"Helena" by My Chemical Romance from the album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004)

What’s the worst that we can say? No. 1 in our emo countdown isn’t about a jilted lover’s broken-hearted Swiss army romance but two band members’ late grandmother. New Jersey’s much-maligned My Chemical Romance are crowned king of this list via this epic and indispensible 2005 single off Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, landing in the Top 10 of nearly all our contributors. Its glory rises at the first swipe of smeared guyliner: the incredible music video’s funeral scene and dance choreography was a saturation point for mainstream emo culture. Gerard Way mirrored a generation through aesthetic and attitude, and this prime example of the aughts Hot Topic-ization of rock and roll is mitigated by the fact that MCR were only trying to write their own “Aces High” by Iron Maiden. So long, and goodnight.

_Michael Marotta