I think that having an emo phase should be a necessary rite of passage into young adulthood. Change my mind. Seriously though, I confess that my so-called “edgy” teen years really opened my eyes to a whole new word of music, culture, crazy fans, etc. I found others that shared the same passion for music as I do as we found solace in the same lyrics. This emotional and quite over the top music established a solid basis for me to grow and explore other music that I initially wouldn’t have been interested in. And so, I’m taking it back to the old days with the band My Chemical Romance…
Honestly, if you google the word “emo music” the first search and images that pop up are of the band My 
Chemical Romance. Their songs are charged with energy, sadness, angst, relief, and are pretty much a good remedy for whatever you’re feeling. Even though they come with this association of singing about depressing themes or teenage rebellion, their collection of songs is quite impressive and definitely ingrained in time. Although I seemingly poke fun at their music following this stigma of being emo, they have significantly spearheaded the revolution of bringing this genre of music into the mainstream music world. They made a name for themselves in the musical community, and have steadily maintained this throughout the years despite having been broken up for years.
Onto the background, My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey that was formed by frontman Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. This tragic event was actually the reason why Gerard Way was moved enough to start a band and the song “Skylines and Turnstiles” also documented his emotions about this event. The name of the band was suggested by bass guitarist Mikey Way (younger brother of Gerard) who was working in a Barnes & Noble when he was struck by the title of a book by Irvine Welsh named Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance. Later the band added two more members: Frank Iero and Ray Toro and started building its fan base through MySpace before signing with a major label. To this day My Chemical Romance has released four albums with the most recent one being Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010). The band has also experienced some ups and downs as they formally broke up March 22, 2013. However, the band reunited outside of the public eye in 2017 and recently announced a North American tour in 2020.
By far the most iconic
piece of music that this band has created is the album The Black Parade, which follows the story of a dying cancer patient in a rock opera form as he decides to join the “Black Parade.” The album tells the story of his apparent death, experiences in the afterlife, and subsequent reflections on his life. Additionally, the idea for this concept is based on singer Gerard Way’s notion of death appearing to a person in the form of one’s fondest memory, in this case seeing a marching band as a child. There are multiple aspects of this album that could be examined further such as deeper insights into the lyrics, the intricacies of their live performances, and so much more.
I can definitely say that the Black Parade album is on my middle school Ipod. I really like how you pointed out the solidarity in this niche band.
It’s nice to see the band gain recognition despite being broken up. Good music will definitely surpass the band’s status and gather attention of its own accord.
My Chemical Romance was part of my “edgy teen years” as well. It was good to learn about the band member’s different histories. I love the black parade, and I agree that it is both iconic and dark at the same time.
My Chemical Romance hit a little different in middle school.
I can’t say that I have ever genuinely listened to My Chemical Romance, but I do remember it being a playlist staple for many of my friends. I have heard of The Black Parade, but I had no idea just how gruesome the story behind it really was. I will have to give it a listen some time!