No. 2: Fall Out Boy

For the remainder of the semester, The Playlist will be counting down the 10 most important artists of this decade - artists that have had a serious impact on music as we know it.

Emo has been around for a while now. Some say it was pioneered in the mid to late-'80s by bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace, a blend of punk and indie rock. By the late '90s, acts like Sunny Day Real Estate and Jimmy Eat World were making names for themselves. By the time we hit the half-way point of this past decade, four boys from Illinois were poised to dominate the music world and bring their take on the genre into every household with their breakout album, "From Under the Cork Tree."

Hate them or love them - I feel that many who read or respond to this will be part of the former - Fall Out Boy has been mostly responsible for the state of the music today. Their influence has been wide - turn on the radio or peruse the rock section of your local music store and chances are you'll find a band popular with the kids who has Fall Out Boy to thank for where they are. Gym Class Heroes, Panic! at the Disco, All Time Low and just about every other emo band today is a byproduct of FOB's success, and their style - kids in skinny jeans, neon colors and "emover" haircuts - has become a staple of the youth hanging in shopping malls. Because of this, Fall Out Boy has become what I feel to be one of today's most disrespected and disliked bands.

This to me is a shame because over the course of four albums, Fall Out Boy has transformed from four boys in a band on 2003's "Take This To Your Grave" to mature, talented musicians with a penchant for clever songwriting and composing on 2008's "Folie a Deux." Much of the charm that Fall Out Boy possesses comes from their lyrical talents and metaphoric one-liners, an attribute they've managed to retain while becoming more sophisticated, relaxed and comfortable than before. Their sound has taken a step up from pop rock to big anthems and emotional ballads. Take one listen to "What A Catch, Donnie" and tell me that this isn't a completely different band than the one that recorded "Grand Theft Autumn."

Fall Out Boy has transformed emo to the point where it's a ghost of its former self. At the same time, they've influenced a legion of young bands that can barely last past their first singles, yet they still remain as large as ever. After introducing the world to their style, they've managed to evolve their sound into something genuinely rock.