Finding Emo

Finding Emo

Finding Emo

Each generation has high schools filled with their different cliques. Some remain the same throughout the years – there will always be jocks, preps, nerds/geeks, cheerleaders etc. The last several years has seen the emergence of a new class, a new group to add to the mix. We are talking, of course, about Emos.
So who, or what, exactly are Emos? Let’s start with the basics. Emo is short for emotional, though the one thing emos are definitely not short on is emotion. They have enough to go around. The trick is, it’s all negative, depressing emotion. You won’t see emo kids wearing smiley face “Have a Nice Day” shirts. What you will see them wearing is black, and lots of it. Head to toe, mostly black. If their hair is not naturally black, they will dye it. The only thing blacker and darker than their clothes are their emotions. Emos will find the cloud in every silver lining.
They express their depression and sadness in many ways. Mostly, it’s the music. The emo music scene has been around since the mid-1980s. The best way to describe emo bands are that they are the best bands no one’s ever heard of. The irony is that the more popular an emo band becomes, the less emo it is. Popularity is not a goal of emos. In fact, it’s shunned. The key to being a good emo band is not to have too many people know about you. That, and playing and singing songs that are heavy on emotion (emo) and focus on the down side of everything, along with soprano male vocals seems to be the magic formula. The more punk and depressing and emotional, the better. In short – punk music on estrogen.
If emo was simply a music and clothes scene, that would be enough and mostly harmless. The problem is that it isn’t restricted to music and clothes. It can also manifest itself in self-destructive behavior, the most common of which, is cutting. The old joke is that you should get an emo pizza because it will cut itself. While the honesty of the emotions felt and expressed by emo...