The Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since that time MoPOP has organized dozens of exhibits, 17 of which have toured across the US and internationally.The museum, which used to be known as Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame and later EMP Museum until November 2016, has founded many public programs including Sound Off!, an annual 21 and under battle-of-the-bands that supports the all-ages scene, and Pop Conference, an annual gathering of academics, critics, musicians, and music buffs.MoPOP, in collaboration with the Seattle International Film Festival presents the Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival, which takes place annually every winter at Seattle Cinerama Theater.
