I feel that screamo as a genre is artistically uninspired, with a heavy reliance on dull, repetitive "breakdowns" and lyrical content that has been reused and rehashed again and again to the point of triviality.
As for screaming in general, it is a tool that can potentially add to a song, but too often detracts due to a poor vocalist. When used effectively, it can give heavy emotional weight to a song, a trait that makes up a large portion of what I consider good music. However, I haven't run across many screamers who are capable of doing so, in comparison to those who either sing conventionally or wield guttural death vocals to their advantage. In essence, the likes Oli Sykes' harsh, impotent screaming lacks the weight of, say, Mikael Akerfeldt's powerful, nihilistic roars juxtaposed against soft, meaningful singing (see Demon of the Fall, Moonlapse Vertigo), Steven Wilson's deep and thoughtful crooning, or Jonas Renske's quiet conveyance of unfiltered despair.
It is not my intention to anger anyone or directly attack their preferred genre of music. I know what I say is hardly objective, but I cannot help but see screaming as the mark of an artist who struggles to find meaning in their work lyrically, and in effect covers it with a false veneer of anger. It can ruin a band that would have otherwise been decent. That said, there are always exceptions to the rule. One exception I can think of is Protest the Hero, who make good use of both screaming and conventional singing combined with both technical acumen and original musicality.
On a final note, Brokencyde is absolute rubbish.
