i grew up associating it with the early political groups like Moss Icon, Rites Of Spring, Gray Matter, etc
the screamo scene of the 90s always seemed like the natural successor of that to me with groups like Yaphet Kotto, Antioch Arrow, and Combatwoundedveteran
im definitely a fan of the stuff but a lot of the big second wave names like Sunny Day Real Estate, Capn Jazz, American Football, etc all felt more in line with indie rock than emo to me, but Im comfortable with calling them either
theres a lot of similarly indie adjacent groups like Bright Eyes and The Get Up Kids that Im also big fans of that get erroneously associated with emo, but Ive always felt they belong to other genres, but Ive very much mellowed out on that and just let others say what they like
its with the mainstream emo explosion with groups like this topic is about where I never really could hear the similarities with the original emo scene, at best they always sounded like they vaguely using second wave groups and pop punk as reference points. Ive always kinda called that fake emo which I know seems a little snobbish but Im coming around on it, and Im totally cool with jamming out to some 30STM or MCR type stuff
and then theres the various emo revival groups that have come up this past decade like Touche Amore, Dad Thighs, World is a Beautiful Place, etc which I think have been pretty dang great at blending screamo sounds and more second wave and even post rock influence
If we were gonna get genre nerdy i wouldn't refer to revolution summery stuff as emo as much as I'd refer to stuff like julia, don Martin 3, plunger, still life, etc. as emo
And early get up kids is still pretty pop punky, sure - but four minute mile is just as much post emo-y as the promise ring, early jimmy eat world, braid, etc.
But i totally appreciate that you're not calling that emotive pop punk stuff emo or using emo as a banal insult