Dust off that MCR tee, dig out those chequered vans and get ready to relive your emo days.
The good old emo days, clad in black, skinny jeans as tight as this years NHS pay rise, surrounded by a sea of eyeliner and sweeping fringes. As we shared myspace profiles and argued whose life was shittier, the music would blast from our Sony Ericsson Walkman phones and oh wasn’t it so glorious? I’ve been feeling extra nostalgic about the emo days and the music that accompanied them so I’ve listed fifteen of the greatest emo anthems EVER. The playlist is available to listen to on our Spotify!
1) My Chemical Romance - Helena
That emo lyric: “And what’s the worst you take, from every heart you break”
Although Helena is a fictional character created by lead singer Gerard Way, the song is a tribute to the singer and bassist Mikey Way’s grandmother Elena who passed away during the recording of the album ‘Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge’. The brothers were incredibly close to their grandmother, and Gerard told MCR biographer Tom Bryant when discussing the filming of the music video “There were a lot of moments that I had to leave that video. There was a very sombre mood. It was very quiet. We all sat in the church very quietly ... Maybe that’s where the magic is in that video – because it came from a completely raw place. My grandmother's funeral was very hard and that video was like reliving it again. That video was very special, really personal."
2) Brand New - Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t That emo lyric: “Then ask me what it's like to have myself so figured out, I wish I knew”
If there is a band that encapsulates the emo genre it would have to be Brand New, the fact Deja Entundu (French for ‘already heard’) contained the song ‘Good to Know That if I Ever Need Attention All I Have to Do is Die’ says it all. Singer Jesse Lacey wrote the majority of the album's songs alone in his bedroom, with many of the titles referencing lines from movies, including ‘Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t’ which is from Home Alone 2.
3) Taking Back Sunday - Ghost Man on Third
That emo lyric: “It's a shame I don't think that they'll notice, It’s a shame I doubt they even care”
One of the tracks from the prolific debut album ‘Tell All Your Friends’, Ghost Man on Third is a sad tale of a man struggling to keep a clear conscience about the love triangle he’s got himself into, admitting “no one is to know about this” repeatedly during the track, turning to alcohol instead to numb his thoughts. TBS guitarist John Nolan upon discussing the meaning of the song explained that lead singer Adam Lazzara wrote the lyrics as a reflection of “where he was at in that time of his life”. Reflecting on lyrics from 'Tell All Your Friends' Adam has admitted they often related to mistakes he made in the past.
4) Sum 41 - Pieces
That emo lyric: “This place is so empty, my thoughts are so tempting”
Before performing the song live at Fuse Studios, singer Deryck Whibley explained the meaning behind the lyrics, “This song, 'Pieces' is just about, basically, like most of our songs, is about life and our own lives, everyday situations and just sort of being caught in something that you realise that you're not, you don't really want to be, you're trying to be something for somebody else that you're not, and you’re just coming to that realisation.” Essentially it is the ultimate "it’s not you, it’s me" break-up song, so next time you are struggling to find the words, simply send this song over with a sad face emoji.
5) 30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill (Bury Me)
That emo lyric: “I tried to be someone else, but nothing seemed to change”
Lead singer Jared Leto described the meaning of the song as confronting yourself and accepting who you are, rather than trying to be someone you aren’t. Handsome, talented AND self-reflecting!? What more could you ask for! The music video is also a tribute to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining based on the Stephen King novel, watch it below.
6) Funeral for a Friend - Juneau
That emo lyric: “And I’m nothing more than a line in your book”
The welsh post-hardcore outfit boasts a whole arsenal of brilliant emo classics, but nothing can top Juneau’s heartbreak and betrayal based on singer Matt Davis’ ex cheating on him. Originally entitled ‘Juno’ and the second song created by the band, it was re-recorded and altered to make it more commercially appealing.
7) Linkin Park - In The End
That emo lyric: “I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter”
One of the greatest bands to ever grace the earth, and one with the most heartache. Lead singer Chester Bennington was sexually abused as a child and many of his songs depict the pain and suffering he felt before he took his own life back in 2017. If this isn’t the greatest emo song ever, then I don’t know what is. We miss you Chester, RIP.
