Definition of Post hardcore

The earliest appearances of post-hardcore were in Washington, D.C. in the mid to late 1980s (see the era's releases on Dischord Records, for example), though it was not widely known until the early 1990s.

Post-hardcore is typically characterized by its precise rhythms and loud guitar-based instrumentation accompanied by vocal performances that are often executed as whispers or screams.  Allmusic states, 'These newer bands, termed post-hardcore, often found complex and dynamic ways of blowing off steam that generally went outside the strict hardcore realm of "loud fast rules." ... Additionally, many of these bands' vocalists were just as likely to deliver their lyrics with a whispered croon as they were a maniacal yelp.' The genre has developed a unique balance of dissonance and melody, in part channeling the loud and fast hardcore ethos into more measured, subtle forms of tension and release. Jeff Terich of Treblezine states, "[I]nstead of sticking to [hardcore's] rigid constraints, these artists expanded beyond power chords and gang vocals, incorporating more creative outlets for punk rock energy."