emo
These are the best emo artists featured on Release Wave.

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Saturdays At Your Place
Saturdays At Your Place is an emo band from Kalamazoo, MI. Their intimate lyrics pair with heavy hitting instrumental hooks and cleverly placed twinkly guitar parts to create a uniquely personal sound that has come to define the band.

Have Mercy
Have Mercy is a Baltimore-based indie / alt-rock band heavily influenced by post-hardcore and emo music, with heart on your sleeve vocals and driving guitar melodies. They have released multiple albums, with their latest being "Numb" in 2023 and their recently announced 6th LP, "the loneliest place i've ever been," is set to release in August 2025 via Rude Records. Fans of bands like The Dangerous Summer and Jimmy Eat World will enjoy their emotionally charged anthemic alt-rock.

The Casket Lottery
The Casket Lottery is an emo/post-hardcore band from Kansas City, MO formed in 1997. The band released its first three LPs on Second Nature Recordings, a fourth LP on No Sleep Records, and reunited for a 5th LP in 2020 on Wiretap Records. The band are now signed to Iodine Records and will release it's 6th LP titled "Feel The Teeth" in August of 2025.

Moving Mountains
Moving Mountains is an American rock band from Purchase, New York. Combining elements of emo and post-rock, the band has often been compared to such acts as The Appleseed Cast, Gates and Thrice.

Ponyboy

Dead History
Dead History is a Minneapolis-based emo/post-hardcore quintet, whose members include stalwarts of the formative emo/hardcore years in various scenes across the Upper Midwest. Their sound unapologetically pays homage to the likes of Quicksand, Texas is the Reason, Hum, Far, Jawbox, Swervedriver and Sparkmarker among others. They released their self titled LP in 2020 and will release their sophomore LP "Departures" in June 2025.

Spoils System
Spoils System is a New York-based band formed in 2021 by Dan Coutant (vocals, guitar, keys), Sean Hansen (guitar, background vocals), David Fateman (bass), and Mark Frankel (drums). They are known for their melodic and often discordant indie rock, drawing on influences from their past work in the emo band Joshua (Doghouse Records). The band is gearing up to release their sophomore LP on Sweet Cheatah Records in summer 2025.

Nihilistic Easyrider
Nihilistic Easyrider is the brainchild of Narrow Head frontman Jacob Duarte. His debut LP "DELUXE EDITION" is a mixtape of sorts, a collection of songs written at various intervals throughout Duarte’s career. These songs traverse a wide-range of stylistic references, from saccharine Y2K emo and young-dumb-and-full-of pop punk to Soviet fuzz fueled alt and pure Evan Dando-core verse-chorus-verse-chorus-done pop rock. Brought to life by a cast of characters including Narrow Head drummer Carson Wilcox, producer (and former tour-mate) Graham Hunt and features from Momma’s Allegra Weingarten and Ella Friedman, this debut album still provides with masterfully crafted and hook-drenched renditions of Duarte’s signature songwriting aesthetics.

Hot Mulligan
Hot Mulligan, an American emo/punk band, emerged as part of the 5th wave emo revival. Their music blends midwestern emo guitars, mathy rhythms, and pop-punk melodies with anthemic sing-along choruses. They have released several well-received albums and EPs, drawing comparisons to artists like modern baseball and The Wonder Years.

The Starting Line
The Starting Line is an American pop-punk band formed in 1999 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band's original lineup consisted of Ken Vasoli (lead vocals/bass), Matt Watts (guitar), Mike Golla (guitar/backing vocals), and Tom Gryskiewitz (drums). They signed with Drive-Thru Records and released their debut album, Say It Like You Mean It, in 2002. The Starting Line released three studio albums: Say It Like You Mean It (2002), Based on a True Story (2005), and Direction (2007). They went on hiatus in 2008 but have reunited for shows and tours over the years, and are now back with their fourth LP and first album in 18 years, expected to be released in fall of 2025.

