An "Emo" really is just a confused
teenager. The entire Emo subculture is rooted in music. Emo is short for "emotional" or "emotional
hardcore." This type of music came about in D.C. in the 80's (before most self-proclaimed emos were even born.) The type of
people who listened to this music had common tastes in fashion, and like many other fashion eras, they all began dressing the same way. Now the term Emo is associated more with behavior and style than it is with music. Simply
don a pair Converse, a studded belt, head-to-toe
black, and angled bangs, and voila--you're an Emo. Of course, there is the debate over real and wannabe Emos, but really they're all the same. They purposely choose to dress a certain way, act a certain way, listen to (or pretend to listen to) certain music, despite what their motives are. Whether their motives are sincere or superficial, all Emos have chosen to conform to a group of
people they feel safe with. They would rather be called "
weird" than be themselves and think for themselves. The ones that call themselves real Emos look and act (on the surface) like wannabe Emos. The only difference may be that they are truly admirers of the music scene, or that they truly have difficult family lives. Either way, they are all just this generation's subculture. Just like the
Grunge group of the 90s or the Hippies of the 60s, the Emos have found their stereotypical shoe, their theme song, their color, and their attitude, and they will fight for it until the
death (or until they grow weary of
cutting themselves). If they do
cut themselves, you will know it. The entire point of cutting is to garner sympathy and attention. Never will you find an Emo who secretly cuts him or herself. Emos are really just searching for a place to call home. Every
teenager has to find some group to associate with, lest they be left out. In this way, Emos are no different than the Chavs. The Chavs are just looking for a group to fit into as well. While the Chav group may be much more
dim-witted and emotionally numb, they too are just a group of scared teenagers looking for a family. One day, both Emos and Chavs will look back on their
silly little phases and laugh. They'll also look back on their ridiculous Urban
Dictionary entires and wonder how they were able to graduate from high school with such poor grammar and spelling skills.
