Wikipedia:WikiProject Emo music/Discussion/The Used

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[edit] Title

WikiProject On Emo Music - The Used

[edit] Arguments for why The Used is emo

Here goes discussion about The Used being related to Emo Music in any form

The Used refers to themselves as an emo band, their subject matter is emo (in that it discusses death, suicide etc), their music is guitar based alternative rock centralising on "dark" chord structures and the band dresses in emo fashion. It's not a far stretch to consider that they're an emo band, since they consider themselves to be. --lincalinca 08:54, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

unfortunately because "emo" has become such a derogatory term and is commonly used incorrectly, and almost leads to a new definition. in the same sense that "ass" does not actually mean "butt," "emo" (as far as a musical genre is concerned) does not actually mean screaming, songs about death and dying, songs about cutting, long dark hair covering one eye, tight jeans, etc. but because so many people continue to use the word incorrectly, it becomes popular "knowledge", and then becomes new word. so under a slang definition (or a word more suited for the "urban dictionary" than an actual dictionary or encyclopedia) then the used could be considered emo. Fezmar9 (talk) 19:17, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I have previously laid out my arguments for why they are emo here. I'll cut n paste it to keep the debate in one place:
“ They clearly have alternative influences, but those are superseded by their emo, or "emotive hardcore" style. Anyone who makes the claim that they are just alternative has most likely only heard their singles. The fact that they are first and foremost an emo band is apparent on songs like "Maybe Memories", "Say Days Ago", "A Box Full of Sharp Objects", "Take It Away", "Listening", "Sound Effects and Overdramatics", "I'm a Fake", etc. Alternative proponents often point to songs like "The Taste of Ink", "Blue and Yellow", "Greener with the Scenery", "Noise and Kisses", "All That I've Got", "Cut up Angels", etc. This doesn't hold, as those songs are constructed like power ballads, and maintain the emo sound, and screaming. Which brings me to the biggest reason why they aren't alternative -- the vocal style. Alternative rock doesn't have the kind of screaming Bert does, which is influenced by emo/post-hardcore. While their latest album took a turn in the direction of alternative, the emo is still apparent, and their b-sides are a lot like their older songs. I would call their latest effort "emo-prog" or "emo-crossover", like MCR's The Black Parade album.

To sum it up, The Used have songs where their alternative influences are quite apparent, yet they still end up sounding like themselves, and emo/screamo. They have songs that are straight up hardcore, softer acoustic ones(every emo band has a few), alt-rock influenced power ballads, and the rest of their material would fall somewhere in between. Basically, they take emo/screamo and make it their own, sounding like nothing else, and that leads to confusion.

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Lets try to keep this argument to their sound and not image, eventhough The Used qualifies as emo based on that. Arguments can be made based on their sound alone. --Pwnage8 (talk) 16:30, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Arguments against why The Used is emo

No The Used, is not emo music, it is rock/punk. Some of there songs relate to death etc but some songs actually have meanings to the band or the lead singer Bert and generally songs tell a story whether the stories are fiction or truth. I don't think a band would purposely sing about death. Look at the used image they don't act emo.

in the recent decade, EMO MUSIC has been confused with an EMO IMAGE or STEREOTYPE. emo music is not a sound produced by any instrument, but rather a lyrical element conveying a strong emotion. although almost all songs include an emotion, it is specifically emo music that effectively gets the feeling across via a calculated use of words. the used does not produce songs in this fashion and therefor should not be considered emo. many bands get unfairly and unreasonably dumped into this genre in a derogatory sense because of their image. other such bands include: aiden, my chemical romance, silverstein, and taking back sunday. the music that the used creates is of a punk and or rock nature, occasionally mixed with some darker elements and images. Fezmar9 (talk) 19:07, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Conclusion

The result of the debate