[ japanese emo / hardcore / math rock ]

i spent 2 weeks in japan this past spring. the evening i arrived in tokyo, i dropped off my luggage at my hotel, ventured out in search of something to eat (gyukatsu), then booked it to fever shimokitazawa to see one of my current favorite japanese bands, texas 3000. they were the first act on a bill with chris brokaw of the 90s slowcore band codeine. really interesting lineup for a monday night in tokyo. and fucking awesome. texas 3000 produced such an impressively big sound for a 3-person band and radiated such great energy— just some friends having real fun. each member of the trio brought immense personality and enthusiasm to the performance. i couldn’t conceal my excitement when they played my favorite track, “connector fuck man,” which is featured as the 1st song on this playlist. funnily enough, alone at this underground show in shimokitazawa, japan, i ran into someone i knew from my radio show days in college. the music scene is so small, even across continents.

texas 3000 at fever shimokitazawa — march 24, 2025

a couple nights later, i found myself at antiknock in shinjuku because pennsylvania hardcore band one step closer was headlining a stacked 5-band bill as part of tour presented by the japanese hardcore promoter, bloodaxe fest. also on the lineup: murakumo, true fight, jasonandrew, & makeshift (some featured on this playlist). regretfully, i was having a difficult day and arrived at the show very late, only catching the headlining band. as someone who lived in philadelphia, i was familiar with one step closer and had seen them a couple times opening for various other acts. i believe the show sold out. observing from the back of this venue in shinjuku, i was in awe watching a packed room full of people moshing, crowd-surfing, and singing along to this band i knew from home. the hardcore scene can feel very insular at times, and witnessing PA hardcore outside of the context of PA hardcore was really something.

i always get asked how i have the ‘guts’ to attend concerts by myself, especially in other countries. truthfully, this is just something i’ve done since i was 18. it might be a little scary at first, especially in music scenes heavily dominated by men, but i won’t let that stop me from experiencing things on my own!

here’s this playlist i had made leading up to my trip. a very curated selection of japanese math rock, emo, hardcore, alt rock. if you know me, i hate putting labels on music but that’s how i would describe this i guess. don’t think about it too much— just press play and enjoy.

emo in tokyo [playlist]