Emo (pronounced /ˈiːmoʊ/) is a style of rock music which describes several independent variations of music with common stylistic roots. As such, use of the term has been the subject of much debate. In the mid-1980s, the term emo described a subgenre of hardcore punk which originated in the Washington, DC music scene. In later years, the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe the emotional performances of bands in the Washington DC scene and some of the offshoot regional scenes such as Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater, Gray Matter, Fire Party, and later, Moss Icon. (In more recent years, the term "emotive hardcore" entered the lexicon to describe the period.)
Starting in the mid-1990s, the term emo began to refer to 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 had a more indie rock style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic. 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 mainstream style. As a result, the term "emo" became a vaguely defined identifier rather than a specific genre of music.
Emotional-punk music has recently taken the United States by storm, emerging in the spotlight for perhaps the first time since its early-1990s inception and introduction to American youth culture. Given its recent popularity and anti-establishment roots, the future of emo music and the extensive subculture it has inspired is, at best, uncertain.
Emotional-punk music's history is highly debatable, both because bands that have been part of the "emo" movement shun the term and try to distance themselves and because there is no clear-cut beginning to or emergence of the movement itself.
Most emo-privy people mark the emergence of the genre as being in 1984, when the band Rites of Spring began playing in Washington, D.C. In a surprising deviation from standard punk music, the RoS lead singer produced heavily emotion-laden lyrics, dangerously exposing himself and his personal feelings in each song. There was no precedent for this sort of direct vulnerability, with the closest comparable exposure being country/western music, in which singers lamented about dying dogs and insufferable in-laws. However, emo made the pain even more personal, as the singers exposed not those around them but themselves through their heart-wrenching tales of woe. With the incorporation of Rites of Spring into the Washington, D.C. underground scene, emo became acceptable, and copycats followed. The next band to make a substantial impact through emo was Moss Icon, who combined Rites of Spring's lyrical heartbreak with traditional punk's energy, drawing new, excited audiences with its adopted intensity. As the music began to reach more and more people, the movement grew, and emotional-punk music began to spawn its own subculture in the early 1990s. By the late '90s, the American teen's appetite for hardcore had somewhat subsided, replaced by a craving for semi-commercialized punk pop. The emo movement turned away from its hardcore roots and began to incorporate twinkling guitar or piano riffs, and melodies became more heavily emphasized as the music moved away from its "screamo" past. The music during the 1990s became more mainstream than ever, and by the millenium arguably "emo" bands were garnering regular rotation on MTV and radio stations nationwide. Since emo emerged from the underground and came into the national spotlight, it has become more and more indistinguishable from its punk-pop counterpart, which is what has become of the original punk movement that spawned the emotional-punk subgenre. Modern pop is currently shying away from the boy bands and dance divas of the late '90s and early millenium, instead steadily moving toward more of a punk sound and overall culture. As these two (sub)genres overlap and reintegrate, a new underground will emerge as "hardcore" followers shun the commercialization of their movement.
I put this up as a chance to laugh at some of the sillier stuff emokids do in order to not look like all the Green Day/Rancid and Strife/Hatebreed clones out there.
Some pointers about emo fashions (above simple, universal hardcore attire)
the Emo Romulan look - short, thick, greasy, dyed-black hair with bangs cut straight across the forehead, and cut high over the ears. Someone from Time In Malta recently described to me the San Diego Crimson Curse scene as "Spock Rock."
actually, any greasy dyed black hair. Bangs in front and spikes in back is very emo too.
horn-rim glasses, or at least thick black frames.
bald head, furry face (boys only). Goes especially well with horn-rims.
heavy slacks, often too tight and short.
thin, too-small polyester button-ups in dark colors, or threadbare children's size t-shirts with random slogans. Button the collar if you got one.
clunky black shoes
scarves
gas station jackets. This has diffused a lot over the years though, it's no longer exclusive to emo kids. Nowadays, you may want to select a nice corduroy denim jacket.
also classic outerwear but quickly diffusing to normality: the famous Blue Peacoat
barrettes on boys
make-up (male or female)
too-small cardigans and v-neck sweaters
argyle
anorexic thinness. Veganism helps here.
