What is Emo?
I hear this word alot but am not sure what it is.
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
45 Answers
Urban Dictionary is just the place for this. Emo
The word has TOO man meanings for one to write here. Go look it up as it depends on the context you read/heard it in.
Emo basically means overly emotional. Dramatic. But it goes with a certain lifestyle (dress, culture, attitude), that to me, is similar to “Goth”. For some it’s a compliment, for others it’s an insult (or so i’ve been told).
@RedPowerLady I actually think ‘Emo’ comes from the word ‘Emotive’ (not emotional) as used in the genre ‘Emotive Punk’ originally used to describe the likes of Jimmy Eat World. I have no citations for that though. The whole subculture thing was pegged with that label because it was the kind of music they were centered around.
@benseven Yes you are right that is where it comes from. Just not exactly how it is typically used. Emotive does mean “expression of emotion” so essentially a synonym for emotional.
However it is most commonly used today in the way I described above. I work with teens and have had “emo” described to many several times. I am sure you are technically correct I am simply given the more commonly used definition.
It’s like Goth but for pussies.
For mainstream media, this seemed to be a pretty decent article. Bands that were labeled ‘emo’ in the mid-80’s and mid-90’s are very different from today’s ‘emo’. My guess is that the unifying thread between 80’s and 90’s would be Fugazi, and the thread between 90’s and 00’s would be Jimmy Eat World.
I encourage people to try out 80’s emo on Pandora. Last time I checked it seemed many of the 90’s emo bands that got a measure of critical respect were AWOL from Pandora, though.
Response moderated
I always hear it’s just a type of music. But I’m most likely wrong
It’s a music genre that arose starting in the late 1980’s out of the DIY punk scene in DC. The sound itself can be categorized as “post-hardcore” and was originally hardcore music with emotional lyrics (as opposed to say….political lyrics). In recent years the genre itself has been misconstrued to now include pop punk and acoustic bands with particularly “emotional” lyrics as well as to be associated with a particular style of dress, etc. Most of the bands that are today classified as “emo” would never classify themselves as such and the majority also do not fit the “post-hardcore” genre description either, but the label has been taken into mainstream society to mean any genre (or person, see: teenager) that is particularly emotional, dark, brooding, angsty, etc. Really it was a great music genre back in the early days of the genre when it was still about hardcore music and bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, that was rudely hijacked and changed.
I would recommend reading Nothing Feels Good by Andy Greenwald if you are genuinely curious about the history and the progression of bands. Somewhere around early 2000 the sound really took a turn for the worse and no longer counted as “emo” but as “pop punk”, but that’s a whole other discussion.
@hungryhungryhortence Hahaha! Among my friends, the running joke was that emo kids were just goth kids that cried more.
My favorite quote about the difference between goths and emo’s.
Goths want vampires to bite them and drink their blood. Emos just want to bleed
Not to spoil the joyousness of the patter in this thread, but the correlation between any teenage subculture and self-harm is not really that funny.
@benseven it’s also not a correlation. Many studies have been done and found that listening to a certain genre of music does not increase the likelihood that a teenager will harm themselves. The lyrics to certain songs have created that correlation to people, but in reality I know many people that listen to tons of “emo” music yet don’t “look the part”, aren’t depressed and don’t self harm.
However, teenagers and self harm is never a funny matter.
I am not sure what studies you are refering to, but if someone listens to music, the lyrics become like a mantra. If all you sing is “Kill the cops, slap the bitches”, you will be more comfortable with doing such things if presented with a situation. Emo songs about depression and suicide should be a concern.
I sometimes think that my generation did well because a lot of our music was about peace and love.
@filmfann that is true, but it doesn’t mean that all kids who listen to “emo” music are going to think it’s okay to hurt themselves. There have been a few extreme cases, but in the majority it’s not the case. I don’t think any music should be giving off a negative message, but since some songs in every genre are, all I can say is that I believe that most people who listen to these songs know better than to let the music control their thoughts.
