What is emo?

[2fish]

an easy way of remembering it is emo want them self to die, goth want everyone else to die

You steal my thoughts ninja.

Goth = extroverted anger
Emo = introverted anger

Emo gets bad name because of the few that whine and get overly dramatic about their depressed lives. I try to judge each person by who they are not which group they associate themselves with.

OP good luck with your definition as there are many in this thread, I would mark emo as undefined

 

[BlumiereBleck]

It's just a stupid stereotype. Nothing more nothing less

 

[Kaptajn Emil Alfred Conan Swagga Benzon]

And I think that most emos live by the statement "Haters Gonna Hate".Seeing as most people I know dislike them for no good reason.

You mean like this? [http://www.hatersgoingtohate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/haters-gonna-hate-eagle.jpg]

OT, while I can't stand whiny emo kids who won't stop complaining for no reason nor the stupid fashion sense of all black and tight fitting clothing, I still can't stop thinking emo girls are kinda hot...

Yeah, I find that sexy for some reason.

Now, I've spend a lot of time near people most would call emos. They have infested the park in which I used to spend a lot of time drinking beer with punks, other metalheads and assorted tards of various kinds. Hell, I even socialized with the 'kiddies' (as the emo-like peeps are known in the mileau around me) quite a few times. It's not unusual for them to gather in packs of 30 or more on a good (or bad, depending on where you stand) day. And let me tell you this:

That picture is far cry from the norm. And even though there are some that look that good, they all are, without exceptions, obnoxious, attention-craving morons who act like kids around the age of 12. I don't wanna generalize, especially not when hating a particular group is in the vogue, but really, I shit you not.

Things might be different elsewhere, but the impression left by the many emo kids I've encountered is so.

And, well, the reason they look that good is that they use roughly the same amount of makeup as the popular dolls they claim to detest. And ***** about as much. For most of them it's just a way to appear more cool and interesting without the need for a strong personality.

Also, as a fan of DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal) and Funeral Doom (especially Nortt) I'm hella tired of the idea that depressiveness and misantrophy equals emoness. The basic difference is this: An emo claims to be depressive to gain attention, a true sorrowful misantrophe don't care if the rest of the world looks at them or not. Big difference. Musically speaking, the difference is illustrated rather well by comparing any of ye olde generic emo bands to a band like, say, Nortt. Try it - the difference is clear.
I'm not depressive myself, but depression can create some beautiful music, which I enjoy, and as such I am annoyed by the misunderstanding of the two terms.

I'm sharing a beer with this guy right now.. Just saying.

I agree 100% with Thirsk. I too have been socializing with 'emos' (not the same ones though), and i too must admit that I hate them with every bone of my body. I don't really want to go into too much detail, but I should let you know that they are nothing more than attention whores. A former friend of mine used to cut himself 'so the scars on the outside would match the ones on the inside, although he would never be able to tear his own heart out'.

That is basically why I am one of the proud founders of the Anti-Emo Army of Denmark.

- B

 

[Oh That Dude]

I don't think anyone can really pin down the word at this stage. Either way, judge people based on their own merits rather than because of what they wear. From a fashion point of view, I find some emo guys/girls hot. Not a look that works for everyone.

 

[MrFluffy-X]

moany pricks, who think its cool to be moany prick...but the chicks are usually hot

 

[Ham_authority95]

A style choice.

I know someone who dresses like a emo but is upbeat and perky.

If cracked.com is to be believed, that person is "scene", I suppose.

OT: Yeah, a style choice.

They only call it "emo" because of the stereotype that they're always sad.

 

[DoctorObviously]

I made the exact same thread exactly 20 days ago, have you checked out the search bar? I accidentally made a funny joke in there. xD http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.206286-What-defines-Emo?page=1

 

[Deleted]

The emo style involves dressing in dark clothes, almost like goth, but not in a menacing way at all. The common interpretation that emo stands for emotional is somewhat wrong, as they usually are not an overly emotional person. Eternal apathy and sadness seem to be the main traits, as well as how you look.

