What is "Emo"?

I hear people calling other people emo, or calling bands and crap emo, or a certain style of clothing emo. So what is it? I always thought it was just someone who was sad and distanced themself from others and in some cases inflicted harm upon themself. And according to some experts in "Scene" emo wasn't to describe kids, but it was a type of Emotional Music. Then why do they call kids in tight jeans, and hair covering the face, and all that crap emo?

What is "Emo"?

Emo is short for emotional, a genre of music. An emotional offshoot of punk rock. It started somewhere in Washington DC by bands such as Rites of Spring. In the mid 90's it made a revival with bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and the Get Up Kids and the Promise Ring. Jimmy Eat World and made that heartfelt poppy punk sound popular by breaking it into the mtv mainstream.

Today the genre is a heavily commercialized evolution of that with lots of screaming and or whining. Of course, with anything heavily commercialized, it has to have a brand name, image, and attire so it can be marketed somehow. Grunge had their flannel, punks had their spiked hair, emo has the dark pale tight thing going on. So there you go.

Stop trying to fit an image and just enjoy the damn music, folks!

What is "Emo"?

emo=emotional

What is "Emo"?

Emo is a sucky term for kids with a certain liking for loser music and have no sense of desire to achieve anything and are very disturbed EMOtionally.

What is "Emo"?

A group of white, mostly middle-class well-off kids who find imperfections in there 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.

What is "Emo"?

Emotional, almost like the goth thing just not as dramatic...I barely learned this last weekend. Usually have the black weird hair cuts and piercings.

What is "Emo"?

So pretty much all of you are wrong.

Emo - short for "emotional." Emo is a broad title that covers a lot of different styles of emotionally-charged punk rock.

People can not BE emo. Emo is a music genre. And that's it.

What is "Emo"?

People that dress in freaky looking clothes....