Emo/Hardcore

Derived from DC's heartfelt post-hardcore scene, emo (short for emotional) is best characterized by its sensitive take on life and how to live it. The guitars usually dismiss light jangle for more intense chords. The vocal take is usually just as intense as the guitar attack, trading soul for sincerity, and most songs are mid-tempo affairs structured around short bursts of energy. The sound was epitomized by bands like Washington's Sunny Day Real Estate and the potent Jets to Brazil. More recently, bands like Fall Out Boy, Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eat World have taken the sound to the mainstream and made it the alt style of choice of the mid-'00s.