Source number one:

"In Excess? Body Genres, “Bad” Music, and the Judgment of Audiences"
by Leslie M. Meier

In her essay, Meir discusses the way in which music is seen as "good" or "bad," and the factors that influence this. She argues early on that music can be judged as "bad" for one of two main reasons: first, there’s the ‘concerned parent’s’ definition of “bad” music, which would be that including inappropriate language or themes or subject matter; then there’s the ‘concerned music lover’s’ definition of “bad” music, which is often music that is exaggeratedly emotional or appealing to women’s emotions.  

Meir draws from Linda Williams's evaluation of "body genres" in her essay “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess” to define the genres that contain the most “bad” music. Williams suggests that the genres of film that demonstrate the most excess are horror (excessive violence), pornography (excessive sex), and melodrama (excessive emotion). Meir discusses exaggeration in the music genres of “shock rock” and “gangsta rap” (excessive violence), “porno rock” and “camp pop” (excessive sex), and “arena rock” and “sob pop” (excessive emotion).

This source will be useful to me because it draws from Linda Williams’ writing, which I will most likely incorporate in my essay as well. It is also quite credible based on the level of analysis, number of sources used, and the credibility of the author. The most useful part of this piece, though, is its comparison of the melodrama in film to “arena rock” and “sob pop” in music. The music that I will look at probably fits best in the genre of “sob pop,” so this comparison will be very relevant.