Revolution Summer: How Washington D.C.’s 1985 Hardcore Sparked Emo

This episode dives into the 1984-85 Revolution Summer in DC, tracing how Rites of Spring, Embrace and Gray Matter stretched hardcore’s boundaries with personal lyrics and melodic riffs. We explore Dischord’s DIY recording and distribution methods that allowed these bands to spread an emotional form that would become emo, and we look at how this moment shaped the genre’s later evolution.

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