QUIZ: Are you really as emo as you think you are?
We are all a little emo in high school. Really, how could you not be? Being a teenager is a turbulent time at best, marked by a slew of new experiences and emotional challenges. And if you hit that point during the 2000s, the alternative music trends of the time likely didn’t help.
Of course, we all displayed it a little differently. Some people fought the “emo” label tooth and nail. Others flaunted their status with pride, sporting all the latest Hot Topic trends and identifying themselves largely through their favorite bands.
Read more: Hear the Pretty Reckless and Tom Morello join forces on “And So It Went”
How did your emo phase (or present) stack up against your peers? Answer the questions below to find out!
More on emo culture
As any emo purist knows, the genre’s foundation has its roots in the hardcore punk scene. Though it began as an underground movement, it quickly gained traction with the mainstream explosion of alternative music throughout the decade.
By the 2000s, the genre was so interlaced with alternative-rock and pop-punk music that it had become virtually indistinguishable. Today, the term “emo” broadly applies to bands who boast melodic instrumentals and vivid, emotional lyrics. My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessional are among the bands widely thought to epitomize the label.
Read more: 10 unsigned emo bands to keep an eye on in 2021
While emo culture at the time largely revolved around music preferences, the associated aesthetic was rather distinct. Aptly termed “emo kids” often adopted a style at the intersection of goth and punk. Their clothes tended to be dark, tight-fitting and representative of their favorite bands. Other staples of emo style included flat-ironed hair, heavy eyeliner and studded belts.
The reach of emo culture declined significantly as alternative music fell out of the mainstream in the 2010s. However, similar trends are now resurging within certain subsects of TikTok “e-girls” and “e-boys.” This movement seems to align more closely to the “scene” culture of the 2000s, which valued aesthetic and self-expression but still boasts fashion similar to emo styles of the time.
How did your emo phase compare to everyone else’s? Let us know in the comments below!
