Over the last several decades, emo music has experienced moments of mainstream popularity. Dashboard Confessional won a VMA in 2002, and more recently, Paramore won two Grammys in 2024. But the vast majority of the scene has always existed in a more under-the-radar way, so much so that it can be easy to wonder if it still exists, if it’s still relevant.
If you take the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an authority, the answer is a resounding yes.
Rising from the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, the Rock Hall looks like a massive glass pyramid. Music blasts across the circular plaza outside — meant to emulate a record — and fills the glass atrium inside, bringing the space alive. Cars from U2’s Zoo TV tour dangle from the ceiling. Step on the escalator heading down a level and you’ll glide past a giant hot dog Phish flew in on for several New Year’s Eve gigs, and see the famous awning from CBGB.
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