Genre that punk rock paved the way for

EMO

["This musical style often blends confessional lyrics with melodic intensity and emerged in the 1980s as a more emotional offshoot of hardcore. Think bands like Sunny Day Real Estate or early Jimmy Eat World."]

Punk rock’s raw energy and DIY ethos directly influenced the rise of emo in the 1980s and 90s. The clue points to emo as the genre that evolved from punk’s emotional intensity, blending confessional lyrics with aggressive or melodic instrumentation. Bands like Rites of Spring and Sunny Day Real Estate took punk’s rebellion and turned it inward, focusing on personal struggles—a hallmark of emo. The answer is short and fits the crossword’s concise style.