Emo Bands You Can Take Seriously Quiz

Answer: American Football

American Football blended math-rock and post-rock influences for their 1999 album "American Football". While not a great seller on release, the album went on to be hugely important for the following emo scenes, distancing the scene further from its punk roots. Recorded in the dying days of the band members' college experiences, a large part of the album's mythology was the band's subsequent break-up immediately after its release.

The song titles were drawn from the last sentence of the lyrics of each song (excluding the instrumental cuts).

A follow-up was not released until 2016, also titled "American Football". The band members can also be found in other groups like Owls, Joan of Arc, Owen and Cap'n Jazz.

Answer: Brand New

Brand New always stood out from their third-wave emo companions in terms of critical acclaim, not quite copping as much back-lash as certain other groups. "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" is perhaps the band's magnum opus, an uncompromising examination of religious doubt, depression and existential crises that reached 31 on the US Billboard chart. Featuring tunes like "Jesus" and "Sowing Season (Yeah)", the album is also more expansive sonically than previous releases, wearing less of a pop-punk influence in comparison to albums like "Deja Entendu" (2003) and "Your Favorite Weapon" (2001).

In 2017, Brand New released their fifth album, "Science Fiction". Later that year, frontman Jesse Lacey was accused of sexual predation, prompting backlash and forcing the band to retreat from the public spotlight. As more events came into the public's attention, it became clear this was hardly an isolated incident, shedding some light on the darker side of the 2000s emo scene.

Answer: Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate were a pioneering early emo group that attracted attention with their 1994 debut "Diary". Released on independent label Sub Pop (notable for alumni like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Mudhoney), the album is the label's seventh best-seller (as of 2017). "Diary" was named by "Rolling Stone" as the best emo album of all time in their 2016 list.

The group followed up the album in 1995 with a self-titled effort before disbanding for the first time, with two band members joining Foo Fighters and singer Jeremy Enigk launching a solo career.

Answer: Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie caught underground attention with early releases like "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes", the group reached break-out status from big albums like "Transatlanticism" and "Plans", the latter of which peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard chart.

The band took their name from a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song of the same title that featured on The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" movie. Ben Gibbard is also notable for his work with The Postal Service.

Answer: The Hotelier

The Hotelier's first spark of notoriety was their debut "It Never Goes Out" in 2011, released under the moniker The Hotel Year. Their second album "Home, Like Noplace Is There" was a surprise success for the band, attracting mass critical acclaim from publications like "Pitchfork" and "Absolute Punk". On its release, vocalist Christian Holden joked that "...apparently we are emo now" in a Tumblr post, where he also noted the album "deals with some real dark stuff". Their 2016 follow-up "Goodness" was a change of pace for the band, featuring a more upbeat sound.

The other groups are also notable members of the so-called "fourth wave" of emo.

Answer: mewithoutYou

mewithoutYou are a Philadelphia band that draw together hardcore, post-rock and art rock influences. After releasing their debut "[A→B] Life" in 2002, the group picked up attention with subsequent albums like "Catch for Us the Foxes", "Brother, Sister" and "It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright". Frontman Aaron Weiss is notable for his close-to-spoken-word delivery, and the band often draw Jewish, Christian and Muslim theology into their lyrics (though the band are not a "Christian" band as such).

The band are considered an influential act of the underground scene.

Answer: Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee is the project of Katie Crutchfield, named after the town of Waxahatchee Creek in Alabama. Her lo-fi debut release "American Weekend" was recorded in her bedroom and attracted moderate commercial success. "Cerulean Salt", her follow-up, was critically acclaimed, earning a coveted "Best New Music" tag and being recognised as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far in 2014 by "Pitchfork". Her astute lyrics and well-crafted arrangements are a consistent source of acclaim. Katie's twin sister, Allison, is also of note in the emo scene as frontwoman of Swearin'.

A frequent critique of the emo "scene" is its gender politics, being dominated by men. This criticism is quite legitimate, though the acts in this question do show that there is a solid amount of female acts, especially in the fourth "wave"- Camp Cope are a trio from Melbourne, Australia, while Tigers Jaw and Pity Sex are both American groups.

Answer: The Promise Ring

The Promise Ring was formed as a side-project of Cap'n Jazz, another notable emo group. Their 1997 album "Nothing Feels Good" was a very influential release of emo's second wave, achieving a rating of 8.6/10 from "Pitchfork" on release and earning the band a sizeable cult status. On their 1999 album "Very Emergency" the group explored more pop influences, which helped set the scene for the commercial success of third wave groups like My Chemical Romance.

Answer: The Appleseed Cast

The Appleseed Cast released "Low Level Owl Vol. I & II" in 2001, blending math-rock, post-rock and punk influences with frequent instrumental interludes and ethereal, spacious production. The album received rave acclaim from critics, with a 4/5 rating from "AllMusic" and a 9.0/10 from the notoriously brutal "Pitchfork" (who would later cain the group on the release of 2003's "Two Conversations").

The band's emotive sound would go on to influence a range of groups, including Foxing and Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate).

Answer: Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring were a short-lived group made of members like Guy Picciotto and drummer Brendan Canty, who would both later join Fugazi with Minor Threat singer Ian MacKaye. Their 1985 self-titled album is commonly cited as the first truly emo album. Despite this, Picciotto has been quick to discredit this claim, saying "I've never recognized 'emo' as a genre of music." (Words to this effect are a common response of "emo" bands.) Interestingly, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana put "Rites of Spring" at number 30 in his famous top 50 favourite albums list.