Within the rock music ecosystem, post-hardcore is a broad genre term. At its core, post-hardcore takes hardcore’s DIY attitude, upfront style, heavy sonics, aggressive vocals and socio-politically charged lyricism, and puts it all through the wringer. In swerving away from the hardcore’s “hard, short, fast” approach towards something more expansive, post-hardcore experiments with tempo, song structure and vocal performance to create a more dynamic framework for tension and release.
Although “post” implies that the first wave of bands came comfortably after the hardcore scene had calcified, and needed fresh energy and ideas, this is something of a misnomer — it was formed in tandem with hardcore, a sibling rather than a child. There are, broadly speaking, three waves of post-hardcore: the 1980s, orbiting the northeastern American hardcore scene; the 1990s, which broadened its geographic and sonic scope; and the 2000s onwards, which saw breakthrough sounds like emo, screamo, pop-punk, metalcore mushroom post-hardcore’s boundaries.
The genesis of post-hardcore was largely thanks to Minor Threat’s legendary frontman Ian MacKaye. Having formed Dischord Records in 1980, he brought bands like Fugazi, Lungfish and Rites of Spring to the forefront. By the mid-‘80s, hardcore was evolving at such a rapid rate that post-hardcore splintered off into a tandem genre of its own. Foundational bands of the ‘80s and early ‘90s like Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, Big Black, Slint and Shellac inspired across the rock spectrum.
Throughout the ‘90s, post-hardcore swept across the US, breeding noisier splinter styles like math rock, skramz and screamo; bands like Cap’n Jazz, The Jesus Lizard, At The Drive In and Drive Like Jehu innovated in these spaces. The wave of popular interest in alternative rock sounds also fuelled post-hardcore’s spread, thanks to the explosive breakthrough success of groups like Nirvana. After getting a taste of DIY rock sounds, aesthetics and lifestyles, a new generation of kids tapped into experimental hardcore as part of their expanding tastes. By the late ‘90s, post-hardcore had gone truly international, thanks to Sweden’s Refused and their debut album, ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come.’
Post-hardcore’s third, millennial wave is by far the genre’s most expansive — and contentious — era. Largely powered by emo, which shifted the lyrical focus away from hardcore’s socio-political resistance and towards confessional, melodic songwriting, these post-hardcore bands spoke to the first generation of rock fans growing up on social media platforms, reflecting an increasingly fractious experience of youth. Bands like Glassjaw, Thursday, Silverstein, Thrice, Alexisonfire and myriad others tapped into this energy.
Today, post-hardcore is a broad church: melodic pop-punk and emo, old school hardcore, diaristic screamo, grunge riffs and doomy shoegaze are often folded into the mix. Now, post-hardcore is as much a sensibility about experimental DIY guitar music as it is a genre tag. Dive into this collection of tracks featuring some of the scene’s finest bands — including Static Dress, La Dispute, Touché Amoré, Militaire Gun, Fleshwater and Citizen, among many others — and discover more about the expansive sound of contemporary post-hardcore.
LISTEN TO THE POST-HARDCORE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
Split Chain, “I’m Not Dying To Be Here”
Bristolian band Split Chain blend heavy shoegaze influences into a post-hardcore sound. This track features on their 2025 album, ‘motion blur.’
Citizen, “Nail in Your Hand”
Hailing from Ohio, Citizen are a post-hardcore band with a melodic underbelly. This track dropped in 2025 on Boston’s Run For Cover Records.
Fleshwater, “Jetpack”
Heading on tour with Deftones and The Mars Volta in fall 2025, Fleshwater are bringing their grungy, shoegaze-leaning style of post-hardcore to an ever-growing audience.
Static Dress, “crying”
Leeds-based band Static Dress blend post-hardcore with anthemic emo for a powerful sound.
Dance Gavin Dance, “Midnight at McGuffy’s”
A classic band of 2000s post-hardcore, Dance Gavin Dance dropped this latest, melodic track in May 2025.
Thursday, “White Bikes”
Led by vocalist, lyricist and producer Geoff Rickley, Thursday is one of the most influential modern bands in post-hardcore. They dropped this track in December 2024.
Militaire Gun, “B A D I D E A”
Los Angeles band Militaire Gun blend alternative rock into their punchy post-hardcore. This track features on their forthcoming sophomore album, ‘God Save The Gun,’ due out in October 2025.
La Dispute, “I Shaved My Head”
Screamo pioneers La Dispute dropped their latest album ‘No One Was Driving The Car,’ a concept album about a car accident, in September 2025.
Mannequin Pussy, “Loud Bark”
On their breakthrough 2024 album ‘I Got Heaven,’ Philadelphia alternative rock group Mannequin Pussy remold post-hardcore with righteous, feminist rage.
High Vis, “Drop Me Out”
Blending psychedelic English alternative rock into a gritty hardcore sound, High Vis came out strong with their 2024 album, ‘Guided Tour.’
Lungfish, “10 East”
One of the original post-hardcore bands on Dischord Records, Lungfish reissued their 1999 EP ‘10 East’ in February 2025.
