OK, first of all... Emo is not Dashboard Confessional or "Death Cab" or Fall Out Boy. Advertisers have for some reason decided to use the term "emo" to describe these bubble-gum punk bands for a reason beyond me. O, if only Wenis had caught on instead....
Anyways
Emo has its roots in the vibrant punk scene of 1980s Washington DC. I'll try to sum this all up as best I can (Im no expert). After the breakup of the hardcore band Minor Threat, the now-legends of the DC scene (Ian MacKaye, Guy Piccioto, etc) decided that the type of music they had been playing had lost its originality and basically worn itself out... So in come the bands Rites of Spring and Embrace. They took the classic DC hardcore sound and added lyrics that conveyed deeper emotions. I'm sure it would sound like noise to most people who hear it for the first time, but I love it. In an interview at the time, Ian MacKaye (Now in Embrace) mentioned that fans had started to use the word "emo" to describe themselves as a group (Alas for cliques and exclusion). Then the term stuck, and was added to similar bands such as Moss Icon, Antioch, and then later Saetia, Current, Indian Summer, and the list goes on. By the early 90s, bands began to take the influences of this "emo" sound and combine it with more melodic pop-punk influences, and now we have Texas Is The Reason, pg. 99, CaPn Jazz, and later the promise ring and jimmy eats world (sort of). The term emo still stuck, even though some people tried to distinguish between the "driving, or melodic emo" of the current time, and the "emocore" of the 80s, most people didnt care. Bands like Jimmy Eat World began to get mainstream recognition in the late 90s, and although they changed their sound substansially, and sounded almost nothing like the Emo of over 10 years ago, the term "emo" was still in use (goddamit, its persistent). Teen People even called emo "the cutest new trend in music" in an article in 1998. Now, this is a HUGE difference from the "Emo" of the early years, which was underground, rough, and raw. But what can you do? And then in the past few years bands have capitalized on Jimmy Eat World type bands new poppy sound, and MTV and all the other "hip" advertisers decided to call them all emo... So here we are with the current "emo trend, which Im sure all of you already know more than enough about.
Anyways
Emo has its roots in the vibrant punk scene of 1980s Washington DC. I'll try to sum this all up as best I can (Im no expert). After the breakup of the hardcore band Minor Threat, the now-legends of the DC scene (Ian MacKaye, Guy Piccioto, etc) decided that the type of music they had been playing had lost its originality and basically worn itself out... So in come the bands Rites of Spring and Embrace. They took the classic DC hardcore sound and added lyrics that conveyed deeper emotions. I'm sure it would sound like noise to most people who hear it for the first time, but I love it. In an interview at the time, Ian MacKaye (Now in Embrace) mentioned that fans had started to use the word "emo" to describe themselves as a group (Alas for cliques and exclusion). Then the term stuck, and was added to similar bands such as Moss Icon, Antioch, and then later Saetia, Current, Indian Summer, and the list goes on. By the early 90s, bands began to take the influences of this "emo" sound and combine it with more melodic pop-punk influences, and now we have Texas Is The Reason, pg. 99, CaPn Jazz, and later the promise ring and jimmy eats world (sort of). The term emo still stuck, even though some people tried to distinguish between the "driving, or melodic emo" of the current time, and the "emocore" of the 80s, most people didnt care. Bands like Jimmy Eat World began to get mainstream recognition in the late 90s, and although they changed their sound substansially, and sounded almost nothing like the Emo of over 10 years ago, the term "emo" was still in use (goddamit, its persistent). Teen People even called emo "the cutest new trend in music" in an article in 1998. Now, this is a HUGE difference from the "Emo" of the early years, which was underground, rough, and raw. But what can you do? And then in the past few years bands have capitalized on Jimmy Eat World type bands new poppy sound, and MTV and all the other "hip" advertisers decided to call them all emo... So here we are with the current "emo trend, which Im sure all of you already know more than enough about.
by JohnnyQQQ July 25, 2008
Get the emomug. A person who usually acts depressed, dresses in very tight clothing (i.e, if male retro Vans skate shoes and sometimes womens jeans), listens to indie music, and in quite a few cases has life very good and just looks for something to be depressed about, but usually has no reason to be (or usually just act) depressed. They also usually have hair over one side of their face (see "AFI").
by Andres aKa El Rey August 4, 2007
Get the emomug. emos are a homosexual, self-destructive group that will soon die out due to their obsession with suicide.
by Nik-Naks October 13, 2008
Get the emomug. kids pretend life sucks but in reality all is good. its just an exuse to steal trends from punks, metal heads, and goths. and also most of them are bi.
by blackmetal666 January 28, 2009
Get the emomug. They follow trends.