In my opinion (not like anyone asked), labeling yourself anything is pretty stupid. Except me, I'm a badass loner because I say so!

 

[Gralian]

Huh. Everyone claims members of the emo subculture to be emotional, but i've always thought it was very much the opposite. I thought that emo people tend to bottle everything up and don't share anything or any aspect of their feelings, and so people denounce them as being 'emo' simply because they refuse to speak to anyone, possibly due to a misconception 'no-one will understand them'. I thought the focus on the colour black, hair covering eyes and bleak overall appearance was all in an effort to convey this. A sort of blending into the background while being visually identifiable as a subculture. So basically, they appear introvert and obsessed with their own life and depressing and so on but they in reality have a lot of unexpressed emotion inside them somewhere; perhaps they're going through a rough time or having to deal with a lot of shit. No-one actually knows much about the emo's life behind the public image, and this perpetuates the public perception.

...Or they could be an example of the younger generation struggling with an identity crises. You'd have to ask a sociologist(?)

 

[Therumancer]

After looking around on a few forums I found that the term "emo" is interpreted in many different ways. So my question to you my fellow Escapists is, what do you think "emo" is?

"Emo" is a negative label applied to those who express angst. Through the 1990s the angst-ridden hero was at an all time high. Not just in terms of heroic fantasy, but also in romance movies, teen dramas, and so on. This lead to a lot of people emulating the stereotype for attention and to be cool. The quintessential "emo" being some nerd in school who decides to act all depressed and dark in hopes that other people will continually try and cheer him up.

The connotation attached to it originally is that someone is faking depression, upset over what are trivial things, or is a piece of human waste anyway so being depressed doesn't much matter (in the later case typically someone who has been socially ostracized to begin with, in comparison to the loner stereotype who is an outsider because he wants to be, not because he was pretty much rejected).

When applied to music and so on, "emo" is generally applied to artists and bands who sing about angst, sadness, despair, and other similar topics not because they feel it, or it fits their backround, but because that's where they perceive the money to be. A bunch of middle class white yuppies who sing about the futility and life or whatever are viewed as being an insult to artists who might actually have some genuine backround there.

The issue has become confused because like any term that becomes "cool" as a put down and makes it's way into common use, it's rapidly misused and that misuse leads to even further misuse until a lot of people aren't even entirely sure what it was supposed to be all about to begin with.

Looking back years ago to when the term first started to enter the mainstream you'll see what it was mocking first hand. Shirts with captions like "Cheer up Emo Kid" and stuff like that, which show pictures of your quintessential nerd dressed in a black trenchcoat or baggy shirt or whatever and trying to look dark and angsty but actually looking absolutly ridiculous. The image more or less shows what was being mocked. It's right up there with the less popular "fat kids with capes" joke which came from nerds trying to get into the whole goth or darker new age movements.

 

[Angryman101]

OP: Emo is a subgroup of the main goth culture, I think. Emo people are generally looking for attention, just like almost everyone else that dresses in that fashion, and I think that's why a lot of people don't like them. And the whiny, self-pitying attitude and poetry that is associated with them.

No. No, no, no. Emo is not a subset of goth and I wouldn't advise raising that with a goth because that's considered fighting talk. Seriously, I used to be int he goth scene and there are two killing insults for a goth; calling them a church-burner and calling them an emo. It's weird I guess, the goths I know have been called trannies and Marilyn Manson but emo sets them off. I think it's the difference in approach between the two cultures, emos reflect on death whereas goths embrace and depower death.

Emo is actually an offshoot of punk, specifically hardcore. It tends towards introspective lyrics. The reason emo catchs so much flak is that generally metalheads don't like to admit their feelings or wear their emotionality openly, emo looks 'weak' or even, God forbid, 'gay' next to other metal subsets.

The fans don't actually tend to be any more depressive than any other subgroup, they are quite similar to old school goths in dress and manner. Old school goths are distinct from the newer ones, liking synth music and softer music. Modern gothic subculture is informed by the influx of death and black metal from Europe. The stereotype about emos being depressive is the same as the ones about punks being nazis and metalheads being school-shooters. Emo is the current designated fair target for insults because the lyrics concentrate on guilt, regret and mortality and it's really easy to tie that to weakness, self-harm and submissiveness.

