I first heard the word in 2004 I think, maybe not even 2005. I remember Good Charlotte being around in 2002, but I didn't know they were emo.

I think I first heard the word itself in a Rolling Stone article in either late 2001 or early '02, although I wasn't clear on what it meant at the time. I thought it was like singer songwriters or some other kind of AC music, lol.

Here's the thing, I think it's hard to define where it started, because Emo sorta merged with the kind of pop/punk that had been around since 1998/'99 (i.e. "What's My Age Again", or even certain Offspring songs - although I'd never call them Emo at all, they did somewhat jumpstart the commercial punk sound that would be popular for awhile). Stuff like Jimmy Eat World or other bands were kinda transitional between the two. Like from a 2003 perspective, Simple Plan would've just been pop/punk, but from a present perspective, they can be lumped with early emo.

I'd say Emo became a fashion and a definable genre around the Kerry/Bush election or a little after. Like mid 2005 was when "Emo kid" etc. became common terms.

I agree. I think because of the pop-punk in the early 00s, in 2020 there will be a stereotype that the 00s was ALL about emo, every year from 2000 to 2009 was full of it.

^ Yeah. If you're familar with the '80s, it's sort of how alot of rock gets called hair metal and general pop gets called new wave.

I also think Emo is mostly definable as a fashion statement and a state of mind more than musically speaking. Sure, there's lots of bands who are popular like that, but they're not really a presence on the charts. It's more noticeable by people "acting emo" from what I've seen.

Yeah, I'd say it was 2004 that Emo really started to become popular and mainstream.  2003 was the start of it with Emo bands like Dashboard Confessional (who doesn't sound like modern Emo bands at all, yet he was the first artist to be widely called "Emo") and 2005 and 2006 were its peak.  I know by 2005, almost all the Goths at my school had either graduated or transformed into Emo kids, no doubt due to the fact that the Nu Metal era was over by 2005 and Heavy Metal/Hard Rock once again began to fade in popularity (it goes through cycles.  Hard Rock/Metal is very popular at certain times and unpopular at other times.  It will become widely popular again in the future, only to go through the same cycle.).  

I definitely think that Pop-Punk certainly paved the way for Emo and that it may lead to the stereotype in the future that the 00s were all about Emo when it didn't even become widely popular until mid-decade.  The Pop-Punk bands were different, in that they were more positive, "faux rebellious" (many of those who liked it around here were skaters and loved to do Jackass stunts and stuff like that), and didn't have the depression thing going on.  Still, that won't stop people from labeling the 00s the "Emo era".  Its kind of like Grunge.  Grunge in reality was only popular for a portion of the 90s and it wasn't even the majority of the decade.  Post-Grunge was mainstream longer than actual Grunge was.  However, the 90s still has the stereotype that it was ALL about Grunge when it was really only about 3-4 years.

I think 2007 has seen a decline in Emo's importance.  It just doesn't seem to be as popular as it used to be and, while it still visible, it now makes up a small portion of the Rock charts at the moment.  Emo is still popular, but less so than it was in 2005 and 2006.  I think Emo will finally die out around 2008 or 2009.  By that point, it will have been popular for 4-5 years, which seems to be the average lifespan of a genre's popularity.

Really, to be honest, Emo bands never did make up a huge portion of the Rock charts.  Even at their peak, they still occupied a minority of the Rock charts, with about 2-3 in the Top Ten.  It was more well known for its image than for its actual music quality.  It is kind of weird that the 00s will go down as the "Emo era" of Rock music when it never did occupy the majority of the charts.

I just want to know when Emo will become un popular.  ;D

I just want to know when Emo will become un popular.  ;D


You won't have to wait long then.  Emo has already started to lose its influence this year and Rock radio is starting to be characterized by a revival of "Real Rock".  Look at how well "The Pretender by the Foo Fighters and "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven (just hit #10 on the Hot 100!) have done this year.  Rock radio is also characterized by "Pop Emo" like Fall Out Boy.  Their fans may overlap with the Emo fans, but they seem to appeal more to teenage girls than anyone else and don't do the whole "slit wrists and cry" routine.  Pop Emo sucks, unfortunately.

Real Emo seems to be on the way out at the moment.  There isn't a single Emo song in the Top Ten Modern Rock Tracks right now (Paramore - Misery Business seems to be that whole "Pop Emo appealing to teenage girls" thing) and I've gone a good couple months without hearing a single real Emo song on the rock stations around here.

No surprise really.  Assuming we date Emo's popularity to 2004, then Emo is nearing the end of the average lifespan of a music genre's popularity in the mainstream.  Its at its fourth year of popularity and most music trends only last 4-5 years on average, though it can sometimes be more (Hair Metal lasted longer than average) or less (Teen Pop).  Assuming we count "Pop Emo" as Emo and not a seperate music genre, it will have faded out for the most part by 2009.

my brother first pointed out "emo" kids in 2000 or 2001 when we were watching i think Dashboard Confessional unplugged (not that we like that band!). they were dressed way more like hipsters and grunge kids. now, the emo look is largely inspired by goth fashion.

