Why many former emo kids are finding a sense of identity in the K-pop world
While two completely different genres, the emo to K-pop pipeline is real and ought to be studied
K-pop and emo music aren’t things I’d consider very similar.
But when the K-pop girl group Twice recently dropped an album of re-releases called The Remixes, one of their remade singles truly fed my inner emo kid soul.
In a remake of Twice’s ‘I Can’t Stop Me’, the girls brought the pop-punk band Boys Like Girls along for the ride. To say the least, this collaboration was not what I was expecting to see on my 2023 Bingo card.
If you’re like me and attended high school in the late 2000s, Boys Like Girls were probably at the height of their careers during this era, with pop punk and emo bands like My Chemical Romance, Sum 41 and All Time Low dominating our playlists.
In fact, Boys Like Girls songs like ‘Hero/Heroine’ and ‘The Great Escape’ were on frequent rotation on my iPod Touch. And if anyone cares, I also attended the 2008 Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour where the band headlined, along with Good Charlotte, Metro Station and The Maine.
(Fun fact: one of my friends even fought another fan for a dirty towel Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson threw into the crowd. It was chaos.)
But, I digress. I lived my best life at the show.
When I think of mainstream K-pop, pop-punk or emo music isn’t exactly what comes to mind. K-pop is an industry where companies play a significant role in shaping the images and personas of idols. Everything from the costumes, production, and choreography are planned meticulously.
Pop-punk on the other hand, is something I consider a bit more grassroots, DIY and less polished. There’s a real misfit energy to the genre. And as a teenager who wanted to portray the aura of being a bit of a rebel, I donned baggy T-shirts and black clothing just to feel a little closer to the pop-punk bands I grew up listening to.
So how could two drastically different groups like Twice and Boys Like Girls come to find each other? And in turn, make an unexpected banger out of it?
Perhaps K-pop and pop-punk isn’t that far off from each other after all.
K-pop has often melded different genres together, utilizing styles heard in ‘90s and early 2000s-style American hip hop, R&B and pop music. I explored this angle earlier this year in an article for Joysauce. However, the same can be said specifically for the rock/pop-punk genre, with many K-pop idols playing with those themes.
Last December, Seventeen’s Vernon released the single ‘Black Eye’, a pop punk banger that was largely inspired by Canadian rock queen Avril Lavigne. “I f**king hate this world, so show me a way out!” he belts on the track.
‘Black Eye’ was even complemented with an even angstier music video, with Vernon donning dark eyeliner, chains and leather pants.
HYBE labelmates Tomorrow X Together are also known to play with punk rock sounds in songs like ‘0X1=LOVESONG’ and ‘Good Boy Gone Bad.’ Both tracks portray the angst and sadness that come with the drama of first loves and heartbreaks. These themes are also heard in the many tear-jerking pop-punk songs I sought solace to as a teen, including ‘Swing Swing’ by The All-American Rejects and ‘I Don’t Love You’ by My Chemical Romance.
“For me, I’d say that some K-pop reminds me of what emo feels like,” Melissa Sepúlveda tells me over Instagram DM.
Sepúlveda, who is based in Monterrey, Mexico, grew up listening to groups like AFI, Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Dashboard Confessional. She too has noticed similar themes in both K-pop and emo tracks.
“There are groups and solo idols that get really involved in their music and make their songs deeply personal, which in turn make us emotional, specially if we’re attached to them,” she adds.
“So I’d say that BTS, Stray Kids, Seventeen and ATEEZ fall into that category.”
When I ask her why she thinks there are similarities between the K-pop and emo music, Sepúlveda says it’s all part of K-pop’s fascination with all things Y2K, which emo falls under.
Other fans like Lili-Anh Le Minh also remembers making close friends while in line for many of the emo and pop punk bands of her youth.
“I really think it's this sense of belonging I got with those bands back in the day. Not just in terms of relatable lyrics but also in terms of friends I found back then through our love of these bands and concerts,” she said.
“I'm getting that all over again with this huge K-pop online community.”
Having attended a number of emo and K-pop shows over time, I have also noticed that performers on each end of the spectrum are actually quite theatrical. Both genres are known for showcasing strong narrative-based music videos filled with elaborate costumes and make-up styles. And what’s more, the videos also portray stories that can make you feel quite moved.
Rock bands like My Chemical Romance has often explores themes of finding yourself, youth and mental health in songs like ‘Teenagers’ and ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise).’ While Korean artists like BTS’s Suga have also dug deep into his psyche, rapping and singing about depression and tough times in songs like ‘AMYGDALA’ and ‘The Last.’
