Chris Carrabba has a fine, high voice and looks like a genetic cross between Luke Perry and Jason Priestley. But these attributes have little to do with his success. Frequently, Carrabba--who goes by the stage name Dashboard Confessional--doesn't even sing during his performances. He just strums an acoustic guitar while the audience of mostly middle-class white kids shouts every word of his desperate, heartbroken lyrics in a sort of primal-scream karaoke. "It's almost cultlike," says Carrabba of his fans' spooky intensity. "I know they're endearing songs, but there are a lot of endearing songs."
You might think Carrabba is a rock...