A dead cat, girl's clothes, makeup, over-emotional is what they think is unique. But what us normal people call pathetic.
They make a big thing of nothing when they are "lonely" and an overwhelming tendancy to like the same sex, and wonder why they get turned down and get "hurt".
Thus, they are sheep.
A dead cat, girl's clothes, makeup, over-emotional is what they think is unique. But what us normal people call pathetic.
They make a big thing of nothing when they are "lonely" and an overwhelming tendancy to like the same sex, and wonder why they get turned down and get "hurt".
Thus, they are sheep.
by The1AndOnlyMike January 3, 2008
Get the emomug. sad. depressing people. who always think that their life sucks. and they want to commite suicide because of the mean people. and cry about very little things.
by Sierrrrraa June 11, 2007
Get the emomug. Emo is a music sub-genre within rock that has been reduced to an over-populated fashion statement of a lack of identity and want of more meaning to a pathetic life.
Contrary to popular emo-lover belief, emo did not start in the late eighties with the band Rites of Spring. It stands for “emotive punk” or “emotional punk” (note; emotive and emotional mean the same thing), the true founders actually being Sunny Day Realestate and the like.
These bands were punk, but slowed their riffs and added some ‘meaningful’ lyrics, and actually tried to sing. If you listen to modern ‘emo’ it is more like fast riffs, lots of cymbal and lyrics drenched in gothic and depressing lyrics, popular spark words include; blood, heart, broken, my, I, you, love, pain, revenge, etc.
Emo did not start with depressed angsty teens living in suburbia, it was just punk guys that had a sensitive side, they wore t-shirts and blue denim like the average guy, much like a diluted of version of grunge. This was early nineties and the hard riffs and fast drums were actually degenerative bands of hardcore, an entirely different genre starting in late eighties mainly through Refused and associates in Europe, as well as Rites of Spring which were a lot more 'rocky' than original emo.
Nowadays there are no ‘true’ emo bands.
Another thing, about the fashion statement emo's or even emo bands; they usually deny that they are emo. If they do accept that they're emo (mainly emo bands) their lyrics will be terribly ironic, such as the famous line below by Taking Back Sunday - who aren't emo. More hardcore or even punk rock.
Contrary to popular emo-lover belief, emo did not start in the late eighties with the band Rites of Spring. It stands for “emotive punk” or “emotional punk” (note; emotive and emotional mean the same thing), the true founders actually being Sunny Day Realestate and the like.
These bands were punk, but slowed their riffs and added some ‘meaningful’ lyrics, and actually tried to sing. If you listen to modern ‘emo’ it is more like fast riffs, lots of cymbal and lyrics drenched in gothic and depressing lyrics, popular spark words include; blood, heart, broken, my, I, you, love, pain, revenge, etc.
Emo did not start with depressed angsty teens living in suburbia, it was just punk guys that had a sensitive side, they wore t-shirts and blue denim like the average guy, much like a diluted of version of grunge. This was early nineties and the hard riffs and fast drums were actually degenerative bands of hardcore, an entirely different genre starting in late eighties mainly through Refused and associates in Europe, as well as Rites of Spring which were a lot more 'rocky' than original emo.
Nowadays there are no ‘true’ emo bands.
Another thing, about the fashion statement emo's or even emo bands; they usually deny that they are emo. If they do accept that they're emo (mainly emo bands) their lyrics will be terribly ironic, such as the famous line below by Taking Back Sunday - who aren't emo. More hardcore or even punk rock.
true example of emo music; Sunny Day Realestate.
example of ironic statements made by emo bands;
"literate and silent, kissable and quiet, that's what girls' dreams are made of... Those words were at best teenage poetry" - Timberwolves at New Jersey by Taking Back Sunday
example of ironic statements made by emo bands;
"literate and silent, kissable and quiet, that's what girls' dreams are made of... Those words were at best teenage poetry" - Timberwolves at New Jersey by Taking Back Sunday
by asteroid smashington April 20, 2009
Get the EMOmug.