Emo has only gotten more difficult to define since its inception in the mid-’80s. The genre has evolved considerably, experiencing a commercial boom in the 2000s and inspiring a revival in the 2010s. When those movements started to wane, with bands either packing it up or transcending their roots, emo rap took hold, using the genre as an ingredient to pioneer an entirely new sound. Even in the past few years, artists have used emo as a launching pad for more future-facing experimentalism (think 100 gecs and PinkPantheress), merging parts of indie rock, electronic, shoegaze, and bedroom pop with its forlorn bedrock. At its core, though, emo is simply an umbrella for incredibly earnest music. With this in mind, we asked our readers to name the best modern emo bands. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
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5. Spanish Love Songs
It’s hard to believe that Spanish Love Songs have been playing shows for over a decade, releasing one of their best albums in 2023. As we wrote a couple of years ago, their meld of “heartland rock, pop punk, and emo sounds like an extremely Philly combo of the War On Drugs, the Wonder Years, and the Menzingers,” bringing a distinct POV that makes them stand out from the rest. Through it all, frontman Dylan Slocum’s quivery bellow about grief, mental health, and survival feels like poetry — always punctuated with tremendous hooks that make their gigs such a release.
4. Static Dress
It’s clear that Static Dress owe a lot to My Chemical Romance, Thursday, and John Carpenter, but they never sabotage themselves by falling too hard into Y2K nostalgia. Their 2022 debut album, Rouge Carpet Disaster, proved exactly that, distilling elements of emo, post-hardcore, and electronic into a meticulously detailed blend and aesthetic that sounds like no one else. Since then, the British outfit have only leveled up their game, reimagining their first record, touring with Underoath, and continuing to release aggressively cathartic songs that deepen their vivid worldbuilding.
3. Movements
Movements made a tremendous introduction with 2017’s Feel Something, combining emotional weight with sleek production. That was largely due to Patrick Miranda’s vocals, a frontman who is “earnest, endearing and overflowing with emotion.” Their other two albums, No Good Left to Give and RUCKUS!, continued the momentum, offering the same ambition and raw storytelling while reaching for different influences. Although the latter record cast aside their “emo revival” sound and tapped into a different sound with the help of producer Will Yip, our readers still consider them one of modern emo’s greats.
2. Arm’s Length
Arm’s Length have been generating plenty of well-deserved buzz lately, and our readers agree. On top of wildly fun live shows, they put out their sophomore album, There’s A Whole World Out There, last month, which proves that they’re operating like a whole new band. From the start, the Ontario emo greats are heavier, more confident, and willing to toy with the boundaries of their sound, whether that’s incorporating banjo (“You Ominously End”), leaning into “Smells Like Teen Spirit” riffs (“The Weight”), or pulling out 12-string acoustic guitars (“Genetic Lottery”). It’s probably best if you hear for yourself.
1. Hot Mulligan
Hot Mulligan bring plenty of goofy humor to the genre, doing things like listing a 5K gallon of milk on their merch store and committing to ridiculous song titles (take your pick). But the Michigan emo band also know how to counterbalance that silliness with sincerity and depth, unafraid to bare all. 2023’s Why Would I Watch was one of their best albums yet, and their upcoming LP, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still, seems like it’ll be just as potent, based on the hooky lead single “And A Big Load.” It’s no wonder our readers voted them as the best modern emo band.