Is Emo-Pop Coming Back?
Image Courtesy: Rolling Stone
What is Emo-Pop?
Combining the sounds of emo and pop-punk, it comes as no surprise that emo-pop dominated much of the Myspace landscape. This genre of music can be identified by its rhythmic guitars, youthful angst, and heavy confessional lyrics. The sound gained popularity in the early 2000s but began in the 90s. Much of the genre can be characterized by its most popular names—bands like Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, and My Chemical Romance. However, emo-pop began to lose its popularity in the 2010s due to artists changing music styles and/or disbanding.
Why is Emo-Pop Coming Back Now?
From the beginning of the pandemic until today, people have found solace in seeking out and nurturing their pre-pandemic interests. For many, this has meant reverting to their youth and rediscovering activities, attitudes, and artists they had not visited since beginning their post-adolescent lives. On top of this, numerous TikTok trends have included clips from emo-pop songs, further propelling people into their nostalgia. There are theories that many of the finer things in life (fashion, music, trends, etc.) are cyclical. I can’t help but ask if the emo-pop revival was is all part of the cycle, or if living in close quarters and the seemingly never-ending unprecedented times left us feeling rather angsty yet again.
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Is the WWWY Festival Legit?
The resurgence of emo-pop has culminated in the announcement of the When We Were Young festival. The festival is held by Live Nation brags over 60 acts, including many of the biggest names in the genre. Fans can expect to see Pierce the Veil, Avril Lavigne, 3OH!3, and many more over what is now a three-day event. The festival announced its packed setlist, with headliners My Chemical Romance and Paramore, on January 18. Originally, the music festival was set to be a single-day event on October 22nd at the Las Vegas Festival grounds.
Image Courtesy: Fox News
After selling out rather quickly, two more days have been added. There are some who are skeptical about the festival’s legitimacy, following incidents such as the Fyre Festival fiasco in 2017 and Live Nation’s recent involvement with Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival where 10 people were killed, and many were injured. Live Nation claims the festival has been carefully planned out, and they are working with Las Vegas officials to keep fans safe.
Image Courtesy: WhenWeWereYoungFestival
Whom Can We Expect to See? Anyone New?
Joining the saturated lineup of vets are numerous nuance acts including TikTok stars Lil Huddy and Nessa Barrett, known musically for her song I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead. The inclusion of acts that have only recently joined the emo-pop scene gives the lineup a necessary spice to qualify it not only as a revival of emo-pop music but as a renaissance as well.
Ultimately, the festival may fill the gap left by the wrapping of Warped Tour, a traveling rock tour that began in 1995 and ended in 2019 and has roused emo-pop fans, new and old.
Image Courtesy: Youtube
Strike Out,
Writer: Faveanny Leyva
Editor: Roxy Rico
Graphic Designer: Lauren Wakeman
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