Basically emos just look depressive because all the other subcultures are so focussed on looking emotionless.

If you'd notice, I used the word 'mostly' and 'generally.' I know the examples I gave aren't the main stipulations to being an 'emo,' but they are what the majority of emos-poseurs, I would imagine-do and act like. Just like the punk, goth, and every other scene out there, most of the participants pervert the main tenants of the culture and dilute the meaning of it.
And I've heard that goths don't like to be compared to emos before, wasn't aware they were an offshoot of the punk culture, thanks for bringing that to light.

 

[master m99]

i think its just a personality trait not a particularly bad one imo , hell i think there no where near to as bad as chaves emos cause me no problems and i dont cause them problems (rembers saving emo form jumping into the road to kill himself a a party) ...ah...well that was a 1 off =P

 

[Aerodyamic]

Emo is musical and fashion lifestyle that I find kinda cool.
Now I am not emo myself.But I find emo girls to be hot,and the music is entertaining for the most part.

And I think that most emos live by the statement "Haters Gonna Hate".Seeing as most people I know dislike them for no good reason.

Hmmm... well, I can accept that you find emo girls hot, but how do you tell them apart from the emo BOYS?

 

[William Dickbringer]

I once spoke to someone in a chat room like application once.

Myself; Hello!

EmoFox1021; Hi...

Myself; Someone not feeling peppy?

EmoFox1021; I'm emo.

Myself; That's... neat. Have anything INTERESTING to talk about?

Okay, the conversation didn't go exactly like this, but no matter what subject we began talking about, it always seemed to end on how so-so was emo.

I've always considered people who claim to be "Emo" and say that they cut themselves is just trying to make others feel bad for them so they can hog lots and lots of attention. Emo is a style of music and clothing. People tried to convince themselves that they are hardcore of completely independent from anyone else, BUT THEY DEPEND ON OTHER PEOPLE'S PITY AND ATTENTION. Such hypocrites people can be sometimes.

If they say that they cut themselvess on a chat room I would have said then maybe you need to cut deeper
O.T. WHAT IS AN EMO!?! A MISERABLE PILE OF LIES!!!!

 

[Wolfboy0311]

Well the sterotype is that theyre depressed, angsty teens who cut themselves...
My gamtertag used to be Emokid0311. When i thought o this name, i dont know how or why i assumed people would think of me as a normal guy who wears skinny jeans and dyes his hair black. So one day, i got sick of the hate from other players saying that i need to kill myself or just hurry up and bleed to death. so i changed it , even though it cost me about 800 MS.

 

[Arawn.Chernobog]

The Emo "culture" was on off-shot of Punk culture, due a group of Rock fans believing the existing culture was far too violent and aggressive, they seeked new meaning to their songs and new artists arrived that seeked to create music based on emotional upheaval, the Emo scene remained largely unknown for many many years until recently (late 90's) a combination or "Hipster" youth who sought out an "old" style and Mass-Media hungry for the next "youth culture" to privatize and market... we got the "Emo" as we know it today... and it's terrible... I mean it started out as a wussy version of Punk, what did you expect?

 

[Arkhangelsk]

Stands for emotional hardcore, which is A)A form of music, and B)A form of fashion. Those who cut themselves are the stereotype of an emo, but not emo in what the term means. Personally, I find the fashion to be very sexy. The emo look is one of the hottest ones on women in my opinion.

And I think that most emos live by the statement "Haters Gonna Hate".Seeing as most people I know dislike them for no good reason.

You mean like this? [http://www.hatersgoingtohate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/haters-gonna-hate-eagle.jpg]

OT, while I can't stand whiny emo kids who won't stop complaining for no reason nor the stupid fashion sense of all black and tight fitting clothing, I still can't stop thinking emo girls are kinda hot...

Yeah, I find that sexy for some reason.

I'd hit that. (Sorry for the bluntness, but she's that hot)