What is an emo teen?

[diabeticman]

When I was in school we had


Jocks

Preps

nerds

geeks

goth

etc

but now I am hearing teens being called emo.

what is it exactly?

[Baitball Blogger]

1. moody, deep, distant.

Not sure, really. I know that they're like Gothics, minus the Gothic.

[diabeticman]

10. Thanks

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Kind of artsy...Wears black...Dyes hair blonde or black

[diabeticman]

9. Thanks

[liberal_at_heart]

36. how about purple? My daughter has purple hair, is artsy,and wears lots of black.

I don't think she would consider herself emo though. I don't think she would label herself as anything other than herself. She is just who she is. What's funny is when she started dying her hair purple she never really saw anyone else with purple hair, but now she sees people everywhere with purple hair.

[Electric Monk]

3. Are you familiar with the bands The Cure or The Smiths? Kids who like that, and similar.

[diabeticman]

7. thanks

[Revanchist]

48. I would consider those bands to be Goth.

Emo music has more of a hardcore punk feel (hence the name Emo = Emotive Punk) than Goth example:

[JustAnotherGen]

62. So they are into Retro Alternative?

I listened to both bands in high school in the 1980's (still listen to them now ) - I was far from gothic. . .

More into matching my socks and shirt.

[uppityperson]

4. Like any label, there is emo and there is emo. Self expression vs insult or cliche

Here is a longish page on what it is, where it came from, the look, the music, lots of stuff.
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Emo

Often it is an inaccurate description or insult. Punk. Hippy. Etc.

[diabeticman]

6. thanks

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Wuh?

When I was in school we had

Jocks

Preps

nerds

geeks

goth

No pot smoking slackers?

[diabeticman]

11. Don't ask for me... my brothers...Interesting fact when my wife was in school those kids ended up

being the popular crowd

[arcane1]

14. They were called "heads" when I was in high school, in the 80's

It wasn't until I had graduated that I learned where the term came from

[VanillaRhapsody]

20. took the word right outta my mouth....so ditto in the late 70's,,,

[arcane1]

24. Where did you go to school, if I may ask? Just curious.

I was in central Virginia, and graduated in '85, when juniors and seniors could still use the smoking area

[VanillaRhapsody]

25. I was military we lived in several places...they all seemed to use that term...

Last edited Mon Oct 6, 2014, 10:17 PM - Edit history (1)

I mean my family were military....not that I was at the time...

[arcane1]

30. Cool, thanks!

[Laffy Kat]

33. We just had three: freaks, jocks, and straights. nt

And "straight" didn't refer to sexuality back then.

[hifiguy]

71. That was the tripartite divide in my day as well.

I flew my freak flag high.

[Laffy Kat]

74. So did I! I was pretty cute, too. A baby flower child.

[Dont call me Shirley]

39. We had 2 categories: Jocks and Freaks

[hedgehog]

50. At my kids' school, those who smoke tobacco sat on the train tracks, and

those who smoked pot went down to the lake. (hence, the reference to Lake Marijuana)

[Android3.14]

8. Google

come on.

[diabeticman]

12. google showed me a bunch of twitter and facebook accounts

[Android3.14]

19. Try this

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20is%20an%20emo%20teen

[Feral Child]

51. WIKI is a better source

if you want to avoid FB and commercial responses.

I think the poster was more interested in chatting than information. Perfectly cool, but I'd have posted in the Lounge.

[Kaleva]

13. Similiar to the goth, punk and vampire subcultures

At least, to me, in the way they may dress.

[JEB]

15. Are they Greasers or Soches?

[notadmblnd]

16. Well here's one for you to learn along with Emo

Steam Punk

[MineralMan]

17. It's something not to Google with Safe Search off.

Truly.

[Ron Obvious]

23. Which a lot of people will now proceed to do nevertheless. n/t

[IcyPeas]

18. here, south park will explain it:

[Egnever]

34. LOL

[Lilyhoney]

35. I was just about to look for this. Thanks. nt

[hrmjustin]

21. Search google with safe search with this.

[Bosonic]

22. It's not new

(You can tell it's not new as 'MySpace' is included in http://www.dobi.nu/yourscenesucks/scenesters.htm)

[liberal_at_heart]

28. they're just expressing themselves. No need to put a picture up that is so condescending.

[Action_Patrol]

55. It isn't condescending

Were you not familiar with 'your scene sucks'? It hits the nail on the head for each genre.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

43. Wow... that website is going to destroy my office's productivity

We're located in a hipster neighborhood, people will crack up at that site for days.

[Scootaloo]

26. Like a hipster, but with mascara. or scene, but with a smaller budget

Am I helping?

[VScott]

27. One good thing about being an Emo (or Goth), teen...

they always have Juggalos to look down at.

[Skeowes28]

29. 1980s glam rockers

Updated punk rockers

[frogmarch]

31. A teen who says things like

"So I'm at the wailing wall, standing there like a moron, with my harpoon," and "Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps."

[kdmorris]

32. Redundant n/t

[politicat]

37. Goth + skater with a dash of punk or stoner.

My best definition, as a post punk grown up goth.

[minivan2]

38. As a recent high school graduate

Someone who looks like this:

[link:|

[liberal_at_heart]

41. I love Jack White.

[minivan2]

66. He's got some good songs.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

40. Affluent and predominantly white suburban whiners

who aren't worldly enough to be hipsters.

[liberal_at_heart]

42. Nice judgmental attitude there.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

44. So... suppose my early forties ass dressed like this

Am I expressing myself, or am I just a weirdo?

