Rockpedia

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

Melodic hardcore1985

Second genre

Post-hardcore1985

Head to headMelodic hardcore vs Post-hardcore
Melodic hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 8. Post-hardcore: heaviness 5, melody 7, speed 6.Heaviness5 / 5Melody7 / 7Speed8 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Post-hardcore abandoned hardcore's tempo and structure entirely. Melodic hardcore kept both and changed only the melodic content.

Post-hardcore is part sung, part screamed where melodic hardcore is shouted, and slower: 120 to 170 bpm against 180 to 220. Songs run longer in post-hardcore: usually 3 to 6 minutes, against 2 to 3 minutes in melodic hardcore. To hear the difference, play Dag Nasty next to Fugazi. Both grew out of hardcore punk in the same year.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Melodic hardcore5
Post-hardcore5
level
Speed
Melodic hardcore8
Post-hardcore6
−2
Melody
Melodic hardcore7
Post-hardcore7
level

Melodic hardcore

1985 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Melodic hardcore

In short

Same speed and urgency, but with sung choruses and guitar harmonies.

How it sounds

  • Hardcore speed with major-key harmonic progressions.
  • Two-part guitar harmonies and sung choruses.
  • More personal or reflective political lyrics rather than pure slogans.

Key acts

  • Dag Nasty
  • Strike Anywhere
  • Comeback Kid

Start here

The pickKid Dynamite - Kid Dynamite. Seventeen songs, twenty-four minutes, zero fat.

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 →