Heavy Seas
Chicago-based punk/emo trio Heavy Seas, led by Jeff Dean of Airstream Futures, The Bomb, and All Eyes West, released their debut LP "Everything Breaks" in 2021. The band draws inspiration from 90s indie/emo/post-hardcore acts such as Seaweed, Jawbox, and Jawbreaker. Their upcoming sophomore album "Distortion Days" is set for release on Really Rad Records in January 2024.
Unseemlier
Unseemlier are a New England based self-proclaimed heavy emo/soft punk band, however the band are anything but soft. Founded in the fall of 2023, Unseemlier was born from emo nostalgia and a shared passion for raw, unapologetic music. Childhood friends Mike Assatly, Chris Pina, and Kevin Merriam quickly wrote their first tape and soon after its release recruited Andrea Neuenfeldt for bass and vocal duties. Since inception Unseemlier has played all over Boston and New England to a growing fan base who are ready to hear what's next. The band released their debut EP "The Truth Is We Out Here" in May of 2024, only hinting at what the band was capable of. Self described as heavy emo/soft punk, Unseemlier's debut LP is aptly titled "I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere" and is due June of 2025 via Sell The Heart Records. Recorded in the fall of 2024 with Zach Weeks at God City Studios, the twenty-three minute long blast is full of heavy hitting lyrics that listeners can easily connect with. The album quickly rips through themes of addiction and loss, growing up in a suburban bubble, and battling to look at the world in a positive light.
RIYL: Fiddlehead, Have Heart, Militarie Gun, Drug Church, Spite House, Touche Amore, Title Fight

Somerset Thrower
Hailing from Long Island, NY, Somerset Thrower was founded by four friends who share a love of all things rock and roll. Built on punk and hardcore roots, the four-piece blends raw energy with melody-soaked textures to create something both urgent and timeless. Fans of bands like Seaweed, Jawbreaker, Samiam, Jimmy Eat World and more recent bands like Drug Church, Taking Meds, Praise and the like will enjoy their sound. The band has signed to Smart Punk Records and will release their third album, Take Only What You Need to Survive in July 2025.

By A Thread
Forged in Vancouver’s late-’90s post-hardcore crucible, By A Thread first left their mark with Last of the Daydreams, a Revelation Records cult classic that paired soaring melody with raw emotional weight. After lineup twists and quiet years, core songwriters Sean Lande and John Franco joined forces with drummer Gabe Mantle (Gob) to shape Mirrored Life, a brooding, reverb-drenched record that channels grief, growth, and hard-won perspective into their heaviest, most expansive music yet. Bassist Carl McBeath now anchors the low end, completing a lineup ready to carry these songs forward. It’s not a comeback so much as a reaffirmation, proof that By A Thread’s knack for cathartic, atmospheric anthems remains more vital and uncompromising as ever.

Sunday Morning
Hailing from New Haven, Ct Sunday Morning is an alternative rock / post-hardcore band consisting of Westly Benjunas, Erik Stanzel, Dom Barone, Jason Moriarty, and Mike Verrastro. The band began in 2018, opening for artists such as Microwave, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, and The Plot in You. Sunday Morning’s refined hardcore infused alternative sound is what sets them apart from their peers, making them one of the most exciting up and coming bands in the scene right now. At their core, Sunday Morning is about connection – writing songs that will resonate with their listeners, playing shows to connect with new fans, and at the end of the day, they’re living the dream, playing music they love as best friends. The band is currently signed to Open Your Ears Records who released their last EP in June 2024, and have just announced their debut LP releasing in October 2025.

En Masse

Plight
Plight is an alternative grungegaze band from NYC combing elements of power-pop, emo, grunge, and alt-rock with big loud guitars and razor sharp hooks.

Drought
Drought is a bay-area melodic hardcore band influenced by Pianos Become the Teeth, Title Fight and mewithoutYou, and are currently signed to Iodine Records. The band will release their emotionally charged debut album "Souvenir," in July 2025, showcasing a fusion of post-hardcore and emo. Recorded by Jack Shirley, the album channels themes of survivor's guilt and generational trauma, featuring guest vocals from members of Fiddlehead and Mom Jeans.
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Suzzallo
Rocky Votolato has formed a new band called Suzzallo, revealing their debut album "The Quiet Year" with a release date of May 2nd, 2025. Departing from Votolato's acoustic roots, Suzzallo offers a cathartic blend of fuzzed out alternative rock, exploring themes of grief and healing following a personal tragedy.