A lesson on “emo”
Let it be known that I am referring to emo as a style/trend and not the music genre derived from early hardcore punk.
Okay. As a 15 year old girl I was pretty much the epitome of an emo kid. Yeah, I know - so shocking… I had the fake emo glasses because I have perfect vision which at the time seemed like a curse. Rolled up jeans, striped socks, straight edge, poetry, vintage t-shirts and bad emo music. Eventually I faded out of that phase and got into bad screamo music, and then hardcore. Now, I listen to everything from new wave to grindcore. Mmkay, on to the “lesson”, which is why I made this entry.
1.) You do not call these kids “emos”. It doesn’t work since it’s not a noun. You wouldn’t say “those hots over there”, you would say “those hot kids over there”. Got it? So if you’re using it to refer to a person, it’s an adjective. As a genre, it’s a little different.
2.) Emo kids don’t listen to Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Green day, Hawthorne Heights or any other band that has sold-out shows in huge arenas. They would be offended if you even implied that they might like them. Emo kids listen to trendy underground bands (think myspace) as well as older emo bands like Rites Of Spring, Embrace, Saetia, Fugazi, etc. Don’t forget Bright Eyes.
3.) Emo kids like vintage shirts, pins, black hair and collecting vinyl. If someone has a ton of records, they’re either emo or a hippie. Obviously, there are exceptions.
4.) Emo kids usually won’t admit that they are emo. Due to the explosion of faux emo, they might prefer words like “indie” or “scene”. Used in a way like “I’m into indie music” or “I’m big into the scene”. Not just “I’m indie” or “I’m scene”. That would be considered “labeling”, and scene kids seem to believe they are above that. ‘Tis true - most scenesters are in fact just emo kids with eyeliner.
5.) Emo kids don’t cry all the time. I’m pretty sure this was some joke started by those tough-guy hardcore assholes who hate emo music. Yes, emo stands for “emotional”, but not emotional problems… emotional music.
I hope this cleared things up for those who weren’t aware. I’m just really tired of reading “i love emos” in blog entries and on profile sites, and please no one start in on me about “labels” because that’s just retarded. Everyone labels everyone. The sun is bright, church is boring and kids with star tattoos are emo.
thanks for clarifying. but emo as a subculture or a music genre, I still don’t like it. :\
- Arwen
Hey! You have been tagged! Check out my site for more info.
=]
- Diana
i hope you don’t think i’m an emo kid
i have black hair but that’s all lol T_T
- David
I was using your list has a check off for a friend of mine… yup def. emo child hehe,
- Lindsay
Whoa. I love that. You were so clear in your explanation!
Tomorrow, I’ll probably quoting from you to friends who keep calling me emo.
Haha, and probably also quoting you in my Society and Culture assessment on “Challenging Emo Stereotypes”.
good stuff!
- Ellie
HMMMM
ASHLEY…
THANKS FOR CLEARING THAT “EMO” CRAP UP FOR ME… I HAD ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT “THEY” WERE… AND NOW YOUR “BLACK AND WHITE” GUIDE LINES HAVE PUT ME STRAIGHT…
ARE YOU TRYING TO GET A PHD IN DEFINING TENDER-TEEN TRENDS AND DIPSHITS…?
YES.. WE LIKE TO LABLE THINGS…
THIS IS MY FATASS, IGNORANT WHITE MAN’S ATTITUDE… AND ALL KIDS WITH TATTOOS ARE GOING TO HELL…HA HA
BUT NOW I KNOW NOT TO YELL “HEY, YOU EMO!!! KILL YOURSELF!!!”… I WILL JUST QUIETLY SAY “EXCUSE ME, MISTER EMO PERSON, WOULD YOU PLEASE HURT YOURSELF FOR MY ENTERTAINMENT, OR AM I BEING A WEE BIT FORWARD WITH MY HOSTILE INSULTS???”
HA HA
YOU’RE TELLING ME HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH… AMERICANS THAT LIKE TO RECREATE THE VERY HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE..
HA HA
YOU FUN
ME FAT
LETS BOOGY
BRUCE
- BRUCE
Oh Bruce - always the badass.
Say what you will about America but everyone is obsessed with our films, our music, our culture. America likes to make shit up, yeah - you guys still haven’t gotten over that? Let’s all hate America! OMGZ! that is like SO cool!
- Ashley
ASHLEY
AND
AMERICA…
I LOVE YOU
AND I LOVE YOUR BALLS
HELL, YEAH!!!
