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Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Emo1985

Second genre

Post-hardcore1985

Head to headEmo vs Post-hardcore
Emo: heaviness 3, melody 9, speed 5. Post-hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 6.Heaviness3 / 5Melody9 / 7Speed5 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Emo's parent, and the difference is what the intensity is aimed at. Post-hardcore points outward at institutions; emo points inward at the person singing.

From the Emo entry.

Both are part sung, part screamed and move at much the same pace, around 120 to 170 bpm. To hear the difference, play Rites of Spring next to Fugazi. Emo grew out of post-hardcore. Washington DC appears in the origins of both.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Emo3
Post-hardcore5
+2
Speed
Emo5
Post-hardcore6
+1
Melody
Emo9
Post-hardcore7
−2

Emo

1985 · Washington DC, USA · 4 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Emo

In short

Hardcore in which the lyrics turn confessional and the voice cracks. The term started as an insult and became an entire decade of fashion.

How it sounds

  • Quiet-to-loud dynamics, with the voice cracking at peak intensity.
  • Open tunings and arpeggios instead of full chords.
  • First-person confessional lyrics, sometimes embarrassingly sincere on purpose.

Key acts

  • Rites of Spring
  • Sunny Day Real Estate
  • American Football

Start here

The pickSunny Day Real Estate - Diary. The bridge between DC hardcore and everything that followed.

Full page →

Post-hardcore

1985 · Washington DC / Chicago · 6 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore

In short

Hardcore that allows itself dynamics, empty space and irregular structures. Emo, screamo and mathcore all branch off from here.

How it sounds

  • Wide dynamics: near-silent passages alternating with explosions.
  • Bass with its own voice, often leading, and guitars in unusual tunings.
  • Loose structures with sections that never repeat.

Key acts

  • Fugazi
  • At the Drive-In
  • Refused
  • Thursday

Start here

The pickRefused - The Shape of Punk to Come. The title was an arrogant joke that came true.

Full page →