How do you define Emo?

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.