[Le Taz Hot]

45. Judging people by how they look/what they wear

is something you do BEFORE your parents and/or life teach you better. Personally, I think this guy looks interesting and wouldn't at all mind talking to him. The true "wierdos" are the conformists who ignore the fact that we're all different yet are equally valuable.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

58. That individual specifically? I guarantee you would mind talking to him.

[Le Taz Hot]

65. The POINT

was that I would not judge him/her merely by the way he/she was dressed.

[hifiguy]

67. Power nerd, I'd say.

[muriel_volestrangler]

46. Some teenagers whine? Well, thank you for that original insight into human life

Would you care to distinguish them from all the other teenagers who whine too?

Any reason you then choose to illustrate what you think is a point with a picture of someone at least twice the age of a teenager, and talk about your own 'early forties' ass? Is it that you think all teenagers should be like you now?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

59. No, I just wonder when youthful expression ends

[muriel_volestrangler]

60. So your post was a distraction from the question asked in the OP

which was what an 'emo teen' is.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

63. I live in a neighborhood full of them, I know what they are.

But if I as an adult dressed or behaved that way would I be seen as just expressing myself or as a creep?

I think we both know the answer.

[Warren DeMontague]

47. ***

[Action_Patrol]

57. Just call me Mr Butterfingers

Huge hugs on this one

[Jamastiene]

49. It's a tag they place on teens who are depressed, imo.

It is a way of saying the teen is emotional. Emo is short for emotional, meaning the kid is depressed. That's my take on it. I've read all sorts of crap, but it still looks to me like it's depressed teens.

[Feral Child]

52. Splinter group from the Goths.

Add to other "cues" posted heavy but brighter make-up than Goths, clothes also brighter.

Emo music tends to be less morbid than Goth, still very emotional but with a tendency to general whineyness and self-absorption.


Someone else mentioned the Cure, but I'd disagree. The Cure is pure Goth, it almost defines Gothiness in music.

"Emo" is used pejoratively by Goths, indicating that the victim of the insult is narcissistic and shallow.

WIKI is a pretty good reference for Subculture research. If you're bored sometime WIKI "Japanese Pop" then follow the embedded links; you can kill a rainy Sunday being amazed at the intricacies.

[GOLGO 13]

53. They splinter off the "weirdo" groups

- they have a stoner vibe but your never quite sure if they partake of it or not.

- I see a lot cry for attention and/or to be seen as a "non conformist" but that boat has long since sailed on them.

- lot of emo girls are just plain cute but a lot of the emo guys can appear somewhat..."unusual".

But I will say they are probably one of the least violent of all the subgroups. Never felt intimidated or felt the need to cross the street near them. Emo people that I've known would mostly like hurt themselves than others.

So ya "weirdo" but harmless. Meh.

[Baclava]

54. Emo test....How emo are you?

http://www.testemo.com/

uh-oh...
It says I am 34% emo

[Action_Patrol]

56. It's frustrating to see the word hijacked

When the term was invented, it was used to describe a subsection of punk. EMOtional Hardcore ala Rites of Spring and Moss Icon. It progressed into its own genre with bands like Mineral, Braid, Bob Tilton and Elliott. This was mid-80s/early90s.

It devolved rapidly and the term that once described music is now a bit of a slur.

[uppityperson]

73. Very much so. I posted a link way upthread, it is sad to see so many wrong opinions. Hippy. Punk.Emo

All terms that meant something, and were hijacked and now are assumed to mean something else.

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Emo

[KG]

61. there's a haircut involved, from what I've seen

[Rex]

64. I have no idea.

An emotional teen? When I was a teen we had, jocks, nerds, stoners, kickers, preppies and mixtures of all those groups (jock-stoner-kicker). Of course we also had a smoking lounge (I feel old).

[hifiguy]

68. Are there no stoners anymore?

I was definitely a stoner. Long-haired, dope-smokin', Lampoon-reading, hippie freak weirdo who loved Zappa, English prog rock and off-center ideas of all sorts. Read a lot of Tolkein, Bradbury and Vonnegut in those days.

[Warren DeMontague]

69. You were that guy with the gandalf bong, weren't you

yeah, there was always one.

[hifiguy]

70. Nope, just a regular red acrylic bong.

and a homemade water pipe I built out of a fancy old whisky bottle and some plumbing fixtures.

I knew a guy with a bong like that, though.

[Warren DeMontague]

75. Indeed, I remember when Graphics Bongs were still Graphics Bongs.

With the felt-covered can and the colored pebbles in the base. Those things were a must have.

[bobclark86]

72. So... where have you been hiding?

And can I go there? Somedays, I don't want to live in this world anymore.

"but now I am hearing teens being called emo."

Well, it's from the 80s, but became big when I was in high school (2000-2004).

I still remember this emo girl I dated for a few weeks... lots of Dashboard Confessional. As in that's all she listened to.

Ugh... "My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill meeeeee! So why don't you killlll meeee, so I die HAAAA-PPPPPPEEEEEEEY."

It's been almost 10 years and when that song "Hands Down" is mentioned I can't get it out of my head. No wonder my friends (a jock, a goofball and a D&D-playing goth) came to save me with billiard cues, a wooden training katana and other implements of destruction from the "basement troll."

True story.

[valerief]

76. Are they still calling themselves emo? I thought that name died. nt

[whistler162]

77. A young one of these?

[Drale]

78. Its kind of Goth but more whiny

and less dark and brooding.