What is "emo"? I keep seeing this word and I don't know what it is?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

An 'Emotional' person.Stereotypically, they cut their wrists and wear all black and eyeliner.Basically, they're the new version of Goth.Hope this helps♥

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

thanks. I would never have guessed that.

Answer 2

No offense, but if you don't know what emo is yet, you are hopeless!

Answer 3

Emo (slang)
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Stereotypical emo fashion, portrayed in the style of common American signage; the words on the shirt are a parodic amalgamation of several band names.Emo is a somewhat ambiguous, controversial slang term most frequently used to describe a fashion or subculture which is usually defined to have its roots in punk fashion and subculture, as well as some attributes of gothic fashion and subculture.[1][2]

Contents [hide]
1 Music
2 Fashion
3 Personality
4 Criticism
5 Grammatical usage
6 References in popular culture
7 Footnotes and citations



Music
Main article: Emo (music)
The term emo originated in the 1980s to describe a genre of music stemming from the hardcore punk music scene in Washington, D.C. Early bands labeled emo (or sometimes emocore) in this scene included Rites of Spring, Embrace, and Fugazi.[2][3][4] The term emo as a music genre has become broader and broader with time, and now is loosely understood to mean "rock music with emotionally-based lyrics or effect," which could be used to describe a broadly and poorly defined group of nearly every popular (or unpopular) rock band. The term is so loosely defined because its definition is still the subject of debate.[1][2][3] Emo now often refers to a person's fashion, personality, or both, as well as the music genre.


Fashion
Emo fashion is usually defined to have roots in punk fashion as well as gothic fashion. By almost all current definitions, emo clothing is characterized by tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) often brushed to one side of the face, dyed black, straightened hair, tight t-shirts which often bear the names of rock bands, studded belts, belt buckles, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, skate shoes, or other black shoes - often old and beaten up - and thick, black-rimmed glasses.[1][2][5][6][7][8] Emo fashion has changed with time; early trends included haircuts similar to those worn by the Romulans and Vulcans in Star Trek, tightly fitting sweaters, button-down shirts, and work jackets (often called gas station jackets). This has fallen out of fashion nowadays.[5]


Typical male "emo hair": Long fringe (bangs) brushed over one eye with short (sometimes backcombed) hair in the back




Caricature of stereotypical emo fashion




Beaten up Chuck Taylor All-Stars typical of emo fashion




Gif animation of male emo hair, used in Instant messaging clients and as signatures in internet forums






Personality
When referring to a person's personality and attitude, most definitions of emo hold that an "emo person" is candid about their emotions, sensitive, shy, introverted, broken-hearted, glum, and often quiet.[6][9] Emo personality is also often connected with writing poetry, which addresses confusion, depression, loneliness, and anger, all resulting from the world's inability to understand the author. Emo poetry uses a combination of any of: a highly emotional tone, stream of consciousness writing, a simple (ABAB) or nonexistent rhyme scheme, references to the flesh, especially the heart, heavy use of dark or depressing adjectives, concern over the mutability of time and/or love, and disregard for punctuation, grammar, and/or spelling. Themes such as life is pain are common.[10]

Some definitions of emo hold that typical "emo persons" are likely to inflict self-injury, most often by means of cutting, burning, or otherwise mutilating themselves.[11] [9] Some assert that it is cool within the emo subculture to pretend to be suicidal and self-harm,[12] or that participants self-harm purely for personal enjoyment.[13]

Emos are also stereotyped to use depressing Internet screen names within straight edge X's, often using ironic sloganry, a poetic sense or cliché (eg. xmourningafterx).[8]


Criticism
In the years since emo music's rise in popularity, both emo music and emo subculture have attracted sometimes severe criticism.[13] The term emo itself is sometimes used pejoratively, to suggest that the target is "overly emotional."[6] Emo in general has been characterised as a fad which will be discarded and forgotten in the near future.[12] Emo music has also been compared to the teen pop of 1990s boy bands.[12][14] Critics cast the music as lacking any artistic merit, the fashion as "embarrassing" and members of the subculture as imagining or pretending that they lead harsh, painful lives when they actually live in comfortable, upper- to middle class homes.[12] Members of the emo subculture are portrayed by critics as melodramatic, self-pitying teenagers who pour their efforts into writing bad poetry and spending a great amount of time on MySpace.[13][12][15] The current emo subculture has been called a "sad caricature" of what it once was.[13] Critics have gone so far as to contend that the emo subculture or emo music are likely to cause youth to commit suicide.[11][12] The backlash against emo music and subculture has become so prevalent that it may itself have become a cliché: one commentator notes that "hating emo kids these days is as hackneyed as emo itself."[13][16]


Grammatical usage
The word emo can be used as either a noun or adjective.[6][9]

Adjective (1): All my friends are emo.
Adjective (2): I feel emo today.
Noun: That person is such an emo.


References in popular culture
New Marvel Comics superhero Trauma dresses in stereotypical emo fashion. This was addressed explicitly when his drill sergeant Gauntlet called him "emo-boy".[17]
Skype, an online communications application, comes standard with an "emo" emoticon with black hair and long fringe.[18]
In September of 2002, web developer Jason Oda created Emogame. The game pokes fun at numerous emo stereotypes and musicians.[19]
Hot Topic has issued a patch that reads "Cheer Up, Emo Kid!"[6]
Vans has issued a T-shirt bearing an image of emo fashion marked with a no symbol, captioned with "Don't Get Emo."[20]
Released in 2004, the short film How to Be: Emo is a satirical instructional film which teaches teenagers how to be emo. The film quickly became an internet phenomenon, earning cult status within weeks.[21]
Mad TV also screened a parody of the popular children's toy Tickle Me Elmo, advertising a product called "Tickle Me Emo" that utters stereotypical emo phrases.[22]

Source(s):

wikipedia

Answer 4

"emotional" its just another label to put on somebody. just ignore it.

Answer 5

Emo - Short for emotional. Someone who is depressed, usually dress in black, have hair over the face and are moody. The tend to cut and or burn themselves as some sort of 'solution' to their problems that take too seriously.

Answer 6

short for emotional

Answer 7

Emotional

Answer 8

Emo (emotional) is another label...black clothes, sliced wrists, crazy eyeliner, great music....The only people who call THEMSELVES emo are snobby little rich kids who think their lives are so bad...

Answer 9

i asked the same about 3hours ago. check out the answers i got as one of them explains in great detail

Answer 10

Try this link; www.urbandictionary.com

That should explain it a little, at least it'll be better than the first two lame answers.

Answer 11

those kids with their hair on their face, wearing black and singing that annoying song by my chemical romance

Answer 12

It means annoying person with a bad taste in music