The Captivating Era of Emo Music: A Visual Journey
Celebrate the iconic era of emo music through captivating images by Amy Fleisher-Madden and other talented photographers in Negatives Immerse yourself in the vibrant scene that shaped this genre, capturing the raw emotions and musical diary of a generation
As the sun descends over the Badlands, Amy Fleischer-Madden scans the red rock and prairie grass through her camera's viewfinder, on the lookout for a figure dressed all in black. It's 1999, and the budding photographer is on tour with Saves the Day, a band of young musicians from Princeton, New Jersey who have just dropped their second album, "Through Being Cool." Unbeknownst to them, this record will later be associated with the rise of "third wave emo," a hazy music genre emerging from garage bands, church basements, and all-ages venues all over America.
Fleisher Madden captured this shot of Saves The Day drummer Bryan Newman, backlit in the Badlands at "the perfect moment when the sun was going down."
Emo music, known for its controversial and confessional nature, offers a softer take on hardcore punk with warbly vocals and evocative lyrics. Other bands may derisively label it as the sound of "teen angst," but drummer Bryan Newman is unfazed. Flesicher-Madden spots him crouched on the ground, lost in the quiet of the South Dakotan landscape. She captures the moment, recognizing that candid moments offstage are just as vital to the emo story as the concerts themselves.
“This is just as much a part of the story as the person on stage," Fleischer-Madden said, referring to the spontaneous moments that often occurred during the band's downtime between shows - whether it's a silly greenroom joke or a hurried shower in their rundown motel room. Many of these moments are featured in her new book, "Negatives: A Photographic Archive of Emo (1996-2006)." Even now, twenty years later, the photo of Newman remains her favorite, she told CNN.
"The entire middle section (of the book) is called Everything and Everyone, and that whole section is just chaos," she laughed. "It's the van, backstage, sleeping in a bathtub, behind-the-scenes of photoshoots, and stuff like that. And for me, that's the core. That's the good stuff."
At The Drive In's show at the Manville Elks Lodge in Manville, New Jersey, around 1998 was iconic. According to Fleisher Madden's "Negatives," the band's live performances were legendary and being part of the audience was like being part of history. They paved the way for numerous upcoming experimental bands that followed.
Paul D'Elia/Courtesy Chronicle Books
A promotional photo for Jimmy Eat World's 1996 album "Static Prevails," taken "somewhere in Arizona."
Andy Mueller/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Ketchup and cigarettes: Musicians Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) and Blake Schwarzenbach (Jawbreaker) photographed at breakfast in Chicago, circa 1998.
Brian Maryansky/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Dashboard Confessional performed at the 2001 MACROCK event in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In the preface to "Negatives," the band's frontman Chris Carrabba reflects on the significance of emo music, stating that "The music unites and sustains us, just as it always has... It continues to be, fundamentally, a community, and this community has witnessed incredible moments. Without the evidence in the form of photos, it's hard to imagine anyone would believe us." - Amy Fleisher Madden/Courtesy Chronicle Books
One giant leap: Something Corporate perform at Nation in Washington, DC, in 2004.
Tom Cheney/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) pictured on a late-night snack run during a 2004 tour, "somewhere on the West Coast."
Justin Borucki/Courtesy Chronicl
"Jejune epitomized a delicate and soft-spoken musical style that seamlessly transitioned into intricate melodies, only to suddenly erupt into a powerful wall of noise," describes Fleisher Madden in "Negatives." The band is captured in this image during a 1997 performance in New York City.
Paul Drake/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Photo from 1998 inside the tour bus with The Grey A.M. members. Amy Fleisher Madden recounts her tour experience with the band, "We hit bingo in every possible way. The van kept breaking down, we arrived at shows that weren't happening, and just before the tour ended, the singer left the band. BINGO." - Amy Fleisher Madden/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Members of Texas Is The Reason on a Dunkin' Donuts run after a show in Brighton, Massachusetts, in 1995.
Mark Beemer/Courtesy Chronicle Books
"Suddenly, Saosin emerged seemingly out of thin air," notes Fleisher Madden in "Negatives." "This is a phenomenon that occurs when a band effectively utilizes online platforms or taps into a social media movement - we witnessed it then and continue to see it today." The band is captured in this photo at photographer RJ Shaughnessy's residence in Los Angeles in 2003.
RJ Shaughnessy/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Mineral perform at the VFW Hall in Elkton, Maryland, circa 1997.
