emo Emo. Short for emotional. Emo. A genre of punk rock. Emo. A dress code of tiny t-shirts and horn-rimmed glasses. Type the word "emo" into your average search engine and you'll get over three million results that will encompass nearly that many different opinions of what emo actually is. The general approach to the term is a lot like the approach to pornography, "I can't tell you exactly what it is, but I'll know it when I see (or hear) it." The history of emo is somewhat less ambiguous than its current meaning. "Emo" music developed out of the D.C. punk scene in the '80s. In its original incarnation, emo was short for emocore, or emotional-hardcore. The name was applied to hardcore punk rock bands who distinguished themselves from their peers by adding an emotional component to their music, dealing with sadness and love and angst in their lyrics. The music was also characterized by particularly dramatic vocals which, at best, left the audience in an emotionally charged state, crying or screaming. These days, emo has been popularized and sent into the mainstream through bands like Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday and Saves the Day. Emo music has even inspired its own subcultural style. Take your average Rites of Spring fan and you get someone who looks a lot like Weezer's Rivers Cuomo--nerdy glasses, vintage tees, cuffed jeans, Converse sneakers and slightly shrunken tops. Black hair and straight bangs, tight hoodies and thrift shop attire are also associated with emo. And while emo devotees are notoriously upfront about their feelings, instead of wearing their hearts on their sleeves, they tend to favor ironic slogans and band logos. Lately, labeling someone as "emo" is something of a put-down, a stand-in for "overly emotional" or "melodramatic." The implication is that they are excessively moody and angsty, prone to crying jags and plagued by a love of bad poetry. Hot Topic even issued a patch that read, "cheer up, emo kid!" But for those who call themselves emo, the term means something more pure. At its core, emo is all about being upfront with your emotions. Or, as one "expert" defined it, "emo is like being Goth, but much less dark, much more Harry Potter."

Comments

[catelyn]

I think everyone of us has its own personality and just bcuz we're sad or lonely or we wear in a certain way and we cut or whatever doesnt mean anything. Its the way we are and if ppl dont like us and start putting stupid labels on us well FUCK them!!! who cares!! i think labels are really stupid and useless. emo is not about cutting or the way you dress..its about music. if u dont feel or understand the music than whats the point??!!! i hate ppl who call themselves emo just to be noticed by others. thats pretty stupid and lame. if u feel and like the music..fine whatever...but if u dont stop trying to be sm1 ur not!!!

[ashley]

i hate this term. labels are stupid. people are people. everyones an individual. we all like different things thats what makes the world so great. if everyone were the same it'd be boring. i think labels should just disappear let people be who they are and accept them for them

[xXmikiXx]

wow u guys r fighting over this i personaly lyk this article because it explains wat it really means to b emo right down to the tip and there also different types of emos lyk the genre of music and then ppl that do hurt themselfs by self mutilation are called emo too. i know what its lyk to b called emo im called that every day emo and goth which i hate the stereotype its horrible ppl take 1 look at me and they think i worship the devil i dont im wiccan not a satanist i think every1 should read this article soo that they can c wat an emo really is. thank you for making this article it really helped me feel lyk im not that stereotype.

[Ellen]

Just to make sure this is clarified, "emo" does NOT mean you cut. That is a stereotype that is really cruel and just stupid. Not all emos cut. And not all "normal people" DON'T cut!!!!!

[FoolForYou]

I cannot believe youre actually saying that someone can't have problems, or get depressed, or self-harm, simply because theyre' blonde.
Thats utterly ridiculous and you sound completely ignorant.

Like I said earlier, we're all emo. We all get emotional, we're all fricking humans.

[WDZ]

get over urselves guys emo doesnt exist in ppl form its a type of music ITSA STUPID STEREOTYPE like everythin else, we r who we r labels gets the world very fucked up that keeps the world divided so plz stop the labels plz

[Madeline]

that recent post was to bella btw

[madeline]

tht recent post was to bella btw

[to: Bella]

well, Ur an ass. And idc if i make you sick or not, and its true all people could have happy and sad lives. But "cutting" is what makes emo-emo and "suicidal" is too. I just find it mad annoying when cheery preppy blondes go around squealing their assy voices off saying how "emo" they are. THAT is obviously a wannabe, most blondes are happy, and emo blondes are pretty rare, in that occasion, they mujst be going through a lot. I dont give a shit, demi lovato thinks shes emo. Emo isnt just wearing black, thats goth. Emo is expressing ur feelings in music, cutting, dressing the way ur feelings are. So...emo wanna bes, get a life u posers.

[to: Bella]

well, Ur an ass. And idc if i make you sick or not, and its true all people could have happy and sad lives. But "cutting" is what makes emo-emo and "suicidal" is too. I just find it mad annoying when cheery preppy blondes go around squealing their assy voices off saying how "emo" they are. THAT is obviously a wannabe, most blondes are happy, and emo blondes are pretty rare, in that occasion, they mujst be going through a lot. I dont give a shit, demi lovato thinks shes emo. Emo isnt just wearing black, thats goth. Emo is expressing ur feelings in music, cutting, dressing the way ur feelings are. So...emo wanna bes, get a life u posers.

