When you hear the word ’emo’, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For local emo artist Tom Crocker, it’s emotion.

“I connected with the music, especially emo music, very early on. You’re going through a lot as a teenager, mentally, you’re kind of experiencing a lot of change, physically as well.I found that I could connect with the lyrics a lot more than I did with most other genres. It really inspired me to become a musician myself, because it was a way to convey these feelings that I had no other outlet for,” he says.

Emo music became popularised with bands such as ‘Green Day’ and ‘My Chemical Romance’, and is known for its emotionally intense and expressive lyrics to which many can connect.

Like many local musicians in this genre, Crocker is struggling with the emo scene’s visibility in Perth.

“I guess being on the west coast with the beachy vibe, there are so many bands you’ll find in the Indie Rock scene, and they’re all amazing bands, but it’s definitely a lot more sought after in Perth. It’d be nice to see the emo scene kind of start to climb its way up a bit,” he says.

Emo music can overlap with similar genres such as punk, rock, and metal. However, the emo genre can be considered more personal and it’s not just the music that defines the community.

Loudmouth Records owner Andy Kelly says emo culture is very youth-driven.

“A lot of the kids in the emo scene feel neglected by society or their family, so they try to find a way out of it. The lyrical content, the energy and frustration as well as the live, energetic chaos that happens with these kinds of shows – it gives the feeling of a sense of self and a sense of belonging as well, coming into a place where nobody looks the same yet we all get along,” he says.

Sasha Flack and James Mulreany met at a band program and now front Increment, a Perth-based emo rock band.

“We didn’t become friends and then be a band; we became friends from being in a band,” says Flack.

Flack and Mulreany believe being based in Perth can bring limitations to their band’s success.

“I definitely think being a Perth band, I always think, obviously, being based in Melbourne or Sydney would be better, and you do see a lot of bands moving out to the eastern states, because of that,” says Flack.

“…it’s just that risk, and kind of just believing in the band and the music. The best thing would be to have an artist touring Australia, and they put you on as a support to go around. That would be the ideal solution to being seen more in Australia.”