Midwest Emo

Midwest emo is a genre characterized by intricate, twinkling guitar work, driving rhythms, and emotive, often screamed or spoken vocals. Emerging in the 1990s in the American Midwest, the genre drew from post-hardcore and indie rock, with bands emphasizing intense, personal lyrics and dynamic song structures. Reaching peak popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, midwest emo became a staple of the DIY scene, with its raw, emotive sound resonating with fans seeking authenticity and community. Influenced by post-rock and math rock, the genre's complex time signatures and guitar interplay set it apart from other emo subgenres. Its cultural significance lies in its portrayal of small-town life, relationships, and introspection, providing a voice for the anxieties and hopes of a generation. As a precursor to later emo and indie rock movements, midwest emo's influence can be seen in its blend of technicality, emotional intensity, and heartfelt storytelling.

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A Small District
ANORAK!
Adjust the Sails
Algernon Cadwallader
Amateurish
American Football
Amoeba Arena
Arcadia Grey
Arm's Length
Barely Civil
Belmont
Ben Quad
Camp Trash
Car Crash Bird Funeral
Carpool
Celebration Guns
Charmer
Chinese Park
Citizen
Cory Castro
Crossing i's Dotting t's
DURRY
Daisyhead
Diels-Alder
Dikembe
Dylan Espeseth
Easy Honey
Elephant Gym
Emergency Exist
Equipment
FISHER
FLAKE
Failed to Ignite
Foot Ox
For Example John
Forth Wanderers
Free Throw
GREY.
George Gadd + The Aftermath
Good Luck
Heart to Gold
I Hate Myself
Jejune
Joyce Manor
Kerosene Heights
La Dispute
Like Roses
Long Time No Talk
MIDDLING
Macseal
Meatballs
Modern Baseball
My Dad Died
Niko Sitaras
Nogato
Nuvolascura
Oolong
Origami Ghosts
Oso Oso
PUP
Peaer
Pool Kids
Portraits of Past
Quem é você Alice?
Real Friends
Retirement Party
RudyWade
Second Nature
Short Fictions
Stay Inside
Summerbruise
TRSH
The Boy Detective
The Casket Lottery
The Kyle Sowashes
The Sonder Bombs
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
Tigers Jaw
Tommy Ragen
Totorro
Uklao
Ultimate Emo Party
Upon Your Dead Body
Versus You
Wavers
Woolbright
chase usa
dating
departmefrombearisland
gingerbee
headwinds
hey, nothing
i don't like mirrors
idialedyournumber
paranoid void
po9t
soccer.
son of deni
sports.
даша онзероад
FISHER
Mom Jeans.
i don't like mirrors
Modern Baseball
Movements
PUP
RudyWade
Dylan Espeseth
Joyce Manor
La Dispute
Tigers Jaw
Knuckle Puck
Arm's Length
Free Throw
Citizen
Microwave
hey, nothing
toe
Real Friends
Adjust the Sails
American Football
Belmont
TRSH
Sunny Day Real Estate
Macseal
Slow Joy
Delta Sleep
Moose Blood
Pet Symmetry
The Get Up Kids
Ben Quad
The Hotelier
Your Arms Are My Cocoon
Cory Castro
Upon Your Dead Body
Michael Cera Palin
Mat Kerekes
Tiny Moving Parts
Jejune
Radiator Hospital
Oso Oso
Forth Wanderers
TTNG
Worst Party Ever
Tommy Ragen
Like Roses
po9t
DURRY
Kerosene Heights
Fiesta Bizarra
It Looks Sad.
Orchid
gavin m
I Hate Myself
Marietta
Milledenials
Dikembe
Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
Ispentsixhourswatchingshockvideosyesterday
Niko Sitaras
CLIFFDIVER
Chinese Football
Salvinorin-A
Elephant Gym
A Great Big Pile of Leaves
You Blew It!
Charmer
Owen
sports.
Brave Little Abacus
Cap'n Jazz
Into It. Over It.
Foot Ox
The Promise Ring
Pool Kids
The Appleseed Cast
I'm Glad It's You
departmefrombearisland
Heart to Gold
Algernon Cadwallader
Estoy Bien
All My Wishes Were Thrown Down a Well and Should Die There
Braid
Totorro
Pageninetynine
Dead Butterflies
Bouquet
The Anniversary
Any Two Words
downt
Beijing Connection
Super American
Beeswax
Carpool
Attic Abasement
Equipment
Suis La Lune
paranoid void
bright little stars