I LIKE AMERICA, LIKE I LIKE GERMANY, JAPAN AND AFRICA… YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL!!!
AND I AM A KING WITH A DILDO!!!
YOU ARE SO INSECURE ABOUT AMERICA HATEMAIL… ITS OK KID… I WOULDNT CHANGE YOUR GOVERNMENT FOR THE WORLD…
AND I DO REALLY TRULY LIKE BUSH… HE HAS GUTS, AND A PERSONALITY UNLIKE SO MANY FAGS…
I’M THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO THE USA ONE DAY… COS I CAN!!!
AND THEN YOU CAN SLAP MY ASS, ASHLEY
YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO
EXCELLENT
- BRUCE
Here in NZ, Emo kids are hated with a passion. Personally, i have nothing against them, they do their own little thing… whatever. But i STILL LOVE that emo song by Adam and Andrew… it cracks me up….
- snez
That song is fn funny, there is a video on video.google.com for it. It basically attacks all the users on myspace
- Tabi
Well, can’t say I can affiliate with emo “people” in general, but down in my area, we don’t exactly associate “emo” as some kick-ass hard-rocking people or music. We kinda think of them as suicidal, angsty people, but I don’t really know. We don’t have a whole lot of emo kids down in our area, so it’s not a well-known topic for me.
- Franky
wow now i know more about emo kids!thanks….yeah about crying,people do think emo kids like to cry because of the word emotional~anyway you are asking about my name huh?haha…well its not a transalation or anything~my aunt list down a few names and my parents decide to name me that after i was born!why?you like it?LOL…anyway have a nice day!
- Raymond
Snez & Tabi - yeah tat video is funny. In a generic kind of way - I mean, I like how they’re making fun of all those wannabe emo kids that listen to fucking simple plan or whatever.But that isn’t what emo is…
Franky:
“We kinda think of them as suicidal, angsty people, but I don’t really know.”
^ That would be the reason I wrote this entry. Your thinking is wrong.
Bruce: Of course I’m insecure about people hating my country - EVERYONE hates me because I was born in America? What shit is that? I don’t control the rednecks in the south who vote for these fucktard presidents and i shouldn’t have to deal with all this anti-usa crap.
And we are special - we have the biggest porn industry in the world. How awesome is that?
- Ashley
So, I listen to simple plan. Does that make me an emo wannabe? Aha just kidding, I know what you mean!
Can I live in America with you? I could buy all the porn I ever wanted!
- Tabi
Sorry kid, but I’m going to keep saying emos. You may not say hotties, but you do say preps, punks, etc.
Emo kids are just another branch of the gothos. I’m serious, punks, gothic kids, emo people, skaters…really they’re all just really weird kids for the most part. & you’re wrong a lot of emo people are emotional…not all…but some.
- Nikki
Chile is full of “emo kids” (posers xD)
Thanks for the host ^^
- Dannie
Wow your explanation of an emo kid is really helpful… and truthful to some extent. I think some are emotional, just some not all. Well, later.
- Musme
you love my glasses biotch!
P.S.
I like FOB & The Smiths. What it is Hoe!
- Heathee!
Haha, if you told my friend this, she would say you’re retarded. She likes the ‘emo’ guys that wear girl pants, eyeliner, go to all the local shows…I guess that’s half emo, but she thinks all emo guys are hott. Oh well, Im not really friends with her anymore.
But ha, I really love your little blog, it was great.
- Tyler
Agh one more thing I forgot!
I LOVE your layout. FFTL = sexx. The End.
- Tyler
This entry officially rocks. Mind if I link it from my blog? Seriously, it made me laugh but also smile. FINALLY someone understands emo as something other than side-swept hair and MCR.
- Mis
so then what does it mean when the person who you call an “emo” agrees that they are an “emo”? i seriously don’t get these things…maybe i’m just too old to understand them yeah?
- Nimil
whatever.. real emo or ‘fake’ emo..they all suck anyway.
- sabriena
I like this entry. It’s nice to see someone with proper knowledge about emo. Personally I don’t know much but i like to read about it at fourfa.com - kewl site!! I think people are very small minded and labels these days have gotten way out of hand.
- Tuesday
I forgot…I’m adding you in my adored&dailies cos your just THAT uber!
- Tuesday
Well thanks a lot because seriously I had no clue.. lol.. everyone on the net is talking about emo this and emo that. I did know it stands for emotional! hah!
well yeah I guess Im not emo. ;) I dont even know their bands! never even heard of the names.
