1 definition by Keely Bell
A softer genre of rock music that is marked by its excessively melancholy trappings. This extends to the heavily overwrought song lyrics, the persistence of the "Emo Kids" to appear brooding, mysterious and tortured, and the bands' very names.
"Emo Kids" are, to put it bluntly, constantly in the pursuit of the complete self-obliteration of any sort of perspective. Evident from the idolized paragons of emo culture(songs, that is) Emo kids dwell incessantly upon their emotions, usually of love, regret, heartbreak, and/or internal torment. To be frank, it seems that they simply cannot concentrate on anything other than themselves, while failing to realize that their dilemmas are not, in fact, very unique, and that everyone else in the world learns to deal with life...without forcing themselves to conform to some sickening subculture that only breeds self-imposed misery.
Which leads us into the next aspect of the emo lifestyle--the cult of emotional angst. Emo Kids are known to be cutters, which, sadly, has cheapened such a dangerous habit. Before, shall we say, the Emo Era, cutting was not flung around as "street cred," of sorts, it was (and still is, to those who truly suffer from it) a psychological problem that needed addressing. However, the emo culture has warped this harmful practice into something rather glamourous, a sort of rite of passage. This, along with many other rituals, are self-inflicted, for the most part--that is, Emo Kids brainswash themselves into believing they are deep, dark, and mysterious because they cut themselves/write, for the most part, amateurish poetry/take trite, black-and-white photographs to put on myspace/etc.
Emo Kids are nearly always teenagers, and though they do not like to admit, fill the stereotype of self-possessed adolescents to a tee. Frankly, Emo is a phase--a highly annoying one, but a phase nonetheless.
"Emo Kids" are, to put it bluntly, constantly in the pursuit of the complete self-obliteration of any sort of perspective. Evident from the idolized paragons of emo culture(songs, that is) Emo kids dwell incessantly upon their emotions, usually of love, regret, heartbreak, and/or internal torment. To be frank, it seems that they simply cannot concentrate on anything other than themselves, while failing to realize that their dilemmas are not, in fact, very unique, and that everyone else in the world learns to deal with life...without forcing themselves to conform to some sickening subculture that only breeds self-imposed misery.
Which leads us into the next aspect of the emo lifestyle--the cult of emotional angst. Emo Kids are known to be cutters, which, sadly, has cheapened such a dangerous habit. Before, shall we say, the Emo Era, cutting was not flung around as "street cred," of sorts, it was (and still is, to those who truly suffer from it) a psychological problem that needed addressing. However, the emo culture has warped this harmful practice into something rather glamourous, a sort of rite of passage. This, along with many other rituals, are self-inflicted, for the most part--that is, Emo Kids brainswash themselves into believing they are deep, dark, and mysterious because they cut themselves/write, for the most part, amateurish poetry/take trite, black-and-white photographs to put on myspace/etc.
Emo Kids are nearly always teenagers, and though they do not like to admit, fill the stereotype of self-possessed adolescents to a tee. Frankly, Emo is a phase--a highly annoying one, but a phase nonetheless.
Emo is marked by an highly aesthetic element as well--tight pants, band T-shirts, argyle, and black-rimmed glasses are commonplace.
by Keely Bell April 1, 2006