A Belated Thank You to Women in Emo

Juniper Wolff

Local Music Journalist 

Throughout history, women have continued to be outshone by their male counterparts, including in music. When people think of emo, they typically think of male-dominated bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, My Chemical Romance, and the recent rise of Modern Baseball and Mom Jeans. Although Women’s History Month has come to a close, women in emo deserve the spotlight to showcase their efforts. In an effort to ungatekeep, the following artists have smaller followings in hopes that their popularity will grow. 

Kaia Fischer and Caithlin De Marrais – Rainer Maria 

Rainer Maria, named after German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, is one of the few bands that is predominantly led by women. The trio behind Rainer Maria consists of Kaia Fischer on the guitar, vocals, and synths, Caithlin De Marrais on the vocals and bass, and William Kuehn on the drums and other percussive instruments. The pinnacle of their work that truly showcases their talent is their critically acclaimed album, Look Now Look Again. The vocals heard in tracks “Breakfast of Champions” and “Broken Radio” demonstrate the unique take they have on the second wave of emo in a time when women were not as prevalent. 

Andi Camp – Ribbon Fix 

Ribbon Fix, consisting of Andi Camp, Mark Rodgers, Mike Roberts, and Brian Gathy, was a short-lived indie-emo project lasting from 1996 to 1999. Despite their short lifetime, their impact on emo is immeasurable. Comparable to the likes of Nymb and Strictly Ballroom, Ribbon Fix uses a beautiful balance of female and male vocals throughout each of their tracks. Their best work and a great example of this balance is seen in their LP, Campfire Dares the Sun. Their most popular tracks, “sunset in reverse” and “one last cigarette” bring a beautiful contrast between vocalists, featuring a striking moment where it all comes together. Ribbon Fix is truly an example of being beautifully ephemeral. 

Hannah Vogan – Everyone Asked About You 

Everyone Asked About You, comprised of Hannah Vogan, Chris Sheppard, John Beachboard, Collins Kilgore, Lee Buford, and Matt Bradley, has seen a dramatic spike in popularity as their music has blown up on social media through TikTok. EAAY is best characterized by its heartfelt vocals and romantic lyricism. Like Ribbon Fix, they employ a duet-style balance between Vogan’s feminine vocals and Sheppard’s masculine vocals. The balance is perfected to the point of goosebumps. Their best music is on their compilation LP, Paper Planes, Paper Hearts. I highly recommend “Me vs. You” as it gave me goosebumps throughout the entire track. This album is perfect for lovers and yearners alike.  

Courtney Miller – Eldritch Anisette 

Eldritch Anisette, made up of Courtney Miller, Allen Hitchens, Marc Krupanski, and Timothy Nichols, has had a major comeback after they announced a show for the first time in nearly 30 years. Their resurgence into popularity began after their label, Numero Group, began reissuing their vinyl and uploading their music to streaming platforms. Their style of music can be best described as using a quiet to loud form of progression. Emphasized by emotionally chilling vocals, Eldritch Anisette’s discography is quite small, only having two singles to their name. Despite their small discography, each song packs a hell of a punch, literally. The song I can best recommend is “Suckerpunch” on their self-titled single. Eldritch Anisette would be nothing without its uniquely soft vocals supplemented by blaring guitars.  

As women continue to break barriers in music, we owe them our full attention. I mentioned only a few examples of women in a male-dominated field; there are hundreds of bands in which women have thrived creatively. Although men overshadow the emo scene, we owe the women a heartfelt appreciation.