June 2026: Guitar Music Is Back
Guitar music hasn't been this fucking back in years. 2025 was one of the best years for emo and post-hardcore in a decade, and that momentum isn't slowing down. Hot Mulligan are touring bigger venues than ever, Moving Mountains dropped a 90-rated screamo masterpiece, and Bee Hive Ski Race is proving that chaos emo from Cleveland is the future. This is what the scene sounds like right now.
Featured Bands
Hot Mulligan
They invented post-emo and they're not letting anyone forget it. "The Sound a Body Makes When It's Still" cemented their position as the leaders of contemporary emo — accessible without compromising complexity. What makes them matter: they're actively touring larger venues, mentoring the next wave of bands, and building a community instead of just playing shows. This is what scene leadership looks like in 2026.
Moving Mountains
"Pruning of the Lower Limbs" hit with a 90 critic score for a reason. Post-rock collides with screamo, math-rock precision meets pure emotion. Every riff has weight, every breakdown matters. They're a band that doesn't simplify for accessibility — they trust the listener to meet them where they are.
Bee Hive Ski Race
Chaos emo from Cleveland doing something genuinely different. "Unlimited Violence Apologia" is unpredictable and dissonant in the best way — riffs that shouldn't work somehow absolutely do. They represent the experimental edge of what's happening in the scene right now, the next generation pushing boundaries.
Featured Tracks
La Dispute — "No One Was Driving The Car"
The title track from their 2025 masterpiece. This is La Dispute doing what they do best: intricate post-hardcore with lyrics that hit different. It's the centerpiece of their most acclaimed album in years.
RØRY — "if pain could talk, what would it say?"
From "RESTORATION" (2025), this track shows what happens when you blend emo sensibility with raw production. RØRY's got something to say and they're not softening the edges to say it.
Arm's Length — "The World"
From their 2025 album "There's A Whole World Out There". Arm's Length does melody with teeth — hooks that stick but never feel cheap, production that lets every instrument breathe.
Modern Baseball — "...And Beyond"
From their 30th Anniversary "Perfect Cast" edition (2025). Modern Baseball were pivotal to the emo revival and they're still proving why. This track is everything they do well: earnest without being overwrought, catchy without being empty.
Touché Amoré — "Palm Dreams"
Epitaph stalwarts still delivering. "Palm Dreams" is gorgeous and devastating, exactly what post-hardcore should do — make you feel something you can't quite name.
Title Fight — "Numb, But I Still Feel It"
From "Floral Green" (2012) but still one of the best punk-emo fusion tracks ever made. Deserves to be in any conversation about what matters in this genre.
Why These Picks
June 2026 is about recognizing what's happening: guitar music is back, the emo/post-hardcore scene is producing some of its best work, and there's a real community driving this forward instead of labels chasing trends. These three bands and six tracks represent established names with fresh momentum and emerging artists proving the scene has depth. Play these, support these bands live, buy merch. This matters.