Emo Rap Rock
tagStarted 2015Peak 2017-2019Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Emo melody and guitar fused with hip-hop production: melancholic distorted or clean guitar loops and pop-punk chord progressions under sung-rapped, melodic vocals and trap drums. Lyrics dwell on heartbreak, depression, and self-destruction, blending emo's confessional ache with SoundCloud-era rap cadence and 808s.
History
Emerged on SoundCloud around 2015 when Lil Peep fused Midwest-emo guitar samples with rap delivery, pioneering the style. nothing,nowhere. bridged emo and hip-hop directly, and Juice WRLD's guitar-driven hits brought it to the mainstream, peaking 2017-2019 around Lil Peep's 2017 death and Juice WRLD's chart dominance.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Emo rap
- Pitchfork
- The Mic Magazine