Authenticity after cock rock: Emo and the problem of femininity.

The author examines the inter-relationship between authenticity, music
and gender in relation to a particular contemporary genre, emotional
hardcore or emo. Noting how hard rock often defined itself as authentic
in contrast to (feminine) pop music, the author argues that it is possible
to see the ‘persistence of masculinism’ in wider debates around the performance of (appropriate) fandom. Drawing on a wealth of online data from
platforms such as Reddit, Tumblr and Facebook, the author observes that
even as male fans of emo distance themselves from hyper-masculine forms
of hard (or cock) rock, they also critique the presence of female fans as
‘inauthentic’.