Emotional rock is a kind of rock music genre, which is characterized by emphasizing emotional expression, sometimes through confession lyrics. It was the post hard style of the hard punk movement in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1980s, known as the emotional hard or Emocore, and was created by bands such as rites of spring and Empire. In the early 1990s, emo was adopted and reinvented by alternative rock, indie rock and pop punk bands, such as sunny day real estate, Jawbreaker, Weezer and Jimmy Eat World, while Weezer became mainstream during this period. By the mid-1990s, bands such as braid, promise ring and get up kids had risen from the emerging Midwest emo scene, and several independent record companies began to specialize in this type. Meanwhile, screams, pioneered by the San Diego band heroin and Antioch arrow, are a more aggressive emo style using screams.

Emo is often seen as subculture, and it also represents the specific relationship between fans and artists, as well as certain aspects of fashion, culture and behavior. Emotional fashion has something to do with skinny jeans. Tight T-shirt with band name; Studded Belt flat, straight hair, long black hair. Emo fans dressed like this are called "emo kids" or "emos". Emos is known for listening to emo bands such as my chemical romance, Hawthorne heights, the used and AFI. Emotional subculture is associated with emotion, sensitivity, pessimism, shyness, introversion and anxiety, depression, self harm and suicide. Its rapid popularity in the early 2000s caused strong opposition, such as my chemical romance and panic and other bands! Disco rejected the emo label because of social stigma and controversy.

With the success of Jimmy Eat World and dashboard professional, emo has entered the mainstream culture, with many artists signing up to major record companies. Over the past decade, bands such as my chemical romance, AFI, fall out boy and Red Jumpsuit accessories have continued their popularity. By the mid-2010's, the popularity of emos had declined, with some bands changing their voices and others disbanded. However, at the same time, there are mainly underground emotional revivals, such as the voice and aesthetics of the 1990's emo, such as "the world is a beautiful place" and "I am no longer afraid of death" and "modern baseball".

Emo originated from hard core punk and is considered to be a form of post hard core. Nevertheless, emo is also considered a form of indie rock and pop punk. Emo's guitar dynamics take advantage of the softness and loudness of punk rock music. Some emos tend to use the characteristics of progressive music, as well as the use of complex guitar works, unorthodox song structures and extremely dynamic genres.

The lyrics are the focus of emo music, usually emotional, usually personal or contrite, involving topics such as romantic failure, self loathing, pain, insecurity, suicidal thoughts, love and interpersonal relationships. All music describes emo lyrics as "usually free association poetry or intimate regret". The early emo band is a hardcore punk band that uses melody and emotion or introspective lyrics. Its structure is not as good as the regular hardcore punk. Therefore, the early emo band is different from the ordinary hardcore punk in its aggression, anger and poetry chorus and poetry structure.

According to allmusic, most of the mood bands of the 1990s "borrowed from a combination of fugazi, sunny day real estate and Weezer.". The New York Times describes the emo as "emotional punk, post iron or pop punk.". In other words, punk puts his heart on his sleeve and tries to ferment his voice with a little gentleness. If it helps, imagine Ricky Nelson's singing pistol. " Author Matt Diehl calls emo "a more sensitive interpolation for punk tasks.". According to Merriam Webster, emo is "a rock style influenced by punk rock, with introspective and emotional lyrics.".