8) Fall Out Boy - Grand Theft Autumn/ Where Is Your Boy
That emo lyric: “Maybe he won't find out what I know, you were the last good thing about this part of town”
The song that catapulted Fall Out Boy into the limelight, Grand Theft Autumn is a classic teen love story about a hopeless nerd attempting to win the heart of another guy’s girlfriend. Lead singer Patrick Stump and bassist Pete Went originally disliked the song, and tried their hardest to ensure it wasn’t included on their debut album ‘Take This to Your Grave’ but producer Sean O’keefe insisted. Ironically the song became a huge hit after it was released as the band’s second single and the pair both admitted it’s an incredibly important song to the band which contributed to their initial success.
9) Evanescence - My Immortal
That emo lyric: “These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, There's just too much that time cannot erase”
Although singer Amy Lee’s beautiful voice carries so much sadness throughout, guitarist Ben Moody is the creator of this absolute classic. Moody regularly relates his lyrics to short stories he writes, and My Immortal was no different, based on a spirit that haunts the memory of a grieving loved one.
10) From First to Last - Emily
That emo lyric: “I hope it's something worth the waiting, cause it's the only time that I ever feel real”
Every emo kid knew this classic, and for most of us, it was one of the only songs we could play (incredibly poorly) on guitar. It was also the ultimate love song for every emo that had an ‘Emily’. If you didn’t know, lead singer Sonny Moore left the band in 2007 to commence his solo career, becoming the one and only Skrillex.
11) Silverstein - My Heroine
That emo lyric: “Not now or forever will I ever change you, I know that to go on I'll break you, my habit”
Singer Shane Told admitted in a recent interview that this iconic emo anthem was heavily disliked by his bandmates and ‘Discovering the Waterfront’ producer Cameron Webb. Told convinced them to include it on the album, as he felt it was the best song he had ever written. Fast forward sixteen years and it's still Silverstein’s best song, addressing addiction, not to drugs but a toxic relationship.
12) Billy Talent - Nothing to Lose
That emo lyric: “Need more friends with wings, all the angels I know pump concrete in my veins”
Billy Talent is post-hardcore more than emo, but ‘Nothing to Lose’ is an incredibly emotional song about a suicidal teenager who suffered from bullying whilst at high school, resulting in his suicide at the age of seventeen. Lead singer Ben Kowalewicz wrote the song after learning that a local teenager hung himself in his basement after being told to kill himself by peers at his school. Every time the song was played on the radio, Billy Talent would donate 1 dollar to Canadian charity Kids Help Phone, a support line and free counselling service for distressed and suicidal teenagers.
13) Bullet for my Valentine - Tears Don’t Fall
That emo lyric: “Would she hear me, if I called her name? Would she hold me, if she knew my shame?”
BFMV’s epic classic is as important to the band as it is to their fans, lead singer Matt Tuck describing it “as a song like no other”. He isn’t wrong and every emo views the song’s intro as one of the most iconic in emo music, as the reverb from the guitar swells and Matt screams “let’s gooooooo” it's hard not to get goosebumps!
14) Slipknot - Vermilion, Pt. 2
That emo lyric: “All the torment and the pain, leaked through and covered me”
Written by drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray, Vermilion Pt. 2 is the aftermath of a relationship and the realisation that the infatuation you had with someone simply blinded you about who they are. As lead singer Corey Taylor explained in an interview a few years back, “Vermilion Pt. 1' is about the enrapturing, the buildup, the anticipation and the neurosis, Part 2 is the aftermath, the pieces that have to be picked up later, and maybe the guilt of having lived through it.”
15) Blink 182 - Stay Together for the Kids
That emo lyric: “If my stupid poem, could fix this home, I’d read it every day.”
Blink 182 were legends in the pop-punk arena, but they had a deeper and darker outlook on certain subjects, including divorce and the lasting damage it causes. Written by singer and guitarist Tom Delonge, the song is based on his parent's divorce and the way it affected him directly, but was also something experienced by the band's Mark Hoppus, who at the age of eight was sent to live with his father. On further reflection of the song, Delonge said “I lived, ate, and breathed skateboarding. All I did all day long was skateboard. It was all I cared about. So I didn't notice too much [else going on]. When I got home [one] day, my dad's furniture was gone, my mom was inside crying and everything just erupted at that point. I was 18, sitting in my driveway when it all went down. My whole family life was deteriorating, so, I just moved out. So I just took everything from that day and put it into a song.”
There were loads more songs to choose from and I could easily have included fifty more BUT that’s a lot of reading… so they've been added to the Emo Anthems playlist for you to enjoy!
Are there any songs you reckon should've been included in this list? Comment them below!