[emo100] A bummer, but in an awesome way: The Top 100 Emo Songs Of All Time (now on Spotify!)

Published Feb 09 2012, 08:30 AM by Barry Thompson

With due respect to Saint Valentine, the upcoming lovey-dovey holiday gave us an excuse to do what we should’ve done by now anyway - compile the TOP 100 EMO ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME. Over the last three decades, emo has progressed from a sensitive subsidiary of ‘80s hardcore (kind of like a sub-genre of a sub-genre), to big enough of a deal so suburban parents had to figure out what it was so they could forbid their children from listening to it. If that doesn’t make emo a legitimate cultural movement, what does?

But it’s practically impossible to debate hyper-passionate music without letting the subject matter’s pathos rub off. Without divulging too much information, when 10 Phoenix scribes gathered for the 2012 Emo Summit, things got a tad over the-top. Ultimately, everyone pulled themselves together, everything’s okay now, and here are our top picks for your listening delight! From Rites of Spring to Bright Eyes to My Chemical Romance, it’s the most definitive evaluation of emo we could muster.

Check it out on Spotify! Consider this a Valentine’s Day mixtape we made just for you, readers. Because we love you. Even though we know you could never love us back…or even understand us………........

Oooh, also, this thing comes with some boffo sidebars: Daniel Brockman explains how emo replaced punk as the go-to keystone of youth rebellion, Liz Pelly takes a look at emo’s geographical and historical evolution, and Michael Christopher ponders why so many vital emo outfits hate being called emo. And if you got your heart broke, cheer up/wallow in misery with Paint Pens in Purses' clip-and-send Emo Valentine cards.

LISTEN: The Top 100 Emo Anthems of All Time