“... what on earth is an emo?”
I have a teen (NOT emo) and I asked him the same question. From my understanding, it stands for emotionally distraught/disturbed. They wear black because life sucks. They listen to emo music which is about how difficult life is and that it sucks. Essentially, they are teens that that choose this type of image since they don’t fit into the jock/brain/popular crowd. Lots of black make-up, dye for their hair, black clothing that represents a living death. (now... aren’t you glad you asked?!) Mom
So they are gloomy and depressed. I’d sooner meet them than folks who are forever in a towering rage.
I know, teens are difficult to pin down on their types and definitions for each other.
I'm still using words like "barf" and "gag me" shows you how far behind the "scene" I am and I only recently learned what a "skank" was, sheesh.
I was wearing black years before goth and emos existed. I’m wearing black jeans right now.
Makeup would have bought me a beating back in the 80s though.
“Emo” as practiced/defined is “Emotional” IE anything these wastes of life that can come up with to make them sadder, more distraught/suicidal etc is good. The further down the spiral they can get, the ‘happier’ (paradoxically) they are.
It came from a bastardized form of “Goth”. But where Goths generally just keep their cliques and don’t bother anyone, Emos have to drag you down with them. They are mostly bisexual (a ‘plus’ in their world) and if one isn’t, then they are not ‘Emo” enough and ridiculed, which (again paradoxically) they like.
Think of the ultimate masochist in the mental and sexual sense and you have ‘Emo’ in a nutshell...and that shell is nothing BUT nuts.
Why? With all the ritilan and antipsycotics given out like candy for the last 20 years, need one ask? Add in ‘modern hip’ single parent homes and no control over the kids and there you go.
And LOTS of peer pressure.
Just like Burqas.
Aquabats are the anti-emo.
I’m just thankful my sister isn’t an emo.
If I had possessed that attitude as a teenager my dad would have taken a belt to me and given me a valid reason to be distraught and disturbed.
I asked my 17 year old the same question, in typical fashion, his reply was “Emo’s, they are just whine-a-baby losersâ€.
Geez, and I just hung out with the potheads and listened to metal. A lot easier and a lot more fun.