3OH!3 started out as a crunkcore band, a mid-2000s genre that combines elements of crunk, post-hardcore and electronic music. They’re best known for their single “DONTTRUSTME” and their collaboration with Katy Perry on a remix of their single “STARSTRUKK.” The band utilized blown-out synths and voice modulation, taking pop to mind-boggling extremes, which helped lay the groundwork for later acts within pop and electronic music.
We can also look at the broader genre of EDM. Another product of the mid-2000s emo and post-hardcore craze is Sonny Moore, former lead vocalist of post-hardcore band From First to Last, now known as Skrillex. After three years as the band’s vocalist, Moore went on to become one of the most well-known DJs of the 2010s. He became the most Grammy-awarded EDM act and a direct contributor to the EDM craze of the decade.
Signed by emos, for emos
Looking more generally at music throughout the 2010s, the emo-pop tie can be traced to Decaydance Records, an independent label founded by Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. The first three bands signed were Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes and Cobra Starship.
Panic! At The Disco gained popularity through their association with the 2000s emo scene, but had frequent genre shifts over the years, jumping from Beatles-inspired psychedelic rock to pop rock and synth-pop by the start of the 2010s. They fully shifted to pop in the mid-to-late 2010s and saw major mainstream success with albums “Death of a Bachelor” and “Pray for the Wicked.”
Gym Class Heroes—which released “Stereo Hearts” featuring Adam Levine—shifted to something more pop-adjacent leading up to 2011, blending elements of rock, hip-hop and funk into their work.
Alongside Gym Class Heroes was Cobra Starship. When Cobra Starship started releasing music, their work was primarily a mix of dance rock and electropop, with some pop-punk influences. The band shifted towards synth-pop with each release, citing electronic dance music as a big inspiration for their later work. “You Make Me Feel…” featuring Sabi was released and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard charts, becoming their greatest commercial success.
All of these bands and their successes helped kick-start the emo-pop trend for the rest of the decade. And despite the fact they had a relatively short stint in the mainstream, they left their mark on the music industry and helped define the sound of the next decade.
So the next time you throw on a Taylor Swift album, or relive your BRAT summer, think back to those emo bands for helping set the stage for their success.
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