[Bella]

to;Madeline:
so ur saying a blond cant be raped?? no blondas have abusive parnts? ur saying all blonds live perfect lives andd have evrything they want" ha u must be dumb...cause any1 can have emotional issuses and EVERYONE knows sadness gawd ppl like u maake me sick

[Madeline]

Well, you little bitch, blondes cant be emos cause their usually preps with squeaky lil bchy lives, they have no sense of sadness whatsoever, and most blondes tht are "emo" are freakin wanna be's.

[Madeline]

Well, you little bitch, blondes cant be emos cause their usually preps with squeaky lil bchy lives, they have no sense of sadness whatsoever, and most blondes tht are "emo" are freakin wanna be's.

[goatie]

er who says blondes cant be emos. fucker.

[FoolForYou]

Emo.
We're all fucking emo when you really get down to it.
Because Im pretty sure each and every one of us gets emotional right? Some of us may express it very publicly, some may not. Doesnt mean they arent emotional.
We're all emos, so why the hate?

[Madeline]

1st off all, people who say they're emo aren't emo, blonds r NEVER emo people. Preppy emo-wannabe's aren't emo. I cut myself, so what? I make poetry about death, so what? I play my electric guitar all the way, who cares? I wear way too much black, i don't think people should judge people. Preps are preps, emos are emos. It doesnt MATTER! It's not like emo's are doing anything to you, sure preps are annoying as ever but still, they do not do anything to you.

[Madeline]

1st off all, people who say they're emo aren't emo, blonds r NEVER emo people. Preppy emo-wannabe's aren't emo. I cut myself, so what? I make poetry about death, so what? I play my electric guitar all the way, who cares? I wear way too much black, i don't think people should judge people. Preps are preps, emos are emos. It doesnt MATTER! It's not like emo's are doing anything to you, sure preps are annoying as ever but still, they do not do anything to you.

[Rachael:]]

To me, Emo is a type of music. Its not "who has bangs and converse trainers and black hair and skull motifs everywhere." Its just a genre of music and I think depression is a totally different thing. Those of the depressed nature just happen to like Emo music cause it reflects what happens in real life. Im Not emo, and have no intentions of turning emo, but I will say, some Emo music is quite good. Paramore, for example, dont celebrate the emo culture but they just produce good music.

[Cassie]

Im emo.its really no big deal. sure some of us are gay and sure some of us cut our selves but that is just normal for someone who fells unwanted among their peirs to react in this way. i used to cut cause i thought u had to to be emo but it it very dangerous. people please stop judging us.

[chloe]

i think EMO's are amazing they look legandery and are legandery i hate i like to call myself emo and i hate it wen people go to me go and cut yourself cause not all emos cut there selves.

[alex]

i dont have a problem with emos. i have friends who are. i think it just expresses them really good and i dont understand why people hate on them for but i understand why some people say like "wtf?"

[Sara]

there's a girl in our school(who's my BFF) that is being called "emo" just because of one stupid cut. her friend was once a cutter, but know probably regrets it. anyone called "emo" is just someone who probably has something going on in their life and want more attention so they feel better. i know that she isnt perfect, but shes really cool. i just feel so bad for her.

[SARAAAAAA]

Wow. i hate the term emo. i used to like, look up to real emo kids, now it's just watered-down crap that all the kids are doing. and i hate people that 'consider themselves emo' and like dress all emo, but then you try to have a conversation with them about like dashboard confessional or hawthorne heights, and they're just like "wait. who?" emo is music. emo style belongs to emo listeners. period.

[Roze]

omfg. i get called 'emo' all the time. cause yeah, i pierced my nose. have like both of my ears pierced like all the way. and the bottom are gauged. i wear the heavy black eyeliner. i'm pale. wear the skinny jeans. band tees. have a sidekick. addicted to music and teasing my hair. hah, and ex-cutter ((wtf?))

and i hate it when people call me emo. its like...wtf. dumbass.
but what i hate is when people call them selves emo. like...emo is a music genre. hah. so its obvious theyre posers when they call themselves emo. plain and simple.

also when people are like "i cut, i love music, -insert stupid sterotype here-" i hate them. cause they suck. p-o-s-e-r-s. i'm not trying to trash anyone. but like...when people say that, theyre trying to be called emo. :/

but yeah. jsut cause people like something or look a certain way...doesnt mean theyre emo.
jeezeee

so yeah....venting is over.

[DeeDee]

I dont see the problem with being an emo.When a person thinks emo they immediatly think oooh skinnies and a black top,black eyeliner and some really weird jewelery but its not it goes deeper then just that.I can dress normal like everyone and still be an emo.An emo is just a very emotional person that has alot of feelings.I think people get confused with emo and goth alot of the time.Emos ROCK

from emo in disguise.