To get modern-day emo hair, start growing out your bangs but still getting clean-up cuts on the back of your neck. Pull the bangs over evenly across above your eyebrow and use mousse, hair gel, or pomade. If you’re female, get layers in your hair on the sides. To get modern styled makeup, start using liquid or pencil eyeliner. Don’t be afraid to apply to the waterline, experimenting with this will only make you better. Start wearing nail polish, black is usually a popular color among emos. Don’t be afraid to wear different colors or mix them, either. Consider getting piercings. Snake bites and septum rings are very common piercings among the emo community; if you are old enough, contemplate getting one of your fancies.
Plaid shirts and sweaters are popular in Midwestern emo fashion. [1] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Vintage t-shirts and checked shirts: checked shirts match well with band t-shirts, especially if they are in black and white print. Wear emo bands t-shirts as Rites of Spring, Moss Icon, Sunny Day Real Estate, Armor For Sleep or American Football underneath. Thick horn-rimmed glasses, these are optional but they were worn in the original emocore style. [2] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Messenger bags to carry your notebooks and diary around; you never know when you may get a hit of inspiration. Emo is about being creative so don’t hesitate to carry around a sketchbook or pencils in there, either. Flat shoes such as converse or vans: any type of canvas slip-on shoes work well, too, and you can buy these from any budget shoe store. You do not have to buy them new. [3] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Accessories: keep an eye out for scarves, bandanas, stripy socks, wristbands/sweatbands, studded belts, safety pins/badges, and fingerless gloves. Stay away from anything fishnet/anything sporting dark patterns, or anything that looks even remotely like a razor-blade, emo is not dark, and by wearing something that looks like a razor-blade, you are only perpetuating unfair stereotypes. Skinny jeans: buy several pairs of black, blue, and even multi-colored skinny jeans; you can even branch out into boot cut jeans. Anything that you are comfortable in will work best. Jean cuffing is a common practice among emos and punks. It has been done in their scenes from the late 1970s to the early 80s. If you want to look the part, this is a must. Simply take the bottom of your pants leg and fold it upward once or twice. To pin-cuff, pull both sides after cuffing.
Cut a hole for your thumbs in the sleeves of your hoodies. Wear it with your thumbs sticking through to keep yourself warm in the winter months.
The Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds was labeled “the first emo album” by Treblezine’s Ernest Simpson. [8] X Research source Minor Threat fan Guy Picciotto despised the heightened violence in the hardcore punk scene, so he formed Rites of Spring, known as the first emo band, in 1984 to turn the focus back to the individual. To add to their legacy, they were only documented performing 15 times in two years before their disbandment in 1986. [9] X Research source In 1980, Ian Mackaye founded the Dischord records label where it signed many Washington D. C hardcore punk bands. Later on, it went onto sign Mackaye and Picciotto’s iconic band Fugazi. Fugazi was not emo, drawing in elements of hardcore, funk, and jazz instead[10] X Research source Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, p. 17 , but they did inspire emo bands in the mid-90s to abandon conventional hardcore roots. [11] X Research source Minor Threat member Ian Mackaye eventually became a fan/roadie of the band and then created his own; Embrace who followed the same characteristics of Rites of Spring. However, they hated being called ’emo’. [12] X Research source Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, p. 14 Revolution Summer 1985. An attempt deliberately sought by bands like Gray Matter, Beefeater, Dag Nasty, and Soulside to break the limitations of hardcore punk in favor of a fresh idea of creativity. [13] X Research source
Emocore: short for emotive hardcore, the original style of emo which grew from the Washington D. C hardcore punk scene in the mid-80s with Rites of Spring and Embrace. Other bands followed suit such as Gray Matter and Fire Party, who was termed “the world’s first female-fronted emo band”. [14] X Research source Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, p. 14 Post-emo indie rock/Midwest emo: emo was reinvented in the 90s, becoming more melodic and mixed with indie rock to create a softer sound. A perfect example of this sound is Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1994 album Diary. Midwest emo was popular enough to form a small subculture surrounding the genre, and was more romantic than emo had ever been. [15] X Research source Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, p. 35 Emo Pop: emo-pop is a fusion genre of emo and pop-punk. The genre’s characteristics include more concise, hook-filled choruses, high-pitched melodies, and lyrical themes addressing adolescence, relationships, and heartbreak. [16] X Research source Pioneers include The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, and Jimmy Eat World, whose single The Middle broke the mainstream in the 00s. Screamo: a misunderstood genre originating from San Diego cafe in California, 1991 with bands like Heroin and Antioch Arrow. [17] X Research source The style has more aggressive styled vocals, unconventional song structures, and lyrical themes of human rights, politics, romantic interest, and emotional pain. The genre is incredibly influenced by hardcore punk. Some sub-genres of screamo include Emoviolence, Sasscore, Post-rock/Screamo, Blackened Screamo, and Skramgaze. [18] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021.
