What is emo?

[Indy]

Just out of interest, what is it? I hear the word bandied about all over the place, and I know it's something to do with diehard music fans who dress in a particular way, but what exactly is it? And are emo people generally frowned upon? Not that I will ever be one, especially not if it's what I think it is (ie suicidal hardcore music fans who wear tight black jeans and green and black stripey tops), but I'm just intrigued.

[Reverend Rockwell]

Emo is short for emotional. They liked bad music that thinks it's good. Usually mono-chord songs about how their girlfriend and/or boyfriend dumped them and how they long for them now that they're gone. It's a varation of the early '90s "shoe-gazer" scene.

[poodledook]

It's short for emocore. It's sceney kids with horizontal striped shirts, low worn pants with studded belts, Converse shoes, straightened poorly dyed black hair, they're all bisexual, they all write poems, and they all listen to Fall Out Boy.

Emo used to be geeky kids with thick glasses, and sweater vests listening to Funeral For a Friend and Finch. But that's hardcore, or something now. It all sucks.

[Sgt. Sheck]

Emo is a music known for its melodramatic lyrics, whiny vocals, and tunes that "sound sad," basically the opposite of snappy, catchy music.

Emo is looked down upon because it's essentially pessimistic, life-hating music.

It's also a culture where hating life is "2 kewl." It's a culture where pretty white kids with no real problems in life decided they wanted everyone to feel sorry for them. It's a bunch of kids who cut their wrists but make sure not to kill themselves and are popular for that.

Emo is also characterized by 20-30 year old guys whining like 14-year-olds about breakups as if they're the only ones to ever be broken up with in the world.

[Maniac]

"Emo" originally stood for "emotional hardcore". There's no real definition to how it has to sound or anything, but everyone makes their own labels for it anyway. Emo kids are generally thought to be skinny, depressed kids with thick framed glasses, tight pants, and black shirts with knives stabbing hearts on them.

[Indy]

Yeah pretty much what I thought, the kind of people I have extremely little respect for. Oh well, at least I'm in the know now.

[Xfiles]

I can listen to some of it, much like every kind of music. but yeah, the actual emo kids who have the whole depressing ass look are fucking morons.

Isn't emo kind of yesterdays news though?

[Indy]

Yeah probably, I was just out of the loop 'cos I wasn't really sure what it meant.

[Sgt. Sheck]

Not really. Emo is a current crisis.

[Xfiles]

Well I hate all musicians. Scum of the earth.

[Sgt. Sheck]

Me too. I'm not only a self-hating Jew but a self-hating musician.