10 Most Ambitious Rock Albums Ever Made

Emo rock in the '00s was not something that most rock fans took all that seriously. For as much real pain was being portrayed through the lyrics, most of the bands were mistaken for kids just adolescently whining about problems that didn't even matter. Just when you thought the genre had run out of steam, My Chemical Romance transformed themselves from emo heartthrobs to rock gods overnight.

While most of MCR's early material was some of the best emo music you could find, The Black Parade was an album that brought them into the big leagues of rock. Structured as a concept album about a dying cancer patient, the entire record has an insane amount of energy to it, from the Queen-like grandeur of the sorta title track "Welcome to the Black Parade" to the disturbing portrayal of the man's death on "Sleep."

In an era that seemed to be more about fashion than actual music, this album was an eclectic mix of rock music from both past and present, with hints of bands like Queen, Green Day, and the even the Beatles hidden between the melody lines. My Chemical Romance already had a rabid fanbase before this, but the Black Parade had the potential to touch the rock world right on its wound.