The 2000s was quite the decade. It introduced the world to Juicy Couture and Rihanna. And now, the 2000s are back and all-the-rage, from the comeback of low rise jeans to Paris Hilton’s TV comeback, but it’s not just through our TV screens and fashion trends, but it’s also through our music. Pop-punk is officially having a comeback, and for anyone who loves Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” it’s about time.
Emo music was huge in the 2000s. From a full-on fashion aesthetic including studded belts, intense side-sweep bangs and Hot Topic couture to even just the new, youthful rock sound engaging music lovers everywhere, America was in their feels. After all, this generation of teenagers had to deal with a recession, 9/11, a war in Iraq and new technology and forms of communication being created and popularized at a rapid pace, it makes sense why youth people were in an even more emotional place than the average adolescent and found something special in the music by The GetUp Kids, All Time Low and We Are Kings.
The Emo music trend started off the 90s with bands like Green Day, The Offspring and Blink-182, who all gained popularity in the late 90s and continued to be popular throughout much of the 2000s. Their early sounds were reminiscent of early 90s punk from Gwen Stefani-led band No Doubt to animated Bowling For Soup, and some 70s and 80s punk that became pop like The Undertones (their song “Teenage Kicks” soundtracks Derry Girls repeatedly) and The Ramones. Green Day went on to even have one of the best albums of the 2000s with their iconic American Idiot album.
It also helps that Emo music was often in teen-focused shows. One Tree Hill had an affinity for the Emo-rock sound by using music from Dashboard Confessional, the All- American rejects and having performance appearances from Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, and Jack’s Mannequin. The OC also loved Emo music including The Killers and Death Cab For A Cutie (aka Seth Cohen’s favorite band) on their soundtrack (remember that iconic Mr. Brightside performance The Killers did at The Bait Shack?). Even glitzy Gossip Girl couldn’t avoid putting Emo songs on their soundtrack with the inclusion of Death Cab For A Cutie, Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore and Sum 41 (Chuck and Blair’s iconic limo scene, anyone?). Meanwhile, My Chemical Romance was covered on Glee and Good Charlotte made an appearance on iCarly.
There were hints at an Emo comeback throughout the 2010s. From Emo-esque fashion aesthetics like soft grunge and pastel goth to Halsey referencing Blink-182 in collaboration “Closer” with The Chainsmokers. Songs by Boys Like Girls and Simple Plan became trends on TikTok and Weezer saw a new rise in popularity with their Teal cover album including covers of “Africa” by Toto and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears. Yungblud’s talk-singing voice and emotionally rooted songs became very popular in the late 2010s, further dropping the breadcrumbs of an Emo comeback. Panic! At The Disco and The Killers also saw more popularity in their music with new hits like “High Hopes” and “Run For Cover.” Brendon Urie even collaborated with Taylor Swift and Brandon Flowers made appearances on many talk shows to talk about The Killer’s unlikely rise to fame. My Chemical Romance was supposed to have a reunion tour, but it got canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Simple Plan’s “I’m Just A Kid” was circulated on TikTok as a popular and nostalgic trend during the pandemic.
Travis Barker is a big reason why the Emo sound is making a comeback. In recent years, he has been making headlines recently for his relationship with now-fiancee Kourtney Kardashian. Once dubbed punk’s first superstar drummer by Rolling Stone, the former Blink-182 drummer has worked with some of the biggest new-wave Emo acts like Machine Gun Kelly’s Tickets To My Downfall and Avril Lavinge’s return-to-her-roots album Love Sux.
Machine Gun Kelly has had quite a good past few years. Between his highly publicized relationship with 2000s icon Megan Fox and his friendship with Pete Davidson, Colson Baker (MGK’s real name) has made himself a musician and entertainer to watch. His album, Tickets To My Downfall was a huge success. It even spawned a film of his own making called Downfalls High, starring his Big Time Adolescence co-star Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney. He has also had notable collaborations with Halsey and emo rock icon Travis Barker. His music is undeniably reminiscent of 2000s emo, with his talk-sing voice, emotionally charged delivery, rocking beating, gritty lyrics, and rollercoaster tempos. “Title Track” has the same up-and-down flow as My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome To The Black Parade.” “My Ex-Best Friend” and “Bloody Valentine” offer the same relatability as Paramore’s “Misery Business” and The All-American Reject’s “Dirty Little Secret” (which also soundtracked many 2000s films like John Tucker Must Die).
In recent years, emo wasn’t just equal parts pop and punk, but has also gotten the hip hop treatment thanks to Blackbear who is a key player in the genre “Emo rap”. Blackbear used his R&B techno beats, his rap-like singing, and Emo lyrics to combine the uber-popular youthful genres. He has even collaborated with All Time Low on a track with Demi Lovato and Avril Lavigne on her newest album.
There are also notably more women involved in Emo music than in the 2000s. In the early days of Emo, it was really just Avril Lavinge and Hayley Williams. Now, Gayle, Lili Trifilio and Willow have been dominating the current Emo sound. Gayle’s hit “abcdefu” has taken over radio and TikTok alike. The Chicago-based musician is a sort of Hayley Willaims for the social media age as the female lead singer of the Gen Z punk band Beach Bunny, which like Paramore has all-male bandmates. Willow, the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, has moved from her early sound (Remember “Whip My Hair?”) to more grunge, emotional sound. Thanks to hits like “transparent soul,” “Emo Girl” and “Meet Me At Our Spot” not only has Willow cemented the Emo comeback and a women’s place in it, but also POC’s place in Emo music.
Another woman helping bring back the Emo sound is Billboard’s 2021 Women of The Year Olivia Rodrigo. After using Emo influences on hits like “Good 4 U” and emotional lyrics on “Driver’s License,” not to mention modernizing the Emo aesthetic with her edgy Y2K image, Olivia has been the biggest mainstream Emo-sounding artist in years. A fan even made a mash-up of “Good 4 U” and Paramore’s “Misery Business.” Being an Asian woman, she and Willow are helping pave the way for women and POC in the previously male-dominated genre.
Avril Lavigne’s edgy comeback Love Sux is also a huge reason for the Emo comeback. Avril’s edgy, skater persona and not-like-the-other-girls attitude made her an It girl in the early 2000s, from her signature men’s necktie and cargo pants look. Her hits like “Complicated,” “I’m With You,” “Keep Holding On,” “Sk8r Boi,” and “My Happy Ending” soundtracked the lives of many 2000s teens. She is considered a key player in the development of pop-punk music and was considered the “Pop-punk queen.” She even had sporadic Emo hits in the 2010s with “Here’s To Never Growing Up,” “What The Hell” and “Head Above Water,” foreshadowing the Emo comeback. However, while her recent work like her album Head Above Water had her signature emotional lyrics, it moved away from her signature pop-punk sound. Love Sux is a return to the sound Avril revolutionized. It’s also worth mentioning that she recently just got engaged to fellow modern pop-punk musician Mod Sun.
Whether you cut your hair like My Chemical Romance or just enjoyed Peyton Sawyer’s love for Emo music on the latest One Tree Hill episode (or during rewatches), you can’t deny that Emo songs have become classics. And in a time with a pandemic and the world nearly ending every which way, it’s no wonder that teens are all in their feels once again.