- Lotte
haha, no, either was I. I love the whole scene look, too. I’ve got the hair/go to local shows, haha, but I can never find a pair of girl pants that I like/can afford at that time. So, I’ll live with my pants, for now, hah.
- Tyler
Interesting definition of Emo. I tried to explain it to my mom once and we got nowhere. -_-;; Then again, she doesn’t know what myspace is either, so that doesn’t help.
- Oriana
HEY
ASSSLEE
THANKS… GOT MY COMMENTS BOX BACK UP AND RUNNING… SO FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A SMELLY POO…
BUT WE ALL KNOW YOU’RE REALLY JUST A “SOFT-CORE”
LIKE AN OLD WET PILLOW SOAKING IN A BATH FULL OF ANAL LUBE…
BUT YOU CAN TRY…
HAHA
BRUCE
- BRUCE
RE: your comment in my blog.
I’m actually in Hamilton, which is an hour and a half drive from Toronto.
- Mis
In reply to your comment…YAY SOMEONE LOVES ME *HUGS YOU*.
Go here http://photobucket.com/albums/y207/xcandyassx/me there are lots of gastly pictures there. xxx
- Tuesday
Haaaa emos. People crack me up with their new made up plural nouns lol. Your blog entry was cute, it made me laugh at certain parts. I wouldn’t consider myself emo or scene, I guess I just define myself outside the music I listen to. Maybe I’ll call it emotrendsceneindie and see if it catches on. :D I feel bad for those emo guys they definitely have a bad wrap for being “emotional.” it’s so stupid because I mean, who ISN’T emotional?
- Kelly
First off, whoever said “emos” is retarded lol that’s just bad grammar.
Second, not that I disagree with you, but I don’t think emo, or any other subculture for that matter can really be generalized into a list. I blame my thinking on the several culture-related classes I was forced to take lol. Also, I just don’t like labels in general.
I use the term ‘emo’ more to make fun of people. Not in like a cruel way but if someone writes a sappy poem or cries at a movie, I call them ‘emo’ in that joking sense.
As far as emo music, I still thinks those more popular bands are considered emo. They were underground at some point and it’s not like their genre changes once they’re famous unless they significantly change their sound.
I think ‘emo’ has really become undefinable, much like ‘punk’ cause everyone has their opinions.
Ok, that’s all lol.
- Jessica
i was just wondering what all this “emo kid” thing is about. like everybody like to refer to him/herself as “emo” but in the end it’s just a label. being alternative is not alternative anymore.
- J
I’m so late with replies lol…
I kinda figured this blog was more a joke kind of thing. And really, I’ve given up on labelling bands cause really no one ever seems to agree. I tend to refer to everything as some form of rock.
Oh, and I’ve been meaning to email you about renewing my domain, I gotta leave now but hopefully I’ll remember later.
- Jessica
just want to c if i get replies after a 5 mnth old converstion…
i do NOT fit the profile of emo-fake or other- but i do like the bands posted helpfully by ashlee and the bands stereotyped w/ emo ppl.
great stuff posted here!
by the way, found ur website off of tha-industry, u did an excellent job.
- GRAYfoxSURGEON
O yea, isnt that Bruce guy sooo funny!
- GRAYfoxSURGEON
lol, let me not get a star tat then
.
- Sheena
haha, oh my gracious, this is pretty sweet… Funny and amusing most definitely. ;)
Seriously, I think if a kid was a “real emo kid” then wouldn’t even label themselves scene’rs or indie’s. But that’s just my opinion. :P
I’m definitely going to link to this, too… That’s how I found out about it, so sorry if I’m commenting on an older post. :P
- Rachel
I love your site…and that is so true…
Everyone in my school is like ‘Ugh! Emoosss’
I think that all the time!
And i’m, ‘wtf!? thats not an emo kid! god, emo kids don’t slit the wrists all the time’.
- Meli
An excellent explaination, Ash ^^ I’m getting pretty tired of seeing them everywhere… And people must have got confused since I’ve been called emo myself, and I don’t black hair, pins, poetric shirts… All I like is stripes o.O Yet they called me emo
- Xan
BRUCE: How about you shut the fuck up and stop dissing my freaking host because you’re a fucking moron. You have no fucking idea what it means to live in the US. You have no fucking idea. So shut the FUCK UP ALREADY!
I laugh at your stupidity. Stop thinking you’re such a badass when you’re just a fucked up little bastard.
Yes. That’s right. I laugh at your stupidity.
Now. Go rot off in hell in where you really fucking belong.