Emocore: Rites of Spring - End on End (1991), Embrace - self titled (1987), Gray Matter - Food for Thought (1990), Dag Nasty - Can I Say (1986), Moss Icon - Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly (1994). Post-emo indie rock/Midwest emo: Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (1994), Texas is the Reason - Do You Know Who You Are? (1996), Christie Front Drive - self-titled (1997), The Promise Ring - 30° Everywhere (1996) and Cap’n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology (1998). Other famous Midwestern emo bands include American Football and Mineral. [19] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Emo Pop: The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About (1999), Thursday - Full Collapse (2001), Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001), Panic! at the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005), You Me At Six - Take Off Your Colours (2008). Screamo: Circle Takes The Square - As The Roots Undo (2004), Touché Amoré – Is Survived By (2013), City of Caterpillar - self-titled (2002), Pg. 99 - Document #8 (2001), Funeral Diner - Difference of Potential (2000)[20] X Research source and Orchid - Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! (2000). Antioch Arrow is another popular screamo band. [21] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Check out Sophie’s Floorboard blog. You can download emo/screamo/hardcore albums from here, although you must remember that not everything is supposed to be free and if you can find either a physical copy of the files to buy you should. Create accounts on Last. fm, SoundCloud, SoundClick, Bandcamp, Pandora, YouTube, and other music streaming sites to find more modern and lesser-known emo bands. Make sure that the bands are emo, though, by identifying their characteristics.
Emo is a subculture that is based around music. [22] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. It has a longer history than scenes and deals with emotions, self-expression, and self-exploration. Being emo means you understand your roots, listen to emo music and participate in the community. Scene is a subculture that emerged from members of the chav subculture in England experimenting with alternative fashions. [23] X Research source It is a mixture of several styles including emo, indie pop, rave, and punk fashions. Scenes tend to wear brighter colors, and have teased/backcombed hair which may feature “cool tails”. Scene kids tend to listen to music genres like metalcore, deathcore, and crunkcore,[24] X Research source as opposed to emo kids who listen to emo genres. Goth is a subculture that emerged from the British post-punk scene in the late 70s/early 80s. Goths primarily listen to goth rock, cold wave, deathrock, and darkwave music. Bela Lugosi’s Dead, the 1979 single by Bauhaus was said to be the birth of the music genre[25] X Research source , and the Batcave, a nightclub opened in 1982[26] X Research source , the birth of the subculture.
If you want to dress emo and listen to Sunny Day Real Estate, go for it. If you also have Lady Gaga, Johnny Cash, and Cannibal Ox on your iPod, that doesn’t make you any less emo. A real “emo” is someone who listens to emotive hardcore music and genres surrounding it, so as long as you’re into emo, you are emo. While a guy with dark hair and eyeliner listening to Dashboard Confessional in Columbus, OH might be considered emo by a lot of people, the California blonde who surfs and listens to Dashboard Confessional might consider herself emo as well. Treat this as an opportunity for everyone to appreciate the music as appearance doesn’t matter.
Read Nothing Feels Good by Andy Greenwald, a book highlighting the history of emo.
Volunteer to help out at all-ages shows and DIY clubs to put on gigs. Hand out fliers and befriend other bands. Check out local zines and participate in the scene.
Try playing the bass or guitar, or perhaps even the violin, which sounds amazing in emo songs if you invest enough time in it. The drums might also be a very good instrument because drummers are in regular demand for all sorts of bands.
Decorate your converse. Personalize your converse/Vans with band logos or doodles. Show your creativity, but just be mindful of what you write on there and be careful of mistakes (if it’s a permanent marker, it won’t come off). Added patches and pins onto your messenger bag. This is a perfect chance to showcase your favorite emo bands by making pins and attaching them to your bag. Stick clay or blue-tack on the bag if you’re worried about them falling off. [27] X Expert Source Regina DunnGoth Subculture Enthusiast Expert Interview. 12 July 2021. Find a good website to design your own t-shirt, just make sure that you won’t get in legal trouble for this. Check all terms and conditions before attempting to print any sort of logo that may be copyrighted.
