Of all the genres of rock, one could argue that none have been more influential for the current rock scene than the genre of post hardcore. Itself a derivative of punk rock, it includes groups expanding the boundaries of hardcore punk similar to what post punk did with punk rock. Utilizing hardcore punk’s fast tempo and energetic approach, it built upon it with complex and dynamic song structures and as a result its impact is felt from noise rock all the way to dance-punk.
Though there had been experimentation in hardcore before, the first real band that embodied all the aspects of post hardcore were Fugazi. Incorporating dub and soul into hardcore punk, they were one of the most distinctive and celebrated indie bands of all time. Interlocking guitar parts in the vein of Television, innovative song structures and funk and reggae beats, all became the calling cards of Fugazi.
Fellow rockers Rites of Spring, Embrace, Jawbox and Nation of Ulysses unfortunately gave rise to the emocore genre, influencing a new generation of bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco and My Chemical Romance.
However this era also produced two exceptional bands in At the Drive-In and Drive Like Jehu which were considered the flagship bands of 90’s post hardcore scene. Both these bands produced extremely complex punk rock with art and progressive influences.
Shudder To Think’s pop and R&B influenced post hardcore along with Craig Wedren’s operatic singing voice, technical precision and melodic virtuosity made them a major influence on the budding math rock genre. They also influenced the Dismemberment Plan who by adding rhythmic danceable beats to their music became the fathers of dance punk whose members include the oddly named !!! and Q and Not U.
Probably the preeminent post hardcore bands were the dense and heavily distorted Helmet and Quicksand characterized by by repetitive, syncopated, staccato guitar riffs, often in odd time signatures. A trademark of both these bands is the use of drop-d tuning which has become a staple in modern rock.
Cult indie noise rockers Unwound used jagged angular guitar lines to develop a sound all of their own. Although post hardcore has maintained till the new decade, the new breed of bands like Thursday, Thrice are however not upto the mark of the bands that popularized the genre.
