Rolling Stone's top 40 emo albums (30-26)

30: Moss Icon - Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly (1993, Veriform)

Here’s another classic record I’ve been sleeping on, although to be fair, this was pretty hard to find online until recently. It’s the missing link between 80’s emotive hardcore like Rites of Spring and the late 90s screamo wave of Saetia, Orchid, et al. This is similar to the Indian Summer record in that regard, but while Indian Summer is more a purée of bittersweet melodic post hardcore, Lyburnum is like a stew. You can taste the parts separately — the meaty chunks of 80’s inspired punk make up the base while the atmospheric, confrontational weirdness provides the rich, flavourful broth. I thought I was gonna like this more than I did. It’s not an easy listen by any means. I certainly prefer the songs that stick closer to the meat and potatoes approach, although the 11-minute title track is an emotional rollercoaster with quite a rewarding payoff.

29: Brand New - Your Favourite Weapon (Triple Crown, 2001)

I don’t know how you throw this on a list of top 40 anything when even the band has tried to distance themselves from the record because it’s juvenile and embarrassing. Musically there are some moments on here, like the breakdown in “Failure by Design” which do a good job at the melodic Long Island hardcore of the day. Lyrically this is a mess to the point of distraction. I’m glad nobody ever gave me a record deal at age 19 and let me sing my “poetry” over pop-punk music. Some of these songs leave a sour taste in my mouth regardless of whether or not a teenager penned them. I guess this is an interesting and vivid snapshot into the mind of a college student who dates 15-year-olds (allegedly) but it doesn’t really go down easily.

28: Paramore - Riot! (2007, Fueled by Ramen)

Look, I could go on a rant about how this “isn’t real emo” but as someone who often listens to Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande of his own volition, I’m not gonna pretend it’s bad. I think this sounds like Avril LaVigne, but it was ostensibly released on an independent label that also put out shit from Less Than Jake and Jimmy Eat World. This had to be a big gateway for a lot of kids to discover punk rock, so God bless. Speaking of industry plants, the story behind this era of Paramore is pretty wild, and it’s all widely available to read online. This was always a glitzy pop record with big ambitions, and the songs reflect that. There’s a little bit of everything in here — some “Sk8er Boi” type beats, a dash of third wave emo theatrics, and some other elements that were being bandied about in mid-2000s arenas. Playing the copycat game is a tried and true way of writing pop hits. This album has three or four undeniable ones.

27: Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001, Vagrant)

I was expecting to hate this for how often I’ve heard it maligned by the “tr00” crowd, but it was pretty inoffensive to me. Let’s put it this way — I’m side-eyeing anyone who says they love The Jealous Sound but hates this. My listen did rustle up some bad memories of discovering local-level NeverShoutNever rip-offs on MySpace when that was a thing, but in context of 2001, it’s basically a dude with an acoustic guitar trying to do a stripped back and more accessible version of the twinkly stuff he grew up around. I think this is a vital evolutionary piece between second and third wave, where people realized emo’s forlorn vocal melodies — when not buried behind a wall of guitar effects — had the potential to whip an amphitheatre full of teenagers into a frenzy. This is also a strong contender for “horniest album on the list”.

26: Rainer Maria - Look Now Look Again (1999, Polyvinyl)

I feel like this album might get slept on in the second wave conversation. I used to hear this band get name checked every now and again, but they don’t have the same cache as American Football, Mineral or Get Up Kids, who all existed around the same time. It’s a shame, because this record is really good. It’s nice to see the band get some shine on this list, although the writeup makes it seem like they’re only included for their “valuable female perspective”. Guitarist Kaia Fischer’s playing on this record is incredible, and her vocal interplay with lead singer Caithlin De Merrais reminds me of the more pensive early Hot Water Music material. This band accomplishes a lot as a three-piece, but you can tell how their arrangement informs the way they play. It’s unique. Anyone who reveres the first American Football LP, which came out later in 1999, would be wise to check this out.