Early emo as a subgenre started in the 1980s in Washington D.C. This basic form of emo was started by members of punk bands who became bored with its limited flexibility as a genre and began to write in a slower tempo. These more mid-tempo songs were coupled with emotional lyrics sung in a punk style. This music also featured clean vocals and a lot of alternation between loud and soft music. "Clean" vocals are not scream-based or gravelly; they are more like a pop vocalist than a punk vocalist. This style of emo has been popularized by bands such as Rites of Spring, Grey Matter, One Last Wish and Still Life.
This type of emo music started in the summer of 1985 around Washington D.C. Many emo bands came out during this period, but Moss Icon was among the most noteworthy. Moss Icon combined the lyrical introspection and heartbreak of early emo bands such as Rites of Spring with the speed derived from traditional punk. Emo songs of this period typically oscillate between soft vocals and high-pitched, intricate guitar melodies and screaming vocals and crushing power chords. The dynamic between loud and soft sections in terms of volume is important to emo. The climaxes of Moss Icon's songs often built up to actual screaming.
Early screamo started in San Diego in the early 1990s. This type of emo is closely related to punk and hardcore punk, but it has the emotional edge of other subgenres. The speed of the guitar parts and the overall aggressive energy of the music increase the similarity to the punk genres. All vocals are screamed at the physical limit of volume and intensity, and the guitars and bass are distorted virtually beyond recognition. The key element of this subgenre is that the music is often chaotic and more aggressive than other types of emo. The key similarity between this and other types of emo is the dedication to self-expression. Bands in this subgenre include Heroin, Swing Kids and Drive Like Jehu.
Many subgenres have come out of the original emo, including the type of emo music people are likely to be most familiar with from the 1990s onward. This can be classed as "indie-emo," to clearly show this genre is a heavily watered-down version of the original inspiration. Bands in this genre use more pop-style vocals. Although these vocals are still used in contrast with loud parts, the ratio is shifted heavily in favor of soft vocals and quiet and intricate guitar melodies. Bands like Thursday and Dashboard Confessional are proponents of this type of emo. According to So Emo, a British site dedicated to chronicling the emo culture, this split between mainstream emo and traditional emo has caused friction in the subculture.