Chart star Lady Gaga's outrageous dress sense has proved to be divisive - after she was shortlisted for both most and least stylish star in this year's NME Awards.

"Rock and roll is here to stay," sang Danny and the Juniors in 1958. If only. New statistics reveal the number of rock hits in the top 100 biggest-selling singles of 2010 to be the lowest in half a century.

They've toured and toured, and they're on bedroom walls everywhere, but this year one five-piece will really take off

Red alert: 'C'mon America. You're better than this'

Who knew nihilist emo-punk could be so theatrical? My Chemical Romance revealed their penchant for the grand conceit with 2006's The Black Parade, a concept album about cancer that featured a queasy onstage mix of Busby Berkeley and pyrotechnics.

From the action-packed band name to the obligatory long song titles, from the witless blare of the vocals to the compressed blandness of the guitar sound, this is bog-standard emo ordinaire.

From Smashing Pumpkins to Edward Scissorhands, The Cure's Robert Smith has been influencing pop culture for decades. It's just a shame that the band's new album is a doom-laden swirl of angst and self-loathing. Please lighten up, urges Andy Gill

Did you ever doubt them? Nick Hasted on Metallica's triumphant return, in concert and on record

Moshing will never catch on at the Proms

'Interviewing the Beastie Boys for my first feature for the magazine was a nightmare. They pretty much ignored every question I asked'

For a band that has mislaid much of its original fanbase, this Las Vegas foursome remain in exceptionally high spirits. Panic At The Disco were at the forefront of emo, and responsible for some of the genre's most irritating habits – not the supposed interest in suicide, but the pretentiously long song titles, rambling verbiage and whining.

A teenager who followed the music and fashion movement known as Emo killed himself after being bullied "because of his style", his friends said yesterday.

It's the youth movement that has Middle England on the run. The 'Daily Mail' labels it sinister and accuses it of romanticising death. But as its adherents prepare to march on the 'Mail's' Kensington HQ in protest, is there really anything to be frightened of? Jonathan Brown reports

The list of popular music trends that have scandalised the curtain-twitching classes would take more space than we have here to chronicle.