What is emo music? Why does it matter? This book tracks the development of an obscure musical subculture -- emo. We retrace the steps of its meteoric rise from the underground hardcore venues in America to the mainstream international popular culture and its after-effects in today's world. Specifically, we examine the understudied, underappreciated, and undervalued contributions that emo music made to normalizing mental health conversations, creating outlets and support systems for mental illness, and fighting mental health stigma. Tune in, get sad, and read along.