Thrice, “Albatross”
With their 2003 album ‘The Artist in The Ambulance,’ California’s Thrice became a key band for melodic post-hardcore. This latest track dropped in August 2025.
Narrowhead, “Moments of Clarity”
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Narrowhead blend post-hardcore, alternative rock and shoegaze to hypnotizing effect.
Scream, “Somebody Love”
Before Dave Grohl joined Nirvana, he played in Scream. This track is from their 2023 album, ‘DC Special,’ released via Dischord Records.
Fiddlehead, “Fifteen To Infinity”
Fiddlehead brings together members of Have Heart, Basement and others. This track features on their 2023 album, ‘Death is Nothing to Us.’
Modern Color, “Fortress”
A melodic post-hardcore band from LA, Modern Color released their latest album, ‘There Goes the Dream,’ in July 2024.
Touché Amoré, “Goodbye For Now” feat. Julien Baker
Long-running screamo/post-hardcore band Touché Amoré collaborated with boygenius guitarist Julien Baker on this track from 2024’s ‘Spiral In A Straight Line.’
Rolo Tomassi, “Cloaked (Live)”
British experimental post-hardcore band Rolo Tomassi, known for their visceral performances, dropped ‘Live at Electric Ballroom’ in September 2024.
Fugazi, “Smallpox Champion (Live)”
Post-hardcore’s founding fathers released a tranche of live albums in 2025 on Dischord Records. This track is from a 1993 performance in New York City.
Chat Pile, “Masc”
On their 2024 album ‘Cool World,’ Oklahoma’s Chat Pile fuse body horror, stoner post-hardcore, video nasty aesthetics and politically-charged lyricism.
Honningbarna, “Amor fati”
Norwegian experimental post-hardcored band Honningbarna brings the noise on their 2025 album, ‘Soft Spot.’
L.S. Dunes, “Violet”
L.S. Dunes is a post-hardcore supergroup, with members of Circa Survive, Saosin, My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria and Thursday. This is the title track from their 2025 album.
Drug Church, “Demolition Man”
On their 2024 album ‘PRUDE,’ melodic post-hardcore band Drug Church go all in on memorable hooks.
Boneflower, “Pomegranate” feat. Jeremy Bolm
Boneflower collaborates with Touché Amoré’s vocalist on this track from their 2025 album, ‘Reveries.’
Pianos Become The Teeth, “Arizona”
Long-standing post-hardcore band Pianos Become The Teeth recently released a 10-year anniversary version of their 2014 album, ‘Keep You.’
The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, “Beware the Centerist”
On their 2025 album ‘Dreams of Being Dust,’ this American band elevates their emo sound, blending post-hardcore and alternative rock to tender effect.
One Step Closer, “Leap Years”
Leaning into emotional metalcore on their 2024 album ‘All You Embrace,’One Step Closer operates on the heavier end of the post-hardcore spectrum.
Loathe, “Gifted Every Strength”
Liverpudlian post-hardcore band Loathe are back in 2025, blending a heavy, Deftones-esque sound into the fold.
Nothing, “Chloroform”
Post-hardcore/shoegaze band Nothing dropped this track in 2024, not long after the stunning live version of their album ‘Auditory Trauma: Nothing Isolation Sessions.’
Love Letter, “Misanthrophic Holiday or Vacation”
Made up of members of Verse and Defeater, Love Letter dropped their debut album, ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful,’ in 2024.
Dull Mourning, “Slow Bullet”
Dull Mourning are a post-hardcore band from North Carolina. This track is taken from their 2025 EP of the same name.
City of Caterpillar, “Decider”
Made up of members of bands Pg. 99, Darkest Hour and others, City of Caterpillar reunited in 2016. This track is from their 2022 album, ‘Mystic Sisters.’
SeeYouSpaceCowboy, “Silhouettes in Motion”
Californian band SeeYouSpaceCowboy released this track on their latest album, 2024’s ‘Coup de Grâce.’
Humour, “Memorial”
Glaswegian band Humour dropped this track on their 2025 debut album, ‘Learning Greek.’
The Armed, “I Steal What I Want”
Detroit band The Armed released their latest album, THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED,’ in 2025.
mclusky, “way of the exploding dickhead”
British band mclusky are back with their 2025 album, ‘the world is still here and so are we.’
Spark of Life, “NO ONE HATES MORE THAN ME”
After a long hiatus, LA band Spark of Life dropped their second album, ‘PLAGUED BY THE HUMAN CONDITION,’ in 2025.
SUPERWORLD, “Surefire”
On the title track of their 2025 EP, SUPERWORLD elevates their Title Fight-esque post-hardcore sound.
Pile, “Holds”
Pile’s 2025 album ‘Sunshine and Balance Beams’ deftly blends noise, screamo and post-hardcore.
I Promised The World, “Future Worth Dying For”
A post-hardcore band from Texas, I Promised The World explores gentler emo tones on this 2025 track.
LISTEN TO THE POST-HARDCORE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
%20(1).png)
.jpg)
%20(1).png)
.png)
%20(1).png)
%20(1).png)
