The evolution and lasting success of the Emo Nite dance party

Emo Nite at AVALON – Los Angeles, CA – 5.3.24. // photo credit Acacia Evans

After 10 years, touring DJ party Emo Nite has become the grandaddy of a series of themed music nights which see fans get dressed up in their finest for a night out dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs to their favorite genre hits. Following in the wake of Emo Nite’s success has come the likes of Sugar: The Nu Metal Party, Broadway Rave, and more than we could possibly name.

That said, Emo Nite is the one which set the standard, with surprise musical performances and DJ sets from genre greats, and regular events in 50 cities all across the country. Not bad for what Morgan Freed and T.J. Petracca started as “an iPad plugged into an aux cord at a dive bar in Echo Park.”

Ahead of Emo Nite’s next area appearance at the RecordBar on Saturday, June 22, we spoke with Austin Gaule, Emo Nite’s Midwest rep, about the history of the long-running party and how it’s grown over the years.

The Pitch: Emo Nite is the progenitor for a slew of themed DJ nights which tour the country: the Dolly Party, the Taylor Party, Shrek Rave, et al. What makes Emo Nite unique?

Austin Gaule: I think what makes Emo Nite LA unique from the run-of-the-mill parties you’re seeing on our circuit right now is twofold. First, I feel like all of our party reps (people who DJ the parties) are so dedicated to Emo culture that the genuine approach we take shines through in everything we do. These people really give a shit about the genre, protecting it, and growing it. The second part is maybe a little bit more evident: you never know who you’re going to see pop up at Emo Nite. Whether a special guest pulls up & performs an acoustic set or some well-known emo figure from the area slides through for a DJ set….you never know what’s going to happen at Emo Nite.

Are you leaning into local tastes for your sets, with a lot of Lifetime in New Jersey or Get Up Kids in KC?

Totally–whether we are in Minneapolis playing Motion City Soundtrack deep cuts or in Omaha playing some Saddle Creek Records bands, I think everyone on our team loves the challenge of localizing things for specific markets. Playing Knocked Loose in Louisville, Kentucky is always a fun one, a huge pit breaks out and it turns into a hardcore show for a second (you might see Kevin Kaine, Knocked Loose drummer, bopping his head in the background, too).

How have the musicians you feature responded?

We’ve had some great responses over the years, but the large majority of musicians we invite out fall in love with the party. They get into it just as much as our attendees do. It’s been a lot of fun for me personally because a lot of these folks have become friends of mine since they play our parties so often. Wild to think about the amount of these people I idolized as a kid that I’ve become friendly with. Pro tip: most of the time, when you see guests playing at our other parties around the States, you’ll end up seeing them in your city, too.

Where do your definitions of “emo” lie? Are we talking My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, and Bayside-era exclusively, or do Promise Ring, Vitreous Humor, and Christie Front Drive find their way in?

For me, and this might be an unpopular opinion, Emo is a spectrum. Of course, Promise Ring and Rites of Spring laid the groundwork in the 80s & 90s and should be celebrated. Currently, we try to celebrate it all. From My Chem to Taking Back Sunday, we play it all. We also are trying to mix in some newer stuff like Joyce Manor & Neck Deep, we try to cater to the wide audience that attends our parties. On any given night you could have some newer, younger folks populating the party (21-27 year olds) while partying hand in hand with the generation above them (28-40 year olds). It’s a beautiful thing to witness and a great sign of a scene that is expanding to the masses. It is important to point out that we let our special guest DJs curate their own playlists when they come out. When I say Emo is a spectrum…. listening to our guests take on what they think will make the crowd sing along is fascinating. Everyone can have a different take on what “emo” really is.

Do you stick to normal tracks, or do remixes from Legion of Doom or Wugazi find their way in?

Those are definitely some deep cuts! Usually, we stick to normal tracks, but we have a more electronic learning set that is chock-full of emo remixes. That set is generally reserved for when we play festivals or actual nightclubs since it fits the vibe a bit better. In our regular Emo Nite shows (usually at rock venues) we stick to regular tracks. But…. like I said, you never know what’s gonna happen at Emo Nite. I’ve been known to whip out a Captain Cuts mashup of Jimmy Eat World, which is one of my favorite things to play at our parties.

After ten years of doing this, what’s been the biggest change you’ve seen?

Biggest change is definitely the amount of interest there is in the genre. We’ve enjoyed seeing our regular attendees that have been frequenting our parties since 2016-2018 showing the new generation of folks what our community is all about.

Emo Nite hits the RecordBar on Saturday, June 22. Details on that show here.