Are You Emo?

Does my shouting make me 'emo'?

Ahh, good, I must not be emo.

Which is not to say that emo as a genre is good. But there are anywhere from 3 to 100 really great emo bands out there, depending on your definition of the term.

Life does! But it doesn't make me want to scream. It makes me want to sing beautiful harmonies. I am wearing a tight green T-shirt. Is that emo?

nice dropping of an hmhb reference too

Actually, from what I remember of your photo you may be Conor Oberst.

Anyway, he's not wearing a tight white T-shirt, a backpack or black-rimmed spectacles. I think this emo thing is more complicated than you've been making out

Where exactly do the boundaries of emo lie anyway? Do Fugazi count? The Dismemberment Plan? Les Savy Fav? Drive Like Jehu? I like all four of them and am worried that they might be lumped in with The Promise Ring et al.

Erm, Nick if you did write like that you'd be the toast of Champaign/Urbana! Seriously, no offense meant, as much as I dislike the Fireside Bowl/emo bands/"scene"* I wish I had the soft femme features of C.O.

* But I do own a pair of black-rimmed glasses and tight t-shirts, live in the Midwest, listen to the Dismemberment Plan! Help!

I always think of Emo as sounding a bit like Seamonsters by The Wedding Present, but it probably doesn't.

I like the Dismemberment Plan and the Get-Up Kids don't bother me either.

And like anything, people seem more accustomed to kick against a "scene" that they see elements of themselves in but don't want to be associated with as a shortcut for describing their sensibilites, etc. Lots of us have done in this thread and others with bands we like. And I know I've cringed at the thought of being able to be described as an "indie boy" or a Belle and Sebastian fan and have the connotations of either ring true or, worse, be able to be reduced to either tag.

That said, sometimes that's a good thing to hear.

People need to stop calling any band that shows a predilection for screaming and using guitars "emo", though. Emo != indie rock (which most of the bands noted above would sorta qualify as), and "emo" is more of a nonsensical bullshit term than "indie rock" anyway. Not as bullshit as "punk rock", of course.

And guilt by association re: genres is so pointless. Otherwise, I'd be dumping my Tribe and De La and Wu-Tang CDs, thanks to Hammer and Vanilla Ice and P. Diddy and lord knows who else...

Naturally, but I wasn't talking about the music.

Actually, my original post had some comments about fashion choices made by "emo" fans and such things, but deleted them since I realized that I was (superficially) describing some of my friends. It's a sticky wicket, and I don't feel confident going off and railing against a sub-culture which might have good things to offer to those inside its walls. But, then, I just called the people that live in my state "screwed up", so I'm full of it.

I KNOW Emo sucks after hearing Jeff Buckley, Coldplay, Radiohead, Starsailor and other sensitive simpering goons - don't need to familiarise myself with their fellow travelers, thanks...

No possible definition of "emo" encompasses anything anywhere close to anything listed above. In the least. The above is like saying "I know hip-hop sucks after hearing the Dixie Chicks."

Bright Eyes aren't really emo either. They fulfill a few characteristics: (1) must be from Wisconsin, Illinois, or somewhere in the Kansas/Nebraska area, and (2) singy/screamy "I'm having a little breakdown here," but in a very "I'm not trying to imply that I could kick your ass because I am actually skinny frail and upset" kind of way. Other than that: not so emo.

If you want to get a lock on the only thing that everyone agrees is emo -- the thing that sort of spurred people to even start saying "emo" -- the thing that explains how "emo" went from meaning bands like Mineral to meaning bands like the Get Up Kids -- it's Cap'N Jazz. Buy "Analphabetapolothology." Then stop ragging on Joan of Arc.

And if you want a record that completely typifies everything that the word "emo" can safely imply, get Luck of Aleia's self-titled EP.

I'll put together a comp tonight. You just keep talking about it on NYLPM and saying that UK emo is the greatest, freshest thing to come along in decades. We can get an NME cover within the fortnight.

At what point did emo go from geeks in corduroy and gas station jackets to this neo-goth thing? It still doesn't make any sense that they were called the same thing.

corduroy and gas station jackets

How is this emo to begin with??

It's the shit I saw when I'd be at mid-late 90s Get Up Kids/Saves the Day billings at the local firehouse. I'm not talking about that 80s hardcore stuff.

I'm talking about Vulcan haircuts and sunglasses at night and white belts in 1998. Maybe that was the urban face of emo, though.

