Can you give an example?

An example would be nice,

analog delay tuned to cause feedback....?

It's called feedback. Distorted guitars do this. Sorry to be smug but it should be so obvious.
Stand a few inches away from your amp, you'll get it.

Player strikes a chord on the hot guitar and brings the volume up from 0. Adding some wah, timed to the song, is really cool. I have done this on some of my acoustic stuff, but it always seems so over done .

Also known as fade in?

I used this on a song once. You could use a guitar, but what I did was put the mic closer to the speakers than it should be. Let the feedback build up- don't forget to hit record. Also, be sure to roll off low freqs, and EQ out anything irritating. Or- you could get an oscillator to generate a high pitch and automate the volume. There's lots of ways to do it! Experiment, you might find something completely different. :!:

Space seems to know what I'm talking about. Never heard the presence of wah in any of the songs that come to mind, however it's an interesting notion.

Uh, in that case my reference to feedback was incorrect, though i'm aware of what sixstringsuperman is referring to, which is also very helpful.

In fact, both techniques, if I understand them correctly, allow the transition from a pretty subdued verse to a punchy chorus within seconds, which is ultimately what I'm looking for.

Though it's not a transition from verse to chorus, the opening of "When you were young" by The Killers, is a great example of what I'm talking about, and in retrospect I remember having to bring the volume up from 0 for that one, so bullseye, Space! thanks

Even a blind squirrel.