Unifying and generalizing the two strands of evo-devo

•Evo-devo has gained significant momentum over the past 15 years.•The field has tended along two general lines of inquiry, with little crosstalk.•One approach relies on molecular approaches, the other utilizes quantitative shape analyses.•We suggest that a combined evo-devo approach will significantly advance the field. The emergence of evo-devo has had profound effects on how we study evolution. However, evo-devo research has tended to involve two general approaches, one being mechanistic and typological with a focus on simple, bimodal phenotypes, and the other being quantitative and focusing on multidimensional phenotypes without an understanding of underlying genetic mechanisms. Here, we suggest that, given recent technological advances in genomics, molecular biology, and morphometrics, evo-devo is poised for a reconciliation through which the field will realize far greater explanatory potential with respect to the patterns and processes that underlie adaptive phenotypic divergence. With this in mind, we review the recent literature and put forward a generalized evo-devo approach that is suitable for studies of quantitative traits in a range of taxa.