Origins and early development
Post-hardcore began in the 1980s with bands such as Hüsker Dü and Minutemen and drew initial inspiration from post-punk and noise rock. Groups active in the early 1980s like Minutemen, Naked Raygun, and The Effigies are considered forerunners to the genre, and bands such as Fugazi from Washington, D.C. and labels like Dischord Records became major nexuses for its development.
Evolution or diversification
The genre expanded through the 1980s and 1990s with releases by groups including Big Black, Jawbox, Quicksand, and Shellac, while some bands moved closer to noise rock roots. It also incorporated denser, more complex and atmospheric instrumentals with bands like Slint and Unwound and experienced crossover from indie rock with acts such as The Dismemberment Plan. In the early and mid 2000s post-hardcore reached mainstream popularity with bands such as At the Drive-In, My Chemical Romance, Dance Gavin Dance, AFI, Underoath, Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, the Used, Saosin, Alexisonfire, and Senses Fail, and in the 2010s bands like Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil achieved mainstream success while bands like Title Fight and La Dispute retained closer ties to earlier post-hardcore sounds.
Cultural or musical significance
Post-hardcore maintained the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk while emphasizing a greater degree of creative expression, finding more complex and dynamic ways of building and releasing tension than traditional hardcore. The genre was influenced by British post-punk and saw artists experiment with a wide array of influences including soul, dub, funk, jazz, and dance-punk. Characteristically tempos could range from slow to as fast as metal and vocal approaches varied, allowing inventive singing styles beyond hardcore's earlier conventions.