I'll back Stanton up here on the gas-station jackets. I didn't start seeing white belts until this decade.

I've never actually been an emo, whatever the dress code.

I'm talking about Vulcan haircuts and sunglasses at night and white belts in 1998. Maybe that was the urban face of emo, though.

-- Laurel, Thursday, May 29, 2008 3:02 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

the make-up were emo?

A huge chunk of those emo bands came from where I'm talking about. I remember white belts being considered the ... fashionista scenester kinda thing, like mall hardcore or something.

I laff now to think there was a time when we called them the white-belt crowd and eventually people started saying "emo" and it was like finally putting a name to a face.

I dunno, labs, but it was a Mooney Suzuki show! Hahaha.

fashionista scenester kinda thing

Yeah, that's what I meant by being the urban face.

the mooney suzuki were definitely not emo and neither were the delta 72

I'm talking about the urban face here-Northeast NJ/NYC. Are you talking about Boston or something?

i definitely have a strong association of vulcan haircuts and boston

No, NYC here. I didn't know any hardcore people/bands at the time, we needed something to call the not-quite-mod revival that had glammed everything up and added studded belts.

And white headbands.

i have worn white belts in nyc in 1998
i have also worn all white with a black belt

in 2001 a shiny silver member's only jacket was worn by me in nyc

kekekekeekeke

it was around 2000 that i embraced kneesocks and sweater vests
god save us from nyu students

The Almighty Wikipedia sez:

Emo is also often associated with a certain fashion. The term "emo" is sometimes stereotyped with tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) brushed to one side of the face or over one or both eyes, dyed black, straight hair, tight t-shirts (sometimes short sleeved) which often bear the names of rock bands (or other designer shirts), studded belts, belt buckles, canvas sneakers or 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 straight, unparted hair, tightly fitting sweaters, button-down shirts, and work jackets.

Last sentence is what Burt's talking about and definitely what I associated with emo (along with threadbare thrift-store tees and nerdy glasses) ca. 1997-2000.

I'll back Stanton up here on the gas-station jackets.

Me too esp when talking about the bands/time frame referenced.

Jaymc otm.

Seventeen magazine, August 2002:

http://bieniosek.com/gallery/albums/album36/emo.sized.gif

Discman!

Hot Water Music vs. My Chemical Romance

Yeah, the CDs on that girl's Discman are indicative that this was around the time that "emo" had attracted enough mainstream attention to land Dashboard Confessional on the cover of SPIN but before it had turned into some nu-goth thing.

Does anyone remember seeing screamo whitebelt hipsters sporting sweatbands at all? I only saw it like three times and was like "oh no, worst new trend", but then I just never saw it again. Every instance was at a show booked by $t3ve from 1n1t R3kords, though I can't remember what bands. Late '90s / early '00s hardcore shite before it went all Isis.

Just kinda wondered if these were some weird isolated incidents.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/expatrica/promisering.jpg

Promise Ring GIS yields lots of creepy Christian crap these days.

I feel like the dudes out of Blood Brothers were the sweatband types.

That makes sense in my head, too, though I can think of no actual sightings.

People who wear sweat bands are gamers who have like 1-up & triforce tats & c.

Or, evidently, they're in a band called Wipe Your Eyes And Face The Day or something.

the current definition of emo (neogoth bullshit) makes more sense than any of the earlier trends

Is that the new definition? What neogoth bullshit exactly? I live in a vacuum and don't notice um...most things.

Don't laugh but I think I might have written something abt it in '96 when emo was still "emotional punk".

I assume someone has used the headline "Punk and Emotional" at some point in the last 10 years? (This will make more sense if you're British)

... actually that makes no sense whatever your nationality <---- tired and unemotional

Last night I read that Spin article about the anti-emo attacks (wtf) in Mexico and still have no idea what the hell was going on there.

when i was going to shows in new brunswick during high school anyone wearing the current emo uniform would have been laughed at. in retrospect i think the new emos are much better dressed than we ever were!

New Brunswick

I think the kids are just adorable.

At least they have some distinctive style. When I was in highschool in the late 90s everything was pretty much bleeeeeeech.

For real!

Yeah, grunge has a lot to answer for.

the late 90s was a cross section of horrors.

emu

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112960/90-students-Iraq-stoned-death-having-Emo-hair-tight-clothes.html?ICO=most_read_module

well, are you?

In temperament if not in fashion yes

:( at the last revive.