7 Bands To Look Out For In 2024 (And Beyond)

2023 was a great year for emo, both new and old. We’ve seen plenty of younger bands rise to incredible heights, releasing amazing records and EPs that signal a bright future for the genre. However, lets take a look at the future, with seven bands who are already looking to have a strong 2024.

1. Excuse Me, Who Are You?

Excuse Me, Who Are You? currently only have 4 songs available to stream, but those 4 couldn’t be any stronger of an indication for their future success. EMWAY are a wonderfully melodic screamo band, blending Stars Hollow-esque guitar riffs with vocalist Kyle Kinney’s passionate lyrics that are almost impossible not to scream along to. Hailing from the currently burgeoning scene in Wisconsin, along with bands like Tiny Voices and Bug Moment, they’re poised to start 2024 strong, currently on tour with MooseCreek Park (including dates like Swordfest II and Point Five Fest) and with another release on its way. Speaking from personal experience, you’re not going to want to miss seeing EMWAY live. They’re energy is unmatched at every show I’ve seen them at, and they never fail to remind me of one of life’s great truths: screaming your lungs out at a concert is really fun.

You can stream EMWAY’s 2022 EP About That Beer I Owed Ya here

2. See Through Person

The originally Fort Myers based band See Through Person originally debuted in 2020 with the release of their first EP Chariot, but have recently picked up steam with their January live run featuring Flight Patterns, along plans for a debut album soon. Judging from their previous work (and their Fauxchella VI set, where they played some new songs), you’ll definitely want to keep tabs on them. Their two 3-song EPs, Chariot and Sun, are both some of my personal favorite 5th wave releases and well worth the listen. Featuring the heavy hitting guitar riffs and incredible vocal work of frontwoman Robin Mikan, along with bassist Nikolas and drummer Ethan, this three-piece combines to produce one of the most promising DIY bands in recent years.

You can stream See Through Person’s 2020 EP Chariot here

3. Red Sun

Oklahoma has been an unexpected source of truly great 5th wave emo. From up-and-comers Ben Quad and Cliffdiver to scene staples like The Others Like Us and Me Too, Thanks, there’s been an explosion of bands all across the state, with Red Sun being one of the newest to the scene. Recently having released their split Lost Friends / Found Family with aforementioned bands The Others Like Us and Me Too, Thanks, their contribution officer jenny already indicates a bright future for Red Sun. Blending cascading melodic riffs and intense punch-in-the-gut drums, officer jenny sees Red Sun poised to join the ranks of their up and coming Oklahoman emo peers. With upcoming live shows and more music to come, Red Sun is just getting started and is already proving to be a band worthy of looking out for.

You can stream Lost Friends / Found Family here

4. Aren’t We Amphibians

Hailing from San Diego, California, Aren’t We Amphibians already had an excellent 2023, releasing their second EP Emergency, Exit (a review of which can be found on this blog) and following it up with the release of Two Songs, with that latter release being some of the absolute finest music to release last year. Songs like Forgiving Jeff demonstrate AWA’s talent for creating emotionally crushing music, combining vocalist and lead guitarist Joshua Talbot’s passionately delivered commands to “Take this to heart” alongside melancholic horns and guitar riffs. With more music and shows surely on the way, any 5th wave fan should absolutely be following AWA in 2024 and beyond.

You can stream Aren’t We Amphibians’ 2023 EP Emergency, Exit here

5. Saturdays At Your Place

Michigan has been a staple of emo music for a good while now, laying claim to bands such as Charmer and Hot Mulligan, but 2023 especially put the spotlight back on the state. Bands such as The Casper Fight Scene and Clipboards released fantastic new music, and we saw The Goblin Zone quickly establish itself as a staple venue in the Michigan DIY community. However, perhaps the biggest rise came from Kalamazoo’s own Saturdays At Your Place with the release of their EP always cloudy, with stand-out track tarot cards amassing almost 3 million streams on Spotify. This rise is in no way undeserved, as always cloudy feels like a refinement to near perfection of the emo music of the last 5 years or so. Featuring unbelievably catchy, yet bittersweet lyrics and melodies, the six songs featured on always cloudy, along with the two on their split with Summerbruise and SHOPLIFTER released later that year, show an incredible amount of promise for S@YP and the Michigan scene as a whole. 

You can stream Saturdays At Your Place’s 2023 EP always cloudy here

6. Equipment

Toledo, Ohio based power-emo-indie-alternative-rock band Equipment should already be a household name for most in the DIY community, having featured previously on this very blog. Their heavily anticipated 2023 album Alt. Account did not disappoint, featuring easily some of the band’s best work. Their other 2023 release Miracle also featured songs like Talk To Strangers, which has quickly become a staple of the band’s live set. Speaking of live sets, Equipment toured relentlessly in the past year, with runs alongside Summerbruise, Mat Kerekes, Oso Oso, and plenty more, and show no signs of stopping, with upcoming spring dates with Sweet Pill and Origami Angel. Despite technically being the 2nd LP by the band, Alt. Account feels like the true debut of Equipment, and I think I speak for most of the DIY community when I say we all can’t wait to see what comes next.

You can stream Equipment’s 2023 album Alt. Account here

7. Carpool

Rounding out the list is Rochester, NY’s own Carpool. Their brand of high-energy anthem emo featuring yell-along lyrics is demonstrated best on their most recent single, Can We Just Get High?. Carpool closed out 2023 with both a legendary battle set at Fauxchella VI against Summerbruise and the announcement of their signing to SideOneDummy Records, and they seem to be carrying that momentum into 2024. Their third album, My Life In Subtitles, is scheduled to release this year, and judging by its first single, it’s likely to be their best album yet.

You can stream Carpool’s 2022 EP For Nasal Use Only here and their most recent single Can We Just Get High? here