Post-hardcore (music)

Post-hardcore
At the Drive-In performing at Lollapalooza 2012
Stylistic origins	Hardcore punk post-punk noise rock
Cultural origins	Mid to late 1980s, United States
Typical instruments	Drums bass guitar electric guitar vocals
Derivative forms	Blackgaze math rock post-metal
Subgenres
Emo (screamo) Nintendocore
Regional scenes
California Colorado Florida Maryland Midwestern United States Northwestern United States Texas New York New Jersey Northeastern United States Canada
Local scenes
Champaign, Illinois Chicago Louisville, Kentucky New York City Olympia San Diego Washington D.C. Las Vegas Valley Ontario
Other topics
Alternative rock art punk avant-punk indie rock list of bands melodic hardcore metalcore post-rock mathcore

Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been applied to a broad constellation of groups. The genre took shape in the mid to late 1980s with releases by bands from cities that had established hardcore scenes, such as Fugazi from Washington, D.C. as well as groups such as Big Black and Jawbox that stuck closer to post-hardcore's noise rock roots.

Hardcore punk typically features very fast tempos, loud volume, and heavy bass levels, as well as a "do-it-yourself" ethic. Music database AllMusic stated "these newer bands, termed post-hardcore, often found complex and dynamic ways of blowing off steam that generally went outside the strict hardcore realm of 'loud fast rules'. Additionally, many of these bands' vocalists were just as likely to deliver their lyrics with a whispered croon as they were a maniacal yelp." Allmusic also claims that post-hardcore bands find creative ways to build and release tension rather than "airing their dirty laundry in short, sharp, frenetic bursts". Jeff Terich of Treblezine stated, "Instead of sticking to hardcore's rigid constraints, these artists expanded beyond power chords and gang vocals, incorporating more creative outlets for punk rock energy." British post-punk of the late 1970s and early 1980s has been seen as influential on the musical development of post-hardcore bands. As the genre progressed, some of these groups also experimented with a wide array of influences, including soul, dub, funk, jazz, and dance-punk. It has also been noted that since some post-hardcore bands included members that were rooted in the beginnings of hardcore punk, some of them were able to expand their sound as they became more skilled musicians.

Groups such as Saccharine Trust,Naked Raygun, and The Effigies, which were active around the early 1980s, are considered to be forerunners to the post-hardcore genre. Chicago's Naked Raygun, formed in 1981, has been seen as merging post-punk influences of bands such as Wire and Gang of Four with hardcore punk, while author Steven Blush notes the band's use of "oblique lyrics and stark post-punk melodies". Similarly, The Effigies, who also hailed from the Chicago scene, released music influenced by the hardcore of Minor Threat and the British post-punk of bands like The Stranglers, Killing Joke, and The Ruts.