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What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:59 pm
by jonesthecurl
Although now an inhabitant of NJ, I am a Brit.
I have recently encountered the term "Emo", and it conves nothing to me. Is it good, bad, lifestylish, music-faddish, or what?
I spent some time thinking it was something to do with that 90's stand-up comic Emo Phipps(?) which didnt help. :?

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:00 pm
by Anarkistsdream
Just google Emo...

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:00 pm
by borox0
Kinda like a goth only without Devil worship. Stands for an Emotional.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:02 pm
by Neoteny
Depends on the time frame. The current term differs from previous iterations. Wikipedia is also good.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:08 pm
by jonesthecurl
yeah, I did google it, but got various definitions, one apparently current. hey seeme to refer to music etc from ten or more years ago. The context I was lookng for is, what does it mean if a 6th-grader says it today?

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:10 pm
by jonesthecurl
Oh, and yes I did think that the word "goth" might be hanging arond in the definition somewhere...

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:22 pm
by Ditocoaf
Goth and the Internet had a love child that had some self-awareness issues. and it was called Emo.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:50 pm
by muy_thaiguy
Where's Sam when you need him.

HEY! SAM! Get over here so you can show this guy what an emo is!

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:57 pm
by jonesthecurl
BTW, it's late and my typing sucks...a previous post SHOULD say "none of them.." rather than "one of them" - i.e. the definitions didn't help.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:53 am
by sam_levi_11
im here!

basically it listening to rock music with emotional overtones and lyrics like my chemical romance/bullet for my valentine/lostprophets/30stm. The hair is a long straightened fringe normally over one eye(see me>>>).

Skinny black jeans, tight band tshirts and converse are all fairly common. Black eyeliner and nail stuff is also used alot.

people often think selfharm is involved but thats just stereotyping and stuff. its cos emos have a rep for being down and unhappy and stuff.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:06 am
by sam_levi_11
also if u want a true emo song check out juneau by Funeral For A Friend

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:26 am
by jonesthecurl
Ok thanks all, and thanks, sorta, for the disturbing other "emo" thread.
One more thing: is it something you'd call yourself? Or an insult applied from outside the group?
So, would an emo say "I'm an emo?"
Or would someone else say "They're just an emo" ?

As you've no doubt guessed by now, I'm an old fart and thus (it's part of the job description for "old fart") out of touch.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:42 am
by Nickbaldwin
It's part and part, some of the 'poser' or wannabe emos would shout from the rooftops that they're emo, but usually it is applied to someone, by a non-emo (usually in a degrading way), or by a fellow emo (in a praising way)

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:05 am
by sam_levi_11
yeahk, for instance, i wouldnt say im emo, other people say you are, my friends call me emo, and i call them emo, but u never say "i am emo". its nothing to be ashamed of and its fione to say "yeah whatever i dont care if im emo...." but u dont go round saying you are.

some posers however do, and its them that annoys everyone

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:21 am
by MeDeFe
This should clear things up further.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:28 am
by sam_levi_11
as pointed out that is the stereotype that people give emo's.

glad to have helped where noone else has

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:04 am
by Curmudgeonx
With the skinny black jeans/tight t-shirts, what do fat kids wear? Or is that a monstrosity that I do not want to contemplate?

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:21 am
by sam_levi_11
there arent many fat emo's, but they wear normal black jeans and baggy tops

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:45 am
by Neoteny
Where words fail, google delivers

Image

Image

I wouldn't call the second one emo, but I chuckled at the caption.

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:52 am
by JACKAZZTJM
sam_levi_11 wrote:im here!

basically it listening to rock music with emotional overtones and lyrics like my chemical romance/bullet for my valentine/lostprophets/30stm. The hair is a long straightened fringe normally over one eye(see me>>>).

Skinny black jeans, tight band tshirts and converse are all fairly common. Black eyeliner and nail stuff is also used alot.

people often think selfharm is involved but thats just stereotyping and stuff. its cos emos have a rep for being down and unhappy and stuff.


translation-extremely gay

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:12 pm
by sam_levi_11
^^^translation, a confused guy who doesnt know he likes......

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:45 pm
by reminisco
these highly informative illustrations should help.

here's what emo looked like when i was in college:

Image

here's what emo looks like now:

Image

and here's the subculture offshoot of current emo:

Image

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:50 pm
by sam_levi_11
exept both of them last two arent true...... :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:57 pm
by Neoteny
Image

Eh?

Re: What's "Emo" mean?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:03 pm
by gdeangel
Here's my attempt: Emo would be taking that part of a metal concert when they cut to a "deep" ballad track and everybody pulls out the lighters and take a collective spiritual moments... but its just that and nothing else. There's no follow up with blazing thrash metal... like somebody took the verses out of Lithium (the Nirvana song) and left out the thrash metal part. It's like grunge with a stylist and a rejection of actual self-destruction (just fantasizing about it).

I think a mosh pit would be distinctively un-EMO, but whatever... all that angst has to get released in some form of catharsis, right?