Beginning in 2002 and reaching its height in
2004, the EMO Movement was a trend, a feeling, a fashion statement, a music genre, and a lifestyle.
A time when black hair and very tight pants became the look of choice. Any person, mostly teens in high school, who wanted to be immediately stereotyped as being EMO would simply have to have short, spiked hair in the back and long bangs covering at least half of their
face. The hair would then have to be died a dull shade of black with, possibly, some obscure color thrown in. Before jean companies started making boys pants to be tight fitting; EMO persons, if male, would wear girl pants. Band t-shirts, 2 sizes too small, were a must during this time. Shoelaces or pieces of leather tied around the wrist and/or concert bracelets became the
popular accessory along with a long/
skinny scarf and thick, black rimmed glasses.
During the EMO Movement, music was a big part of its popularity. The band forever credited with starting the musical EMO Movement would be
Taking Back Sunday. If t-shirts sporting
sheep, sharks & pirates, or other absurd graphics were spotted on a teen during this time, you can also credit them with being apart of this movement because it was more than likely a
Taking Back Sunday t-shirt they were wearing. Adam Lazzara highly contributed to the EMO fashion statement. Other bands apart of this include: Thursday, The Used, Thrice, or Bright Eyes.
The 'cool' thing during the EMO Movement was to be hyper-sensitive and
cry about all the problems you will probably never actually have. If an EMO person brought all
people around down with them and pushed their tear-jerking, but (likely) unhonest poetry and/or music on non-EMO and EMO
people; they would have succeeded. If someone apart of this movement cut themselves, it was not shocking, but more awaited. It was also the trend to deprive yourself of anything pleasurable; including food, sex, or
happiness.
Generally, if you were EMO it wasn't a good thing. Many of these kids got made fun of, were spit on, and had things thrown at them. This resulted in them starting their own EMO bands and singing/screaming about how they aren't accepted or understood in the world. this resulted in even more kids being recruited into the EMO Movement.
The EMO Movement was extremely successful in high schools throughout the
U.S. Though its popularity fizzled out sometime at the end of
2004, EMOs (as they r referred to) can still be found. Most EMO kids formed into "Scene" kids, which finally became "Indie." Thanks to some emotionally and love-disturbed bands (
Taking Back Sunday), some very impressionable kids became apart of what is known as the EMO Movement; a defining part of my high school years.
