The emo craze of the '00s has been experiencing a celebrated revival over the last few years.
The celebrated returns of genre giants My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Paramore have only added fuel and mainstream attention to a fire that has continued burning inside of genre truthers since the '00s. With the cultural and critical reappraisal in full swing, a seemingly endless run of album anniversary shows and festivals have taken over the live music landscape, while a new generation of artists inspired by those emotive soundscapes have risen to the top of the modern music pile. and even Miami Heat shooting guard Jimmy Butler is getting in on the action.
Butler turned up to the Heat's media day sporting a new 'emo' look that even the most elite of emo scenesters would admit is pretty xRAWRx. Speaking on his new look, the always directly spoken Butler stated "I'm feeling this" incorporating a lyric from blink-182's emo-adjacent 2003 hit of the same name before revealing the motivation for his 2023 style choice. "I'm very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me. This is how I've been feeling as of late."
Watch video of his media appearance below.
While initially, it appeared Butler may be pulling a prank, he went on to confirm to NBA TV that he is in fact "emo now".
Jimmy Butler still likes the Miami Heat's chances to win an NBA title — even without the team trading for Damian Lillard.
"I’m gonna go beat Dame, Giannis, and Adrian Griffin on our way to a title.”
🎥 @NBATVpic.twitter.com/QLxS7TBpuP— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 2, 2023
Butler's media day appearance follows Steph Curry's recent on-stage appearance with Paramore. The four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA MVP took the stage at Paramore's show at the Chase Center in San Francisco, belting out Misery Business in a spirited, if not pitch-perfect duet with Hayley Williams. Curry even took the lead in the bridge, much to the joy of the audience.
Before Steph took the mic, Williams told the audience that this was now the Steph Curry show.
"Tonight we're going to sing something together. Listen, from the moment Steph takes the mic, this is no longer a Paramore show, this is a Steph Curry show."
Watch fan footage of the entire guest slot below.
Curry's public display of love for Paramore wasn't a one-off either, he is a noted fan of the band, with Curry's wife Ayesha confirming via her Instagram stories that the band even performed at Steph's 30th birthday party. Ayesha also revealed that the two bonded over their love of the group on early dates. "We listened to Paramore on one of our first dates… and many years later they were kind enough to perform at (Curry's) 30th (birthday), what a full circle moment... Honestly one of the coolest nights." This revelation from Ayesha provides additional context to her comments "You know us and Steph, we go back a few years, tonight is our reunion".
Released earlier this year, Paramore's latest album, This Is Why debuted at #1 on both the ARIA overall and vinyl charts. This Is Why is Paramore's third album to hit #1 in Australia, following 2009's Brand New Eyes and 2013's Paramore. The previous album, 2017s After Laughter peaked at #3. This Is Why also debuted at #1 in the UK.
Shop For Paramore Merch
Basketball isn't the only sport getting in on the emo revival either, with not one, but two Major League Baseball franchises going all-in on emo this season with separate My Chemical Romance collaborations.
St. Louis Cardinals announced an 'emo night' as one of their themed nights for the upcoming homestand at Bursch stadium. Taking place on August 4th 'Cardinals Emo Night' was commemorated by a My Chemical Romance referencing t-shirt that reads 'My Cardinal Romance'. Every ticket sold to the Cardinals Emo Night came with one of the commemorative t-shirts, which can be seen below.
The announcement on the Cardinals website goes into further details as to what Cardinals Emo Night offered, revealing that an emo cover band was booked to perform on the night.
It read "When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a baseball game. This is no dirty little secret -- Emo Night at Busch Stadium is Friday, August 4th when the Cards take on the Rockies. With the purchase of a special Theme Ticket, fans will take home an emo-inspired Cardinals t-shirt. Don't miss a pre-game concert by Taking Back Emo in the Budweiser Terrace! Sugar, the Cards won't go down swingin'."
Earlier this year, the New York Yankees used Welcome To The Black Parade in a pre-season hype video package.
The world's most famous baseball club published in honour of their opening-day fixture against the San Francisco Giants. Featuring a movie-trailer-style voiceover set to the song's iconic intro, the hype video consists of a collage of historical Yankees footage, paying tribute not just to the baseball players but to the fans who fill the stands of their home stadium in The Bronx. The video ended in a rather celebratory manner, displaying classic Yankees victories as Welcome To The Black Parade hits its legendary finale. Welcome To The Black Parade appears on My Chemical Romance's genre-defining 2006 record, The Black Parade.
Buy The Black Parade On Picture Disk Vinyl
To celebrate the fact that everything sad is rad again, we've turned the clock back 20 years to 2003, to bring you this list of 23 Emo Anthems Turning 20 In 2023.
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