Another essential bit of emo-formation, by Blake Butler: how to name your emo band.
some submissions I've received:
This is the kind of letter I like getting: "hi. like the fashion page, just one question. what is the correct emo tennis shoe? i must ask this question. for most kids its low top chuck taylors, or converse jack purcells...but some kids get away with some running shoes. thats an odd twist to things if you consider that running shoes are pretty tuff guy like. also common is the low top "old school" vans....but for the vegan kids....its just not possible. i would like to hear some insight in this. also...though i reside in PA now i'm especially an expert in OH fashion......as such i must report on the obvious trend of dark colored sweaters with strips across the chest, not to be mistaken with similar styles available at old navy....the sweaters come in darker colors and are thrift store finds exclusively, like the sports t-shirts with numbers on the back. gotta have those. sometimes you can keep your keys in a big ol' key ring (janitor style) like the spanakorzo guy, as opposed to the more obvious choice of a wallet with a chain. dark denim (remember to roll up those pants at least once, but not more than twice). hooded sweatshirt? try to make it a black zip up one, with a metal zipper please. though stars were big, very big...along with kid like graphics (like the kids playing with slot cars in the cap n' jazz record) in '96 or so...you still gotta' represent!"
XjenX wrote: "my emo fashions are pretty damn self-explanatory... so, here's a picture of me... try not to laug
Emo dress is characterized as distinctly non-fashionable, keeping with the movement's theme of showing little to no interest in all aspects of society. Emo individuals perceive themselves to be outcasts and dress accordingly so as to avoid any appearance of attempting conformity and falling short.
Girls tend to have short, dyed-black hair with the bangs cut straight across, usually done by the individual herself or by a friend, shunning the processed, rubber-stamped appearance of mainstream hairstyles. Jewelry, including facial and other body piercings, is quite common and is kept as natural as is possible -- wooden and hemp accessories are extremely popular, and are, again, often homemade. Clothes follow suit, ranging from thrift store finds to handsewn skirts and shirts, often comprised of multiple fabrics combined into one article of clothing. Vintage articles are trendy for members of the emo subculture, including 1970s-style shoes and jackets. Emo boys often sport shaggy locks, although for males less emphasis is placed on dying the hair black. Men tend to wear too-small t-shirts and baggy pants, often with a studded black belt. The same preference for thrift goods applies, and jewelry still tends to be all-natural and as tight as is possible. Girls and boys alike wear thick or horn-rimmed glasses and often carry backpacks or messenger bags littered with pins from assorted emo bands or bearing anti-establishment, pro-underground slogans. Emo dress tends to follow lines of nonconformity almost without exception, but individual styles may vary as long as they continue to emphasize secondhand goods or a general expression of indifference toward current fashion trends.
. So What Is Emo? Some Basic Truths About the Emerging Emo Sub-Culture First and foremost, Emo is a state of mind and distinct lifestyle choice which involves one or more of the following dimensions in varying degrees and proportions. Emo is a genre of music that's suffering character dilution and becoming harder to define Emo is fashion statement Emo is a form of identity that influences one's geopolitical views and belief system Emo "kids" are characteristically "hetero-flexible", "bi-sexual" and open to experimentation in their sexual dealings
Anti-Emo Sentiments Fueling the Ongoing Dabate Over What Emo Is & Isn't Much of the hostility directed at Emo comes from a strong contingent of hardcore punk purists who jealously maintain that Emo is nothing more than a sub-genre of punk music. They'd never admit to it, but that's because Emo represents a threat to their cherished lifestyle. They're afraid that emo is going to replace punk and it is this fear which fuels hostility against the emergine Emo sub-culture.