@adreamofautumn – To quote myself, “the correlation between any teenage subculture and self-harm is not really that funny.” I didn’t draw any conclusion as to Emo / Metal / Any subculture as a correlation, but it’s telling enough that if the public at large are able to identify a sterotype that includes it – usually an indicator that it’s an occuring (if not widely) phenomena within a group.
imho Jimmy Eat World is not emo. AFI and My Chemical Romance would more be classed as emo.
@shrubbery – Jimmy eat world were one of the bands the phrase was coined around (Emotive Punk), if I understand correctly. So it’s mis-applied to MCR and AFI etc…
Ohh. Sorry. I understand now that I’ve read that article. My bad. Well I guess it’s changed since then.
“Emo” is:
-A group of white, mostly middle-class well-off kids who find imperfections in their life and create a ridiculous, depressing melodrama around each one. They often take anti-depressants, even though the majority don’t need them. They need to wake up and deal with life like everyone else instead of wallowing in their imaginary quagmire of torment.
“I wish my lawn was emo so the grass would cut itself”
@shrubbery afi and My Chemical Romance have the right post-hardcore tendencies, but in my opinion they are mostly pop punk with somewhat emotional lyrics. In reality “emo” died a long time ago.
Bright eyes would be a good example of an emo music. It just so happens to also be a good example of crappy music.
@uberbatman bright eyes is NOT a good example of emo music. As I said above…“emo” is defined by it’s hardcore sound. Bright Eyes is most DEFINITELY not hardcore.
@adreamofautumn bright eyes is about as emo as it gets. Not all emo music is hardcore
Btw, Last.fm seems to disagree with you as well.
@uberbatman okay i’ll give in to the fact that modern “emo” as it’s known today is classified by the likes of Bright Eyes, etc. But that’s purely because Vagrant Records and Drive Thru Records bastardized the genre! ;). I mean I listen to todays “emo” as well and it’s fine, but it’s a far cry from Mineral, Sunny Day Real Estate, Rites of Spring, etc. However, in modern context, everything post Jimmy Eat World and Saves the Day is “emo” now. don’t get me wrong, I love Jimmy Eat World, it’s just a sad evolution for a genre that was much better only a decade and a half ago.
emo started taking over when i was in high school. personally i think the lifestyle is ridiculous. guys who wear makeup and their sisters pants who write poetry about how much the world is devoid of beauty and how their souls are spiraling black abysses. its teenage angst taken to an extreme. it was rather annoying and really frustrating to deal with. i’m sorry but i grew up in a rough and tumble environment with lots of males in my family. i’m used to strong men who dont cry about everything and aren’t all about their feelings. its hard for me to take anyone seriously who participates in that culture because i have little respect for guys who act like that. i’m being over harsh but like i said it was very disappoiting to watch the first wave of “emo” to sweep over my school and watch some friends fall into that way of being. frustrating. dont know if that answered your question or not…
For all our lovely emos… enjoy
@bright_eyes00 men should not be expected to “act tough” and not cry and not have feelings just because they are men. Those are just gender norms that are really damaging to everyone.
@adreamofautumn i’m not saying ALL men should be that way. i just grew up with those kind of men. i cant handle guys who need loads of emotional support. i dated a guy like that and it was taxing. i had a friend like that in high school and it made it hard on both of us because i couldn’t handle him crying all the time. i’m not saying men dont cry or dont have feelings. i’m just used to men who dont cry all the freakin time or who have to let their feelings out by dressing all in black and doing their hair like they did it in the dark. i’m sorry but “real men” dont wear makeup or woman’s clothing, little boys do.
if you read what i originally wrote you will see that i said “i’m used to strong men who dont cry about everything and aren’t all about their feelings.” i never said anything about not having feelings or never crying. if you’re going to rebutt, dont put words in peoples mouths.
@uberbatman and @adreamofautumn you mention “bright eyes” is that a band? never heard of them…
and for music classified as emo i always thought it was just music where the lead singer is kind of whiny, like My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessinal and Fallout Boy…depending on the era of hardcore i guess….Gallows reminds me of Fallout Boy…sort of…in a weird way…
i’m pretty surprised/disappointed in the middle school mentality exhibited in some most of these answers.
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
