The 10 Best Emo-Prog Bands of All Time

Here are the 10 best emo-prog bands of all time.

By now, just about every kind of music that can exist does exist; from jazz rap and Witch house to crunkcore and Simpsonwave, it’s all been done to some extent. It should come as no surprise, then, that dozens of acts have merged emo and progressive rock over the last 25 years.

The two genres actually have more in common than you might think since emo grew out of 1980s post-hardcore (which essentially added complexity, variety and experimentation to hardcore punk). While emo itself is basically a straightforward and predominantly emotional subsection of rock – with ties to alternative rock, pop-punk and indie rock – its roots are in what could be labeled as “progressive punk.”

There are countless examples of great emo-prog groups, and the 10 on this list are easily among the best.

Why? Because each of them effectively and distinctively melds the cutting vocals/lyrics and expressive timbres of the former with the challenging instrumentation of the latter. Even if they also fall into other camps – post-hardcore, experimental rock, math rock, screamo – they still combine emo and progressive rock in the larger sense.

So, get your dyed swoop or bob haircut, black eyeliner, Rush shirt and Converse sneakers ready as we dive into nearly a dozen of the best emo-prog bands around!