10 Hard Rock Bands That Destroyed Their Own Career

There are probably a lot of emo fans scratching their heads right now about how My Chemical Romance really flamed out. Compared to the other pop punk acts that proved to be flashes in the pan in the early '00s, MCR are one of the few emo-flavored acts that actually came out of the decade with their integrity still intact. No, this is a tale of destroying your career as a sensible artistic move.

Ever since these guys first tasted real success off of the strength of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, Gerard Way was extremely candid about the grueling process behind making more and more albums. In another bait and switch, these guys ended up coming through with one of the best albums of the decade in the Black Parade, only to pile more pressure upon themselves.

Just when you thought they could pull off another masterpiece in Danger Days, MCR just took to the road before abruptly stopping. Even though it seems ridiculous for a band firing on all cylinders to quit in their prime, their decision wasn't fueled by animosity. Seeing the high bar they set for themselves, the idea to turn it in came down to the fact that they wanted to get out of the game before they ended up embarrassing themselves. While they could have given us so much more, it's better to not cry because it's over but smile because it happened.