I saw this specifically during Suga’s D-Day concert this past May, where the rapper delivered a show-stopping ode to his past and present through eerily shot VCRs and a setlist that brought the audience through dark and happier periods of his life. Seeing Suga lay out his pain and feelings on the stage was cathartic as an adult, similar to the way belting emo songs at concerts felt like as a teenager.
But what’s different here is that Suga also left me feeling hopeful and more optimistic about the future as an adult. The thesis of his works has always ended with a message of self-love and acceptance, and it’s something my teenage self needed to hear most.
While emo music was what I sought solace through to get over the sadness and awkwardness of my youth, my world was a lot smaller during that period of my life. I was rarely able to look beyond the present and understand just how amazing life can truly be into adulthood. The drama of teenhood perfectly fit into the despair often heard in emo/pop punk songs. Plus, the rebelliousness of these tracks often made me feel cooler than I was. Listening to these bands was my way of saying, “Hey! I’m edgy and a rule breaker!”
(But in reality, I was eager to please, wanted to fit in with others and was pretty insecure about my looks)
To me, my transition from being an emo kid to K-pop fan mirrors what it means to come of age and be an adult. Being part of each fandom represents different stages of my life and helped shape me as a person over time. That’s why both the K-pop and emo genres remain near and dear to my heart.
YG’s new girl group BABYMONSTER officially debuts, breaks MV record in 24 hours
YG’s latest girl group BABYMONSTER made their official debut on November 27th, with the single ‘Batter Up.’
While the track has received mixed reviews for following a similar formula to their labelmates Blackpink, BABYMONSTER still raked in 22.59 million views on YouTube in 24 hours.
The record was previously held by aespa, who reached 21.4 million views with their debut single ‘Black Mamba.’
Former SM Entertainment CEO launches U.S. based K-pop company
(The TITAN CONTENT team)
As K-pop continues to grow in the west, former SM Entertainment CEO Nikki Semin Han is launching a new K-pop company called TITAN CONTENT based in Los Angeles.
SM Entertainment is the company that has launched many acts including Girls Generation, EXO, Super Junior and Red Velvet.
Through his experience with SM, Han plans to manage and develop new K-pop groups and produce music festivals through TITAN.
“Think of Titan like the ‘Avengers’ of the K-pop community joining forces to redefine the industry. With a proven record of elevating global superstars, TITAN’s founders and executives have played key roles in helping shape K-pop and making it a global lifestyle with passionate fans across the world,” said Han, in an interview with Variety.
TITAN is also aiming to combine traditional K-pop business models and content with Web3, metaverse and AI innovation.
Seventeen take home top awards at 2023 MAMA Awards
K-pop group Seventeen was the top winner at the 2023 MAMA Awards this week, bringing home five awards including Album of the Year for FML, Best Male Group and Best Dance Performance Male Group for ‘Super.’
It was a moving moment for the group, who delivered a lengthy acceptance speech thanking fans and supporters. For member Seungkwan, that included paying tribute to his good friend Moonbin from the group ASTRO, who died earlier this year in April.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my friend Moonbin, who’s always shown his support for all members of Seventeen,” he said.
“He loved our team, and he’s been our greatest supporter. Thank you.”
For Seventeen’s beloved Carats, the awards have also been a testament to the hard work the group has put in during the eight years since their debut. The K-pop group recently charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 with their latest 11th mini-album Seventeenth Heaven, which was released on Oct. 23. This achievement marks the group’s fourth Top 10 entry on the music chart. It’s also the most pre-ordered K-pop album in history, at 5.2 million.
Now speaking of Seventeen, I recently wrote a beginner’s guide for the K-pop group.
In collaboration with The RepresentASIAN Project, I’ll be rolling out lists, content and interviews to keep people updated on the latest from the K-pop industry in a monthly column called The K-pop Chat
Hope you can follow along!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Accountability is important to me, so please address corrections and concerns by sending me an email at bunnipopnewsletter@gmail.com. Continue the conversation by following Bunni Pop on Instagram and Twitter.
While not exactly emo, Dreamcatcher has messed around a bit with the punk aesthetic with the release of their latest track, "OOTD". Of all the groups out there, I think they've gotten the younger, more rebellious side of me going with their releases.
I think the Babymonster debut is going to be an interesting one to watch. It's breaking YouTube records but the charting in Korea is quite weak. Whether or not this is YG not rolling with the times or just a function of so many artists being out there right now in comebackland remains to be seen.
Great article as always!