Michael Dubin/Courtesy Chronicle Books
In photos: The angsty era of emo music
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Making a scene
Exploring the impact of various bands on the evolution of emo music after its initial wave in the 1980s D.C. hardcore scene, "Negatives" showcases a vast collection of images sourced from Fleischer-Madden's personal archives and other photographers who documented the scene. While some featured musicians like Death Cab For Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, and Fall Out Boy are easily recognizable, others may be less familiar. Nonetheless, each band included in the book played a role in shaping the emo scene, and Fleischer-Madden's task was to determine the historical and sonic significance of each within the trajectory of emo.
"I pondered questions such as, What was the significance of that band? Did they shape future sounds and styles? Do their albums contribute to a lasting legacy?" Fleischer-Madden described her approach. "There are numerous bands featured in the book that may not be my personal favorites, but their impact and influence on the movement cannot be denied."
Amy Fleisher Madden
RJ Shaughnessy/Courtesy Chronicle Books
Growing up in Miami, Fleischer-Madden was deeply involved in the local punk scene of the mid-90s. She organized shows and wrote about emerging bands for her zine, Fiddler Jones. At just 16, she founded Fiddler Records and released an album by The Vacant Andys, a band fronted by Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional. She then expanded her work to booking tours, working in A&R for other labels, and traveling around the country to capture photos of the bands she had written about.
Fleischer-Madden described herself as a "fan" during the second wave, between 1996-2000, which featured influential bands like Bright Eyes, American Football, Cursive, Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Get Up Kids. She also referred to herself as a "participant" during the third wave, spanning from 2000 to 2006, which included bands such as Circa Survive, Say Anything, and New Found Glory, as well as larger acts like Paramore and My Chemical Romance.
She recognized that there were purists who were particular about labeling bands as "second wave" or "third wave," but Fleischer-Madden aimed to use objective measures such as the age of the band members, their attire, photography style, and whether they were filmed. She described herself as an "emo Sherlock Holmes" in her quest to find the answer within the details.
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Hayley Williams of Paramore gave a performance during a tour stop in San Diego, California back in 2006. The band was recognized for pioneering their own path in the emo scene, as highlighted by Fleisher Madden in "Negatives." Madden also noted that "their early days were marked by subtle (and not-so-subtle) hostility from a predominantly male-dominated scene. It pains me to acknowledge that this was the environment we originated from, but all we can do nowand urge all of you to do the sameis take the necessary measures to ensure that this is not the future we are moving towards."
Ilene Tatro/Courtesy Chronicle Books
A musical diary
Emo's third wave, according to Fleischer-Madden, marked the rise of pop-punk, screamo, and post-hardcore, all subgenres that share the same emotional intensity and confessional lyricism as traditional emo, just with a faster and louder twist. This expansion of the emo genre has upset some old-school fans, who bemoan the mainstream appeal and commercialization of emo music and culture. However, Fleischer-Madden argues that discovering new music, even if it's technically "old" to some, has always been an essential part of being a teenager.
Emo Nite founder Morgan Freed, whose emo-themed party night has gained popularity nationwide among younger fans, expressed a similar sentiment. He noted that emo has led to numerous TikTok trends and a popular music festival produced by LiveNation in recent years.
He described emo music as the perfect soundtrack for evenings in the suburbs, sitting on the roof on a summer night in a cul-de-sac, sipping a beer. He added that the alienating experience of being a teenager is universal and timeless, especially in an increasingly digital world.
Freed stated that there will always be 15-year-olds looking for something relatable, and this music is for those who feel like outsiders or nonconformists. There is no doubt about the authenticity of Fleischer-Madden's "Negatives," as it chronicles her own experiences within a scene that continues to influence pop culture after more than two decades.
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Negatives: A Photographic Archive of Emo (19962006)
Chronicle Books
She firmly believes in creating inclusive and meaningful artifacts that people can proudly display on their shelves and share with their loved ones, rather than keeping them exclusive to a select few.
She remembered a fascinating conversation she had at her most recent book event in Los Angeles with a young man in his twenties. He expressed, "I wasn't around during that era to see these bands, but now I'm really interested in all of it. I'm catching up and learning, and I use your book as a guide," he said with a smile.
"And I responded, 'That's incredible,'" she added. "Then he said, 'It's like a map. It's a map to the entire music scene.'"
