It's so hard to be truely 'indie' these days, isn't it? Its seems every time you try not to conform, you're conforming to something else - the non-conformists! Confusing!
But the only way to be indie in a small way is to just do what YOU want, dress how you want, listen to the music you like and everybody else can bugger off. The world doesn't have to see you as cool, there are always some people who think you are.
Nothing to do with scene kids, emos or whatever the hell constitutes as 'indie' these days.

Used to describe 'individual' or unsigned bands, but also, strangely, a genre (usually rock n roll or similar) that may or may not be mainstream.

indie is cooler than emo.

1. Music released on an independent label
2. Any music slightly left of mainstream
3. Not always about lost love, sometimes about Christmas in Zoos and other things often seen while smoking funny stuff

Indie is a word that has a slightly different meaning for every person on the planet. Here is my definition, Indie is simply being oneself, however only people that are "independent" enough from the norm are recognized as Indie. You do not have to like obscure bands to be Indie, you can like a bit of everything and still be Indie, even pop music, Indie isn't even solely defined by what music you like anyway. It's one aspect, but the clothes you wear, the language you use, your personality. Still, only a few people can be Indie, and you can't learn it, your just born with it. Within Indie, people are still not completely independent of each other, take Pendulum for example, alot of people like them, alot of indie people do too. Indie people share interests and do not all like completely different things, here is what I believe the formula for Indie is, 20-15% pop culture, 80-85% personality/personal taste. It's similar to Ribena, pop culture is Ribena, personality is water, without the pop culture(Ribena) , you and Indie(water and Ribena) will taste nothing alike, Even Indie people need some common ground, or being Indie would be boring, and without the water(personality) your just generic old pop culture, you have nothing to offer the Indie community. But then again, that's just how I define Indie.

(n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.

1. Short for independant, usually music, as in independant label, independantly produced, etc. It DOES NOT have a particular sound since it really only refers to label and production (bands such as Modest Mouse and Of Montreal sound nothing alike, yet they are both indie).

2. Can also refer to stores or businesses that aren't part of chains.

3. Listeners are not flowery scene kids, as is generally believed. However, listeners MAY be stoned.

4. Is awesome.

The indie scene had originally been started by people who wanted to deviate from the norms of society. They did this through both music and fashion.

Contrary to popular belief, indie was never just about listening to bands nobody else had heard of - it was about appreciating all music for what it was - a form of entertainment, that appeals to different people.

This spawned a generation of Indie kids, who would go out of their way to try and be as "indie" as possible, essentially conforming to the acceptable indie standards. The indie scene quickly became the one thing that it set out to differentiate itself from - a clique.
What most "indie" kids dont realise is that looking indie, and listening to indie bands just isn't enough. You can't just "become" indie - you either are, or you're not. Being "indie" to try and conform to the indie scene is not indie, because it defeats the point of being indie. Indie is about being independent, therefore, following your own style and own opinions. Someone who is really indie will dress how they want to, look how they want to (though i guarantee that the jeans, hoody, messy hair look will be popular) and listen to whatever music they want to. most importantly, to not care what others think, and to be universally accepting to every genre of music, and not just write it off because it doesn't fall into a certain category.
Being truly indie is really like being "none of the above".