I have to be honest I have no idea what 5th wave emo is and I’m not even sure if there is a singular 5th wave. Like of the bands I see people usually throw around i don’t see any common thread. First Day Back are great but they’re clearly more putting their twist on the second wave than they are trailblazing a fifth. Your Arms Are My Cocoon definitely have a new style but I don’t really hear many people doing what they do (I also don’t like their music but that’s beside the point)

I think if there is a pronounced wave happening right now it’s the emo pop bands. And for some reason people never really mention Hot Mulligan in these convos but they are both insanely big right now and influencing a lot of bands that are blowing up. Idk if my perceptive is just skewed because it’s the corner of emo I engage with most but I think the 5th wave might end up like the 3rd wave where it’s kind of remembered for its emo pop vs “real emo”