Fucked up little bastard.
There Ashley, backup.
- Nate
lol @ Nate.
Thanks for backing me up so to speak, but Bruce is notorious for being a dick. I think he fell off the face of the earth though… haven’t heard from him in a while.
- Ashley
He’s an asshole.
You should delete the comments he left.
- Nate
incubus make yourself lyric…
Eye of incubus make yourself lyric…
- incubus make yourself lyric
Erm. Youre pretty funny.
Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) isnt Emo. Emo comes from Emocore, and you cant tell me, that Bright Eyes make Emocore -.-
Bright Eyes is normal Indie, emotional Indie, but not Emocore.
- Ela
im emo ^_^
i Hate Greenday ANd Hawthorne Heights With A Passion =]
- Jessicah
Ugh, I’m sorry, this is a really poorly written article.
First of all, this is extremely stereotypical. I was an emo is my younger teen years, yet I don’t fit in any of these stupid categories you’ve seemed to label on people classified as “emo’s.”
2) Choice of music? How do YOU know what emo kids like? Every emo is different, and likes different types of music. I sure as hell didn’t like this type of music, I listened to hardcore heavy metal during that time. Don’t state this like it’s fact, suggest the music they listen to.
3) Are you kidding me? Vintage? Black hair?
4) Oh right, like people actually go around saying “I’m indie and I’m scene.” You watch far too much TV.
I was expecting this article to actually talk about the meaning behind those labeled as “emo.” You’ve totally disregarded emo kids realistically. Do some research to form a valid point why don’t you?
Emo kids do things for a reason. They’re just like goths almost. Everyone starts labeling them by black clothes, loud music, and so on. But no one bothers to explain why they do what they do. Why do they wear black clothes? Black symbolizes rebellion, defiance from the norm, uniqueness, identity. Stereotypically it means darkness and death, which can be explained as well. It’s scary to people and that’s what they want, they want to be different.
Or what about their choice in music? Loud screaming is a way of releasing anger without screaming yourself, or worse, killing someone rather. You listen to someone who does that for you, and with nice music in the background.
Emo kids are much like the same way. Some do it for a reason, and others do it just to be trendy, but either way, there is a valid reason.
- Trisha
First of all, this is not a serious entry. This is supposed to be humorous and was written with those in mind who’ve been in the scene for many years and can laugh at and understand exactly what the fuck I’m talking about. You obviously don’t fall into that category.
However, while this entry was a joke, this does not mean my little “lessons” are bullshit. I will stand by them, because they are backed up by facts pulled right from musical history and my own experience being surrounded by the emo and indie culture. I’m not saying that these few “lessons” define the entire “emo experience” but it’s a decent start.
Also, readers must keep in mind that I am 20 years old and my ideas of emo are going to differ greatly from a 15 year old’s ideas of emo. I was into emo music/culture between 2001-2003 when making fun of emo kids was more light-hearted and not the mainstream blood bath it is today.
- Ashley
Thanks for clarifying that for me. Emo is used everywhere nowadays, so it’s hard to tell what is really emo and what’s just fake. Especially on number 5. I thought emo was short for emotional, which could be like a personality trait. Guess not.
- Merinn
are you joking? are you like the commissoner of emo? did you write the rules?
seriously was an entire blog post worth this?
- chloe
Hey Ash umm, thanks for clearing that up but I still don’t approve of the “emo scene”… Why would ANYONE want to be like that but umm I guess it’s just a way of life, am I right? Yes. I have emo kids at my school and there like 5 different things…emo, goth, scene, gay and like everything else which I find rather impossible to be….anyway thankx.
- Kco
Haha I agree with this.
I really loathe it when a person says “emos” instead of “emo kids”.
- Sharon
i’m glad the uninsightful comments on this cynical posting have stopped.
it’s hilarious that 16 year olds feel the need to correct you when their perception of emo has been based merely off of commercialized misrepresentations of an old fad. it appears that the correct stereotypes are stereotypically attacked by the disenlightened.
- justin
- Ashy
I must say, your articles amuse me and I couldn’t stop laughing at your “How to be scene” article. Nicely done.
- Polly
Honestly, ‘emo’ is just a bunch of bullshit. Not ‘emo’ music, or people who consider themselves ‘emo’, just the term ‘emo’ in general. It’s come to mean so very many different things that it just doesn’t mean shit at all anymore.
But that’s just my opinion.
- Kay
hi, Look at the photos of my new emo hairstyle
at http://xrl.us/ouog2
- emoboy