What would you say the origins of the emo kids are, in terms of what they were pre-emo, like in the late '90s and early '00s? Here are what I would say the paths are, for somebody born in say 1988-1989, which I see as the peak of the emos:

1. '90s style Hot Topic goth-This is definitely a pretty prominent origin. Mallgoths who got into being emo after goth stopped being cool c. 2003, around the time they were entering high school. Alot of them became emo hipsters, since it appeals to the elaborateness of their sense of fashion.
2. Pop-punk fan/Skater-Say this is somebody born around 1988-1989, who was very into being a "skater" and pop-punker c. 2001, and was into stuff like Blink-182 and NOFX. Naturally, Taking Back Sunday would appeal to them as fashions change.
3. SOAD/Linkin Park fan from the early '00s-Alot of these became emo and/or emo hipsters too.

Yeah, I'd say the Goths and the Skaters are the ancestors of Emo kids.  Also, 90's/early 00's Goth is the stepchild of Grunge kids.  I'd say everything in this field descends from Punk.  An example:

Punk
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90's style skaters                                       Grunge
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Early 00's Pop Punks/Skaters                       90's/early 00's Goth (Industrial is the thread connecting them, which mutates into Nu-Metal)
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                      Emo Kids

Ultimately emo is nothing but a whiny wimpy version of punk.

Ultimately emo is nothing but a whiny wimpy version of punk.


I heard a good definition the other day.

Emo people are middle class kids depressed because they have nothing to be depressed about!

Yeah, I'd say the Goths and the Skaters are the ancestors of Emo kids.  Also, 90's/early 00's Goth is the stepchild of Grunge kids.  I'd say everything in this field descends from Punk.  An example:

Punk
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l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
l                                                                  l
l                                                                  l
90's style skaters                                       Grunge
l                                                                  l
l                                                                  l
l                                                                  l
Early 00's Pop Punks/Skaters                       90's/early 00's Goth (Industrial is the thread connecting them, which mutates into Nu-Metal)
l                                                                  l
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l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
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                      Emo Kids


Yeah, I agree. Also, grunge sort of branched off in the mid-'90s into the more "late grunger"/'90s hipster style, industrial, and nu metal, as you said. I think part of the beginning of the union into emo was bands like SOAD and Linkin Park that combined nu metal with pop-punk and sort of a goth aesthetic, in some ways.

Numetal is really a transition between grunge and emo.

What would you say the origins of the emo kids are, in terms of what they were pre-emo, like in the late '90s and early '00s? Here are what I would say the paths are, for somebody born in say 1988-1989, which I see as the peak of the emos:

1. '90s style Hot Topic goth-This is definitely a pretty prominent origin. Mallgoths who got into being emo after goth stopped being cool c. 2003, around the time they were entering high school. Alot of them became emo hipsters, since it appeals to the elaborateness of their sense of fashion.
2. Pop-punk fan/Skater-Say this is somebody born around 1988-1989, who was very into being a "skater" and pop-punker c. 2001, and was into stuff like Blink-182 and NOFX. Naturally, Taking Back Sunday would appeal to them as fashions change.
3. SOAD/Linkin Park fan from the early '00s-Alot of these became emo and/or emo hipsters too.



1. '90s style Hot Topic goth-This is definitely a pretty prominent origin. Mallgoths who got into being emo after goth stopped being cool c. 2003, around the time they were entering high school. Alot of them became emo hipsters, since it appeals to the elaborateness of their sense of fashion.
2. Pop-punk fan/Skater-Say this is somebody born around 1988-1989, who was very into being a "skater" and pop-punker c. 2001, and was into stuff like Blink-182 and NOFX. Naturally, Taking Back Sunday would appeal to them as fashions change.
3. SOAD/Linkin Park fan from the early '00s-Alot of these became emo and/or emo hipsters too.


Hipster implies a general arrogance and fickle nature.. these people usually aren't arrogant or fickle.. they're consistent in their opinions, and they may not like your music, but they generally won't put it down or put themself on a pedestal.

I'd put it like this:

1. Hot Topic Goth: Self-explanatory, tend to be closer to Goth then most EMOs, but not quite punk. A lot of Metal-ish music.
2. Skater: The Dashboard Confessional/Taking Back Sunday group. Surfing is popular among their group, very few of whom actually go to beaches. Go to two extremes of either general humbleness or extreme elitist arrogance.
3. EMO Kid: The sad kids, the most stereotypical EMOs. Frequently made fun of for "cutting", crying all the time, being thin.. these are the stereotypes which very few of them seem to actually follow. These tend to have hipster music stylings, yet aren't particularly arrogant. They tend to call other music "bad" or "fake" a lot, but they rarely put on the arrogant superior nature of a hipster.
4. Punk Pop Kids: Your standard Simple Plan/Good Charlotte fans. Usually not arrogant, tendencies to deliberate "randomness", generally enjoy Hot Topic.
5. Hipsters: This group that everyone hates that somehow seems to have bastardized every group. Musical tastes reflect about halfway between stereotypical Indie kid and your stereotypical EMO Kid. Exist mostly in urban areas, especially around Starbucks. Truthfully, these can not be accurately compared to true EMOs, because they're generally older and of a different temprament. They don't generally associate with EMO culture, just EMO Music.

Hipster implies a general arrogance and fickle nature.. these people usually aren't arrogant or fickle.. they're consistent in their opinions, and they may not like your music, but they generally won't put it down or put themself on a pedestal.

