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| Some have accused emo subculture of celebrating ].<ref name="daily mail">{{cite web | last=Sands | first=Sarah | date=], ] | title=EMO cult warning for parents | work=] | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=400953&in_page_id=1770 | accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> Some assert that it is '']'' within the emo subculture to pretend to be suicidal and self-harm.<ref name="fairfield"/> Critics have gone so far as to contend that the emo subculture or emo music are likely to cause youth to commit ].<ref name="daily mail"/><ref name="fairfield"/> | Some have accused emo subculture of celebrating ].<ref name="daily mail">{{cite web | last=Sands | first=Sarah | date=], ] | title=EMO cult warning for parents | work=] | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=400953&in_page_id=1770 | accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> Some assert that it is '']'' within the emo subculture to pretend to be suicidal and self-harm.<ref name="fairfield"/> Critics have gone so far as to contend that the emo subculture or emo music are likely to cause youth to commit ].<ref name="daily mail"/><ref name="fairfield"/> | ||
| The backlash against emo music and subculture has become so prevalent that it may itself have become a ]: one commentator notes that "hating emo kids these days is as ] as emo itself."{{ |
The backlash against emo music and subculture has become so prevalent that it may itself have become a ]: one commentator notes that "hating emo kids these days is as ] as emo itself."{{Fact|date=June 2007}} | ||
| ==Grammatical usage== | ==Grammatical usage== | ||
Revision as of 22:10, 1 June 2007
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Emo is a somewhat ambiguous, controversial slang term most frequently used to describe a fashion or subculture which is usually defined to have its roots in punk fashion and subculture, as well as some attributes of gothic fashion and subculture. As an adjective, emo can describe fashion, music, or a general state of unhappiness (as in to "feel emo"). Emo is also used as a noun, often pejoratively, to identify someone viewed as fitting a particular stereotype.
Music
Main article: Emo (music)The term emo originated in the 1980s to describe a genre of music stemming from the hardcore punk music scene in Washington, D.C. Early bands labeled emo (or sometimes emocore) in this scene included Rites of Spring, Embrace, and Fugazi. The term emo as a music genre has become broader and broader with time, and now is loosely understood to mean "rock music with emotionally-based lyrics or effect," which could be used to describe a broadly and poorly defined group of nearly every popular (or unpopular) rock band. The term is so loosely defined because its definition is still the subject of debate. Emo is now often used to refer to a person's fashion, personality, or both, as well as a musical category.
Fashion
By almost all current definitions, emo clothing is characterized by tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) often brushed to one side of the face, dyed black, straightened hair, tight t-shirts which often bear the names of rock bands, studded belts, belt buckles, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, skate shoes, or other black shoes—often old and beaten up—and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses. Emo fashion has changed with time; early trends included haircuts similar to those worn by the Romulans and Vulcans in Star Trek, tightly fitting sweaters, button-down shirts, and work jackets (often called gas station jackets).
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Typical male "emo hair": Long fringe (bangs) brushed to one side
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Caricature of stereotypical emo fashion
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Beaten up Chuck Taylor All-Stars typical of emo fashion
Personality
When referring to a person's personality and attitude, most definitions of emo hold that an "emo person" is candid about their emotions, sensitive, shy, introverted, glum, and often quiet. Emo personality is also often connected with writing poetry, which addresses confusion, depression, loneliness, and anger, all resulting from the world's inability to understand the author. Emo poetry uses a combination of any of: a highly emotional tone, stream of consciousness writing, a simple (ABAB) or nonexistent rhyme scheme, references to the flesh, especially the heart, heavy use of dark or depressing adjectives, and concern over the mutability of time, love or both. Themes such as life is pain are common.
Criticism
In the years since emo music's rise in popularity, both emo music and emo subculture have attracted sometimes severe criticism. The term emo itself is sometimes used pejoratively, to suggest that the target is "overly emotional." Emo in general has been characterized as a fad which will be discarded and forgotten in the near future. Emo music has also been compared to the teen pop of 1990s boy bands. Critics cast the music as lacking any artistic merit, the fashion as "embarrassing" and members of the subculture as imagining or pretending that they lead harsh, painful lives when they actually live in comfortable, upper- to middle class homes. Members of the emo subculture are portrayed by critics as melodramatic, self-pitying teenagers who pour their efforts into writing bad poetry and spending a great amount of time on MySpace. The current emo subculture has been called a "sad caricature" of what it once was. Some have accused emo subculture of celebrating self-harm. Some assert that it is cool within the emo subculture to pretend to be suicidal and self-harm. Critics have gone so far as to contend that the emo subculture or emo music are likely to cause youth to commit suicide.
The backlash against emo music and subculture has become so prevalent that it may itself have become a cliché: one commentator notes that "hating emo kids these days is as hackneyed as emo itself."
Grammatical usage
The word emo can be used as either a noun or adjective.
Adjective (1): All my friends are emo.
Adjective (2): I feel emo today.
Noun: That person is such an emo.
Footnotes and citations
- ^ Miller, Dan (October 2, 2003). "In Defense of Emo". Knot Magazine. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ulfan, Gabriel (September 19, 2004). "EMO: What is it?". Incendiary Magazine. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rubin, Joey. "What Is Emo Music? A Genre Profile". About.com. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- Radin, Andy. "History of the term emo". What the heck *is* emo, anyway?. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- ^ Radin, Andy. "Emo fashion tips". What the heck *is* emo, anyway?. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- ^ "Label it. .. emo". gURL. iVillage Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - Dobi, Rob (2005). "Emo For Girls". Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Dobi, Rob (2005). "Emo For Boys". Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Zafran, Wan (November 14, 2006). "A Guide To Emo Culture". The Idiot Behind the Iron Mask. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "'Emo'-tional baggage". Whiskey & Notes. The Velvet Rope. March 07, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Poretta, JP (March 03, 2007). "Cheer up Emo Kid, It's a Brand New Day". The Fairfield Mirror. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Ouzts, Emily (March 07, 2007). "The Higher's On Fire lacks spark, plummets to lyrical lows". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Glasco, Bradley (March 06, 2007). "No one understands just what it is like being a emo kid in the South [[[sic]]]". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ Sands, Sarah (August 16, 2006). "EMO cult warning for parents". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)