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i thought i’d give it a try…

what emo is and some history.
emo is short for emotive hardcore. it’s a diy music style (not a sh-tty fashion) that started in the 80’s. emo follows (but is not restricted to) the lines of hardcore. hardcore is a subgenre of punk, therefore, so is emo. the first emo band is often credited to rites of spring. they played with hardcore punk rock energy (as the members were previously involved with hardcore bands) and lots of emotion through their performance and with their audience. their lyrics seem to have important views about life and a sense of deepness.

“emo” as a term.
the term “emo” was generated as an insult to people in the hardcore scene that liked these bands. an emo band’s performance on stage (can include crying/moaning/etc. their lyrics and various other events) probably made them look “weaker” to the hardcore kids, which is (why i think) “emo” was directed as an insult.

what screamo is.
screamo has evolved from emo. this music style invloves more screaming and often has more melodic breakdowns. screamo is still emo, therefore follows its guidelines.

what emo is not.
emo is not short for emotional. emo is not a fashion. emo is not “xxxxxxxommmffgzzzz im lyke, so depressed!xxxxx!!!1!!111 im gonna slit my wristzzzzzzz…lol..xxxxxxx” emo was not mainstream (because it was diy). emo has nothing to do with being depressed, sh-tty metaphors, or suicide. emo is not whiney, bullsh-t music sung by p-b-scent males that haven’t dropped their b-lls yet.
real emo bands: rites of spring, embrace, moss icon, funeral dinner, gray matter, hot cross, off minor, indian summer, sleepytime trio, etc…

screamo bands: saetia, orchid, pg. 99, i would set myself on fire for you, love like…electrocution, angel hair, antioch arrow, majority rule, usurp synapse, love lost but not forgotten, etc…

record labels known to produce important emo bands: discord records, level-plane records, magic bullet records, ebullition records, etc…

not emo bands: taking back sunday, hawthorne heights, my chemical romance, dashboard confessional, from first to last, bright eyes, simple plan, the used, senses fail, etc…
-emo music: stands for ’emotive hardcore’ music and branched off from ‘hardcore music’ (a heavier faster version of punk). emo is characterized mostly by its vocals. the male singer often sounds femenine. there may be moans, screams (as opposed groans or roars), and simply singing in a very soft manner. lyrics also play role. these are mostly characterized by complaints or discussing stressful life situations.

-emo as slang or an insult: invented by opposers to the emotive hardcore style and music. more fundamental ‘hardcore kids’ wanted to distinguish themselves from the emotive hardcore genre or emotive hardcore listeners, so they attached an offensive nature to the term ’emo’ (which was short for the music) and invented the term ’emo kid.’

-later use: emo became -ssociated, as an insult, with introverts who had thick rimmed gl-sses, sh-ggy hair, old band shirts, depression, and self mutilation.

-today: people defined as emo today, are mostly part of the emotive hardcore scene. people who follow the popular emo fashion style (described below) may also be labeled emo, even though they do not enjoy the music or the scene.

-contemporary emo fashion style: both the males and females are characterized by having hair in their face (sometimes spikey in the back and/or with highlights), a lot of makeup, tight jeans, piercings (especially ones called ‘snakebites’), and more. female styles include: fake pearl necklaces or other ‘loud’ necklaces, bows or clips in the hair, ballet-flat shoes, very large sungl-sses, clothing with polkadot patterns, and more. male styles include wearing female clothing such as small shirts or jeans, painted nails, converse, and more.

-defensiveness: today, many people in the emo scene (where people gather to listen to emotive hardcore) and elsewhere are very offended by the term ’emo.’ they will claim to be ‘scene’ or ‘scenesters’ instead, or they will attempt to claim they are ‘simply individuals’ and do not follow any certain label or trend.

-emo in pop culture: the emo culture has become ubiquitous in every day life. this is mostly due to mysp-ce, where the music and the style are extremely popular and even often picked up by young children who have no idea the music or scene exists. its popularity is also due in part to mtv for popularizing bands that take most, if not all, of their fashion style and music style directly from the emo scene (such as fallout boy or mcr). and again, emo scene kids will get defensive about this fact and declare that those bands, or any band that becomes popular enough, either ‘sucks’ or are not true emo bands but instead ‘pop punk’, among other terms.
that is not what real emo is.

that band is real emo…

he is a real emo kid.