Why Delight in Screamed Vocals? Emotional Hardcore and the Case Against Beautifying Pain.

The article addresses the "screamed vocals problem," which questions why fans of emotional hardcore music appreciate screamed vocals—expressions of intense emotional pain—while recognizing that similar appreciation for everyday human screams would be inappropriate. Emotional hardcore, a genre characterized by dissonant instrumentation, inwardly focused lyrics, and vocals that closely mimic natural human screams, explicitly rejects the traditional aesthetic beautification of pain common in art. Instead, the genre endorses "emotional anti-sublimation," valuing the raw, unfiltered expression of pain that challenges restrictive social norms on emotional expressiveness, and "aesthetic anti-sublimation," opposing the idea that artistic representations of pain must be beautified. Drawing on Arthur Danto's concept of artworks as "embodied meanings," the article argues that screamed vocals carry meanings and values distinct from everyday screams, justifying their aesthetic appreciation without endorsing sadistic delight in real suffering.