From the Basement: A History of Emo Music and How It Changed Society

In this history of the emo music scene, author Taylor Markarian sets out to tell the story of this unique genre of music and the other genres that it developed out of and that it has since influenced. Examining the popularity of bands like My Chemical Romance and festivals like Warped Tour, Markarian traces the connections between the popularity of the music and the other cultural phenomena that occurred around the same time. Markarian also explores the connections between emo music and mental health, examining how the music may have both offered an outlet for depressed emotions on the part of the musicians, as well as allowed listeners to relate better to their own sadness or depression. Including interviews with many of the bands themselves, this is an essential read for any fan of emo music and any historian of music more broadly.