I'd put it like this:

1. Hot Topic Goth: Self-explanatory, tend to be closer to Goth then most EMOs, but not quite punk. A lot of Metal-ish music.
2. Skater: The Dashboard Confessional/Taking Back Sunday group. Surfing is popular among their group, very few of whom actually go to beaches. Go to two extremes of either general humbleness or extreme elitist arrogance.
3. EMO Kid: The sad kids, the most stereotypical EMOs. Frequently made fun of for "cutting", crying all the time, being thin.. these are the stereotypes which very few of them seem to actually follow. These tend to have hipster music stylings, yet aren't particularly arrogant. They tend to call other music "bad" or "fake" a lot, but they rarely put on the arrogant superior nature of a hipster.
4. Punk Pop Kids: Your standard Simple Plan/Good Charlotte fans. Usually not arrogant, tendencies to deliberate "randomness", generally enjoy Hot Topic.
5. Hipsters: This group that everyone hates that somehow seems to have bastardized every group. Musical tastes reflect about halfway between stereotypical Indie kid and your stereotypical EMO Kid. Exist mostly in urban areas, especially around Starbucks. Truthfully, these can not be accurately compared to true EMOs, because they're generally older and of a different temprament. They don't generally associate with EMO culture, just EMO Music.


There are definitely teen hipsters, though, even if it's more confined to large urban areas (particularly NYC) and their suburbs. They generally have a very snooty attitude, listen to neo-emo music and '00s indie rock, hang out at Starbucks, have semi-"emo" attitudes and tastes (even if not like Taking Back Sunday, more like Bright Eyes), wear bohemian fashion, and are always stuck at the art cinema. And are quite materialistic, always dropping money everywhere. It might not exist where you are in PA, but it's definitely there around the bigger cities. Also, they have a weird affection for designing their own clothing.

There are definitely teen hipsters, though, even if it's more confined to large urban areas (particularly NYC) and their suburbs. They generally have a very snooty attitude, listen to neo-emo music and '00s indie rock, hang out at Starbucks, have semi-"emo" attitudes and tastes (even if not like Taking Back Sunday, more like Bright Eyes), wear bohemian fashion, and are always stuck at the art cinema. And are quite materialistic, always dropping money everywhere. It might not exist where you are in PA, but it's definitely there around the bigger cities. Also, they have a weird affection for designing their own clothing.


They do exist, but they're really not a member of the EMO sect. They just happened to have adopted similar music. Look at the stereotypes of both... hipsters are nothing like any of the groups of EMO kids. It's all in their music. Where EMO kids are more wannabe artists, hipsters are more art snobs.

They do exist, but they're really not a member of the EMO sect. They just happened to have adopted similar music. Look at the stereotypes of both... hipsters are nothing like any of the groups of EMO kids. It's all in their music. Where EMO kids are more wannabe artists, hipsters are more art snobs.


I consider them to be part of the same spectrum, though, musically. And lots of them are sort of emo, in a way. There're two groups of hipsters, your teen hipster and your young adult hipster.

Please, let us not make the mistake of lumping every little thing into Emo or the "Emo spectrum".  Hipsters and Emo Kids are two different things.  Likewise, not every 00's rock band is Emo like certain people here seem to think.  Emo is a very specific thing.  Emo is Emo, that's its.   Not Emo is Emo, Indie Rock, Pop-Punk, "grown up Emo" (Coldplay), etc.  Emo is a specific subculture and music style, not every little band since 2003.

Please, let us not make the mistake of lumping every little thing into Emo or the "Emo spectrum".  Hipsters and Emo Kids are two different things.  Likewise, not every 00's rock band is Emo like certain people here seem to think.  Emo is a very specific thing.  Emo is Emo, that's its.   Not Emo is Emo, Indie Rock, Pop-Punk, "grown up Emo" (Coldplay), etc.  Emo is a specific subculture and music style, not every little band since 2003.


Very well put. Some people love to lump everything, and it's really annoying. Anybody with lyrical content is EMO these days.

I consider them to be part of the same spectrum, though, musically. And lots of them are sort of emo, in a way. There're two groups of hipsters, your teen hipster and your young adult hipster.

They're EMO only in music and sometimes a few mannerisms. However, by that logic, anyone who feels the occasional negative emotion is EMO.

Very well put. Some people love to lump everything, and it's really annoying. Anybody with lyrical content is EMO these days.

They're EMO only in music and sometimes a few mannerisms. However, by that logic, anyone who feels the occasional negative emotion is EMO.


Yeah, you're right. They intersect, but they're a different thing. And both tend to be pretty angsty/whiny, if in a different way.

Yeah, you're right. They intersect, but they're a different thing. And both tend to be pretty angsty/whiny, if in a different way.

EMO is more angst-driven, Hipster is more whine-driven.

EMO is more angst-driven, Hipster is more whine-driven.


I think hipsters tend to be a more localized and older phenomenon than the emos. The average emo is probably about a year older than us, and the average mall-Starbucks hipster is like two years older than us, and the last of them are about our age.

The average emo is probably about a year older than us


I think it depends. Hot Topic EMOs are usually younger then me (either 14 or very early 15), Skaters are anywhere from 14-17... The Punk Pop go from 13-16... the EMO kids are usually late 14 to late 16... Hipsters are almost always older, though.. though I once knew a 13-year old hipster.