How to be Emo:

To be emo scene is, in essence, to embody everything that a subculture offers, from emo music to the hair to the clothes to the emotions. Scene kids, as they’re called, are usually very involved with the music or emocore scene and are savvy about the local music in their area, being avid supporters of the indie bands, or local bands that haven’t been signed to a label. Scene Kids have wild emo haircuts, emo hairstyles, clothing and fashion style. Being a scene kid also means being into the types of culture that come with the music, like art, photography, tattoos, piercings, hairstyling, going to emo music shows to see emo bands, shows,being an emo scene kid, drawing emo cartoons etc.

Emo Scene kids often choose careers that reflect their musical interests, like running a venue or being a hairstylist or becoming a tattoo artist or working for a magazine. Graphic art is also a popular choice for scene kids, as it lets them vent their creativity in a constructive environment. Scenesters want to draw attention to themselves and their lifestyle, and are often outgoing and social, wanting to actively seek out and find others with the same likes and interests that belong to the emo culture.

Sometimes, however, the adverse reaction of being a scene kid is that some kids develop a mentality like they’re better than other people that aren’t as “scene” as they are - people that might be on the edge of the emo culture, or are just getting into the whole emo movement. They sometimes feel that because they’re wholly enmeshed in the local music scene and dress the part, that people wanting to get involved or that don’t follow the emo golden rules of dressing and music aren’t as good as they are.

Being scene also means different things to different scenesters. Some believe that the scene is purely about music only, and some feel that being scene encompasses both emo music, emo fashion and drawing emo cartoons. Some choose only to be scene because it helps garner attention for them that they might otherwise be lacking by not being part of a genre or culture. Whatever the reason, the whole scene seems to be splitting into little scene sub-groups based on the interests that divide them. No matter the reason a scenesters chooses to become part of the scene, everyone does it to find acceptance from peers that they might have not otherwise found.

Scene kids, on the whole, tend to care more about appearance than the actual emotions behind the culture of emo. They favor music more than emotion, and will more often than not be found in tshirt that showcases their favorite emo band, or emo clothing from an emo label, or a band’s label. Hair and clothes are still a big part of the scene, as like being emo, but a scene kid oftens has a lot more self-confidence in themselves, hence the tendency to sometimes feel superior to other non-emo-scenesters.

So now you now how to be emo. Style up your new Emo Hair

There are really two definitions for emo, and they both aptly apply to the culture. Emo is short for emotional, like over-excitable and prone to excessive displays of emotion. Emo can also mean emotional punk rock, which is a type of music that started in the mid 1980’s and is defined by thoughtful and emotional lyrics and sounds. Whereas emo started out being part of the hardcore punk scene in the 80’s, the 90’s shifted the meaning from hardcore to more indie rock, music that was more thought-provoking.

People that are considered emo usually tend toward depressed feelings or look at the darker side of things, or just react to people and situations with intense emotion, sometimes leaning towards the dramatic. Emo stereotypes often depict emos as cutting themselves, slitting their wrists, or crying endlessly, but that’s not always the case. Emo can also mean excessively happy or melancholy - any emotion that is displayed in an over-excited manner. Their clothing is usually eclectic or dark, and they tend to stick with other people of the same emo subculture - many fear that they’ll be rejected for how they act, dress, or look in general. Emo people sometimes feel lonely and this emotion prompts them towards music that reflects how they feel, and in turn reflects how they dress. When, in fact, they feel so alone, dressing as part of a certain culture helps draw them closer to people with the same feelings and interests.

Emo usually also reflects the underground culture of piercings, tattoos and different hair coloring. Facial piercings are especially popular, like lip and eyebrow, and tattoos on the upper arms or the back of the neck are really taking off, with themes like hearts or nautical-inspired images dominating. Hair can be all black, or black with different colored highlights, or just a different color altogether, like bright red or blue, although that style is more reflective on the whole for punk rock or goth, and not so much emo anymore.

Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook also offer emo layouts to help the user better reflect their emo lifestyle. Layouts usually feature broken hearts, hearts that have been ripped out of a chest cavity, emo characters that are in an embrace of kissing, characters that are crying, or emo characters that are captioned beneath a phrase that embodies the emo culture. Black roses or lace are also popular for themes, as are icon montages on emo themes that feature sneakers, tears, hearts, roses, gloves, piercings, tattoos, etc. Dark coloring, like red, dusty pink or black are often prevelant colors for these layouts.

Emo can be defined as rebellious, anti-social, cult-like or self-absorbed. There are many stereotypes associated with the culture, but not every emo is depressed and wishes to die; they don’t all self-mutilate for the express purpose of releasing their pain. Emo kids don’t all have tattoos and piercings, and they don’t all wear black. While there are many similarities all across the board for what makes someone look emo, emo is more than fashion - it’s also a lifestyle and primarily a music choice. Emo is defined by the bands that choose to write thoughtful, emotional lyrics and the thoughtful, emotional people that choose to listen to it. It’s an expression of how an individual feels and the acceptance that they want to garner by finding other people that share the same interests and taste in music. No one person can be pigeonholed into a label just by how they dress or the music they listen to, and emo culture is no different from the people that are trying to be defined as metal, punk or hardcore.

We’ve gone over hairstyles, music, scene and emo definitions, people that help promote the culture and how the emo genre is relating to real-life issues. In short, this should help start defining a culture that is based on non-descriptiveness.