what is an emo ?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Emo is a subgenre of hardcore punk music. Since its inception, emo has come to describe several independent variations, linked loosely but with common ancestry. As such, use of the term has been the subject of much debate.

In its original incarnation, the term emo was used to describe the music of the mid-1980s Washington, DC scene and its associated bands. In later years, the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe the DC scene and some of the regional scenes that spawned from it. The term emo was derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and strongly emotional during performances. The most recognizable names of the period included Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater, Gray Matter, Fire Party, and, slightly later, Moss Icon. The first wave of emo began to fade after the breakups of most of the involved bands in the early 1990s.

Starting in the mid-1990s, the term emo began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influences of Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason put forth a more indie rock style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic in nature than its predecessor. The so-called "indie emo" scene survived until the late 1990s, as many of the bands either disbanded or shifted to mainstream styles.

As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the moniker emo within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, the term emo was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today's emo is even more vast, leaving the term "emo" as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music.

Answer 3

And for the record and Emo kid is not a Goth kid nor the other way around. Tell a Goth kid he's Emo and your *** is toast my friend.

Emo=Emotional Rock. AKA whinny music. Emo songs are usually a more popified version of Rock/Punk that the lyrics are about nothing more than a bunch of guys crying over how their girlfriend left them or life sucks.

Physically and Emo kid wears jeans that are so tight they may as well be stretch pants. Converse, t-shirts, sweatshirts with the hoods up (why I don't know), and that shaggy hair style with the band comb over in their face.

Emo kids are the new nerds. Nice guys and all, don't get me wrong, but to people outside of the outcasts, they are the kids that are most likely going to be beat up.

Answer 4

'Emo' is an abbreviation for 'emotional'.

They are sterotypically people of the younger generation. Characteristics include:

Music - Hawthorn Heights, Panic! at the Disco, etc.

Clothes/style: Black, thick eyeliner, fringe (sorta across one side of the face), skinny trousers, converse, horn-rimmed glasses, etc.

Hobbies: writing in diaries, writing poetry/songs that are 'deep' and 'emotional', self-harm is also associated with emos.

Other things associated with the emo 'cult' include: Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', a lack of dancing at concerts/gigs and Myspace.

'Emo's' like to think that they are 'non-conforming' and 'different' to everybody else, but I think this line from a song sums them up well: 'If you were non-conforming too then you'd be just like me'. I.E. They're trying so hard to break the norm, yet they are all the same.

Because of this, most people don't have time for them. They are usually self-obsessed (hence the self-harm when things don't go their way), deluded (hence poetry), and insecure.
But... they do have good taste in music, and some emo's are nice!

This is a fun mickey take of emos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2CigZ_1keA

Answer 5

Well emo actually means Emotional Rocker.
It isn't as easily defined as that thought. I am often described as emo because I wear some emo clothes and listen to rock music.
I don't really agree with those peope but I don't disagree as all "Emo" is, is another stereotypical label.
Most "Emo's" wear skinny jeans, have brushed up hair at the back, listen to rock music and are emotional. However, people have labelled emo's as depressed and say they slit their wrists. I disagree VERY strongly with this as it is so wrong to say someone hurts themself just to be emo. It makes the people with real problems just blend in with the label of "emo"
All emo's really are is usually quite happy people who dress the way they want to and listen to rock music
In other words "emo" is a stupid label that means absolutley nothing!!

Answer 6

emo started as meaning "emotional punkrock" in the 90's, before it became this mainstream, pop music. Well then that era came, and it started being used as slang, "being emo", which probably means being depressed or overly emotional, or adopting an "emo" dress. Some stereotypes of emo dress would be long hair combed over the face, hair dyed in streaks of a bright color, skinny jeans, hoodies with the hood over the head, Converse shoes, safety pins as accessories, lip-rings or dark thick eyeliner, just to name a few.

Answer 7

Supposedly its a fashion statement where someone is so "dark and misunderstood".
It's basically the most ridiculous way for kids to justify horrible taste in music and appareal. I don't get how cutting yourself comes into this. Chris Rock put it well. Crazy kids are crazy kids. They should not have any other definition.
The word should be banished.
It came off of actual real good music like the band "Far" (most of "emo" kids don't even know where the definition came from, just saw it on tv) who's music is more mellow and emotional. Compared to sistering lifestyles like hardcore (real hardcore like Bad Brains, CIV or Gang Green...not stupid crap like Hatebreed, or Avenged Sevenfold), and punk. Both hardcore and punk have fast paced music for the most part, usually talking about sins and vices of life, so this music was foreign, and emotional...Emo.
Years down the road MTV got ahold of it, kids saw immitations of it that MTV threw out there, picked up on it and made a joke of it. But they now take themselves seriously. Better yet is annoying kids judging them saying "LIKE OMGZ! THEY'RE JUST WEIRDYPOOS!!". People stereotyping them, having no clue as to the truth for it, are just as bad.
Its honestly horrible. Almost as bad as "goths". Kids claiming the dark realm because their moms took them to Hot Topic to pick out some sweet bondage pants to match their fish net shirts and mysteriously black nail polish!
P.S.
I'm not wrong. I've been around to the "scene" long enough to see it happen before my eyes.

Answer 8

I had this same question recently and actually researched it. EMO (short for Emotional). I believe it was in the 70's that it was attributed to the culture of rock bands and such. I find it to be a derrogatory term however people seem to take pride in being Emo's. When I here people referred to as EMO's though it doesn't sound like a compliment.
Click here to watch: (Not for children) (in my opinion)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGLv3IEL0VI&mode=related&search=

Answer 9

Basically, emo stands for emotional. it can also refer to the music called emo rock. it can be usrd to describe anything that can be associated to the adjective emotional. For example: She is so emo today because her boyfriend left her... lol

Answer 10

emo is a slang term used by teenagers describing fashion or music. a state of emo (meloncholy) its also describes music in 80's and the fans emotional state. that is where it the prefix was taken from (emo-emotional) teens observing the bands playing love ballads refering to 1st love . also in fashion and culture the dressing in the 90;s indy emo connect to punk rock purchsing clothing from second hand store looking vintage clothing colors beige.khaki colored. t-shirts smaller with punk culture patches on clothing and pins or also dark colors the goth scene. hair black, red or mulitcolored dark makeup. converse chuck taylors or vans are used. black wristband arm socks. also hairdo's long bangs brused over one eye with short hair in back. bands like chemical romance ..they are very quite but if u give a chance some are very nice and cool and very talented....dont let the silence scare u

Answer 11

An emo is an emotional person. They are pretty much goth. They wear all black and usually some band tshirt. They listen to alot of music and their hair is died black. They are usually not extremely friendly and they don't like cheerful things. They are quite scary to most people.