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Key Points Brian Baker claims he coined the term 'emo' forty years ago. Baker, who played in Minor Threat and Bad Religion, claims he 'made it up' to make fun of Rites of Spring. Punk and emo have clashed culturally, but Baker suggests gatekeeping fades with maturity. If you see someone in a My Chemical Romance t-shirt these days, be sure to give them a hug. The term “emo” is now 40 years old, according to the man who claims he invented it: Brian Baker. Baker, 60, is one of those punk rock Forrest Gump types, being involved in numerous landmark events in the genre. He co-founded the immeasurably influential hardcore band Minor Threat with Ian MacKaye, initially playing bass before switching to guitar when Steve Hansgen joined. From there, he was in the original lineup of Samhain, Glen Danzig’s first band after the Misfits split. Baker later played on The Meatmen’s War of the Superbikes, formed Dag Nasty, and since 1994, he’s been part of the melodic hardcore group, Bad Religion. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Oh, and apparently, he also coined the phrase “emo.” Brian Baker Says He ‘Made Up’ The Term’ Emo’ “I made it up,” he said when speaking with OutSpace Media at the recent When We Were Young festival. The two-day event can be considered the “emo Coachella,” and this year featured bands such as Taking Back Sunday, Story of the Year, ALEXISONFIRE, The Maine, and Boys Like Girls. These emo staples played alongside more conventional pop-punk and hardcore bands such as blink-182, Drain, The Offspring, Knocked Loose, and Bad Religion. With “emo” being the flavor of the day, Baker explained he “made it up” back in 1985. “I was at a Rites of Spring show—I was playing the show [with] my band, Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring and Embrace,” he said. “Rites of Spring were putting together their setlist, which they were painting on a bedsheet to hang behind the drum riser. And I’m like, ‘what the f—k is this? Emocore?’ And that’s the genus of the term’ emo.’ “And I didn’t take credit for it,” he added. “It was a couple of years later when a friend of mine said, ‘You know, you made up that term, right?’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about? I was just making fun of Rites of Spring.'” Baker added that in the subsequent decades, he has “grown” as a person. “I now go on vacation with the Rites of Spring guys. We buried the hatchet,” he said. Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram How Rites Of Spring and Embrace Birthed Emo If two bands can be credited with bridging the gap between the thrashy blast of hardcore punk and the more melodic, introspective exhibition of modern-day emo, it’s Embrace and Rites of Spring. Ian MacKaye formed Embrace in response to his dissatisfaction with the violent nature of the hardcore punk scene. Rites of Spring rose from the ashes of a hardcore band called Insurrection, with vocalist Guy Picciotto enriching his lyrics and singing with drama and emotion. Both groups only existed for a handful of years. Each put out a self-titled album. Afterwards, MacKaye linked up with Picciotto and Rites of Spring’s drummer, Brendan Canty, and bassist Joe Lally to form Fugazi. But though they existed for just a flash, Rites of Spring and Embrace laid the groundwork for the emo, screamo, and post-hardcore genres to come. When Did Brian Baker First Coin The Term’ Emo’? As to exactly when Brian Baker came up with “emo,” there’s a little confusion. In the interview with OutSpace Media, he refers to 1985 as being 25 years ago, and not 40, so it’s good to cut him some slack. The thing is, Rites of Spring only played 15 shows total, according to Discord records. According to Setlist FM and Concert Archives, Dag Nasty played with Embrace and Rites of Spring in December 1985, not October 1985. December 4, 1985, might be considered the birthday of “emo,” just as August 11, 1973, is regarded as the birthday of hip-hop. Punk Vs. Emo From listening to Baker mocking Rites of Spring, it sounds like there has always been a clash between punk and emo. Hardcore started as a middle- and lower-class disillusionment (“violent apathy,” as NOFX said in “The Separation of Church and Skate”), which lent itself easily to hyper-masculine displays of destruction. Whereas “emocore” and later emo rejected that, with bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance leaning into the androgynous and emotional state of being a teen. The divide hasn’t always been peaceful. In 2008, Mexico had a rash of violent incidents where “anti-emo” gangs went around terrorizing those who dressed up in emo fashion. Many saw it as not so much punk versus emo, but conservative Mexican culture engaging in homophobic attacks. “A lot of the messages are very focused on the homophobic element,” a Mexico City journalist, Ioan Grillo, told NPR in April 2008. “In Mexico, you know, homophobia is still quite a big issue. It is still kind of difficult for a lot of gay people.” Since then, tensions in Mexico have died down, much like how Brian Baker buried the hatchet with the Rites of Spring crew. Punks and emos have (hopefully) come to understand how the stage is big enough for both genres. “Everything precious when it’s right in the beginning and new,” he explained about his early derision of this new form of punk. “Punk is really precious, and you don’t want anyone [messing with it]. It’s like the definition of gatekeeping. And everybody [was] a teenager, so everybody’s that way. But then, you grow up and you realize that good songs are good songs. People are cool or they’re aren’t.” “Categorizing or labeling is totally unnecessary,” he added.