Some anti-emo sentiments that the Emo sub-culture has grown accustomed to hearing include: Emo is NOT a mindset Emo is NOT a philosophy Emo is NOT a fashion There is NO SUCH THING as Emo culture
It's Time to Face the Music They forget that punk started out the same way, and slowly evolved over time to encompass a diverse range of lifestyle suggestions in the areas of fashion, ideas and principals. When Will Emo Go Away? The themes underpinning the Emo revolution will never go away. They will always be prominant feature of mainstream youth culture. Emo, as a catch-all phrase, will eventually phase out and be replaced by a new word-of-the-day befitting the emotional character of the times. Latest Activity In the House of Emo function loadRSS_1252707() { force = ''; if (typeof(window['isWorkshop']) != "undefined") { force = '&force=true'; } new Ajax.Updater('rss_view_1252707', '/utility/module/rss_loader', {asynchronous: true, method: 'post', postBody: 'lens_id=1250383&lmi=1252707' + force + '&details=' + $('rss_details_1252707').innerHTML}); } function init1252707() { return loadRSS_1252707(true); } pageLoadActions.push(loadRSS_1252707); a%3A5%3A%7Bs%3A12%3A%22display_html%22%3Bs%3A3%3A%22off%22%3Bs%3A6%3A%22period%22%3Bs%3A5%3A%2286400%22%3Bs%3A11%3A%22rss_extract%22%3Bs%3A3%3A%22100%22%3Bs%3A11%3A%22rss_results%22%3Bs%3A1%3A%223%22%3Bs%3A7%3A%22rss_url%22%3Bs%3A36%3A%22http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2Femoscene%22%3B%7D Why Tower Records Closed It's Doors Forever New Guide to Emo, Out In Book Form Emo Porn Good Emo Websites House of Emo Everything you love and hate about emo on one site. What the Heck Is Emo Anyways? Considered the original work on emo, online. paHardcore Online Indie music community. Emo Girl Talk Weekly podcast featuring emergine emo bands. Emo Boy Comic Home page for the up-and-coming comic artist Stephen E Mond. Anatomy of An Emo Kid Chart A full color "Anatomy of An Emo Kid" style chart that Seventeen Magazine published. Emo History A well-written historical account of Emo. More Emo History In this slightly outdated article entitled "Emo (The Genre That Dare Not Speak It's Name)", function google_ad_request_done(google_ads) { document.write() var ad_code = ''; if (google_ads.length == 1) { ad_code += '' + google_ads[0].line1 + '
' + google_ads[0].line2 + ' ' + google_ads[0].line3 + '
' + google_ads[0].visible_url + '
'; ad_code += ''; ad_code += 'Ads by Google'; } if (google_ads.length == 2) { var number_of_ads = 2; for(var i = 0; i ' + google_ads[i].line1 + '
' + google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' + google_ads[i].line3 + '
' + google_ads[i].visible_url + '
'; if (i == number_of_ads-1) { ad_code += ''; ad_code += 'Ads by Google'; } } } document.write(ad_code); } google_ad_client = "ca-pub-9879162776784828"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '2'; google_skip = '2'; google_ad_type = "text"; google_targeting = "content"; google_ad_channel = "bottom_ad_unit"; google_hints = "anti emo,clothes,emo,emo clothes,emo fashion"; // --> Rock Rebel Clothing
Fashion with an edge, latest styles Free shipping all over the world
www.rock-rebel.com
Punk Emo Hair Styles
10 top Punk Emo Hair Styles sites Find Punk Emo Hair Styles sites
AllTheWebA-Z.com
EMO Hannover
Flagship metalworking show generates orders in the billions
The six-day EMO Hannover 2007 exhibition ended on Saturday to a shower of accolades. More exhibitors, more visitors, more international flair.
Visitors came to Hannover, Germany between the dates of 17 and 22 September to buy machines, place orders and find out about the latest developments in the world of metal-working.
EMO Hannover 2007 gave the international machine tool sector an enormous shot in the arm. More than half of all exhibitors were anticipating a positive influence on subsequent German and European sales.
The next EMO will take place from 5 to 10 October 2009 in Milan, Italy.