The difference, by ear
Both scream over dissonance at speed. Mathcore is drilled and precise; screamo is deliberately unstable and much more emotionally direct.
Both are growled or screamed, but mathcore swings further either way: 140 to 260 bpm against 150 to 220. To hear the difference, play Orchid next to The Dillinger Escape Plan. They share a root in post-hardcore, and screamo came first, by two years.
In figures
Screamo
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Emo › Screamo
In short
Emo pushed into hysteria: continuous screaming, cutting guitars and songs that collapse into silence. Also called skramz.
How it sounds
- Almost continuously screamed vocals, often at the edge of physical exhaustion.
- Sharp guitars with dissonant chords and no thick distortion.
- Very short songs that collapse suddenly into quiet passages.
Key acts
- Orchid
- Pg. 99
- City of Caterpillar
- Envy
Start here
The pickCity of Caterpillar - And You're Wondering How a Fool Can Die. Post-rock catching fire.
Full page →Mathcore
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Post-hardcore › Mathcore
In short
Metalcore with its wiring torn out: meter changes every few seconds, dissonance and chaos controlled to the millimetre.
How it sounds
- Meter changes every few seconds, executed at maximum speed.
- Dissonant chords and minor-second intervals used as primary material.
- Jazz-level drum technique applied at grindcore intensity.
Key acts
- The Dillinger Escape Plan
- Converge
- Botch
- Car Bomb
Start here
The pickConverge - Jane Doe. Technically mathcore, emotionally something else entirely.
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