I'd say about the time American Idoit came out.

Uh.. Donnie Darko..?  :o

Uh.. Donnie Darko..?  :o


Totally.


Now, kids, emo was a genre that started back in the '80s...

... Well, that's when the term was originated.

It's basically a melodic punk. Now, that's not much different from pop-punk, mostly the lyrical matter define that.

Lately, power pop, indie rock, and even folk music (WTF!?!?) have been getting mixed in with emo.

My advice... Just stray from that term. Use any other genre to describe a band. Plus, emo has a bad reputation. If you say "pop-punk", somebody's more likely to check out Fall Out Boy than if you describe them as "emo."

What's the difference between "emo" and "mall goth". Kids I see walking around today that people say are "emos" are the same type of kids people would call "mall goths" back when I went to school (the 90s).

And the music they call "emo" today is definately "pop-punk" not "emo". As for what the real "emo" musical style is, I have no idea, because I've never heard of it until a few years ago. It was probably derived from some underground post-punk movement in the 80s.

As for people who say "emo" is short for "emotional rock" then the majority of music I listen to is "emo". Most rock is emotional on some level. Whether it's Stevie Wonder getting angry towards to end of "Living In The City" or Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky". Are those songs "emo" because they're "emotional"?

IMO, I'd really like to see the term dropped from everyone's vocabulary because IMO it doesn't and never did mean anything. If it's used to describe music, in most cases the correct term is "punk rock" or some derivitive of it (and no, "emo" is not a real derivitive of punk). And if it's used to describe a sub-culture of people, then the correct term is, as far as I know, "mall goth".

You won't have to wait long then.  Emo has already started to lose its influence this year and Rock radio is starting to be characterized by a revival of "Real Rock".  Look at how well "The Pretender by the Foo Fighters and "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven (just hit #10 on the Hot 100!) have done this year.  Rock radio is also characterized by "Pop Emo" like Fall Out Boy.  Their fans may overlap with the Emo fans, but they seem to appeal more to teenage girls than anyone else and don't do the whole "slit wrists and cry" routine.  Pop Emo sucks, unfortunately.

Real Emo seems to be on the way out at the moment.  There isn't a single Emo song in the Top Ten Modern Rock Tracks right now (Paramore - Misery Business seems to be that whole "Pop Emo appealing to teenage girls" thing) and I've gone a good couple months without hearing a single real Emo song on the rock stations around here.

No surprise really.  Assuming we date Emo's popularity to 2004, then Emo is nearing the end of the average lifespan of a music genre's popularity in the mainstream.  Its at its fourth year of popularity and most music trends only last 4-5 years on average, though it can sometimes be more (Hair Metal lasted longer than average) or less (Teen Pop).  Assuming we count "Pop Emo" as Emo and not a seperate music genre, it will have faded out for the most part by 2009.

Emo sucks! I am happy that it goes away. Let's hope it will go away with the crappy post-2001 rap, R&B and pop punk too. It's about time they do so, don't you think? I mean, I even used to be really deep in those stuff, now I hate it. And I think that teen pop will become popular again in 2008, however it will stay longer this time. I also think that curvy cars will become popular again.

Which was better?  Emo from 2001, or emo from 2002?

Which was better?  Emo from 2001, or emo from 2002?


Emo doesn't exist.

yes it does.

Unfortunatly, it does exist.  ::)

But if we all get in on a collabrative effort and believe it doesn't exist all together... As the world's unified whole, we can make it disappear.

But if we all get in on a collabrative effort and believe it doesn't exist all together... As the world's unified whole, we can make it disappear.


What are we talking about again?

What are we talking about again?


It doesn't matter, it was all in our minds.

This coming from a senior in high school:

(by the way, this is only in reference to the 21st century version of "emo", not the 80s roots)

I think that the first time I heard the word "emo" was in early 2005, and since I was only in 7th grade then it had probably been a cultural trend for at least a few months at that point. I agree that the goth/nu-metal look that was popular 2000-2002ish kind of phased into the emo look. Late 2004 sounds accurate as to when the look started to take over, and I'd say by the beginning of 2006 it was in full swing. Remember Lindsay Lohan's dark haired friend in Mean Girls? I consider that to be early emo, and the film was released in 2004 so that makes sense. In terms of music, I'd say that even though that fast pop-punk had ben around for awhile (blink, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan), it really took off with American Idiot in Fall 2004. Even though I don't consider Green Day to be emo, or that album for that matter, it was pretty clear to me that the look that the guys had during that era really transcended with a lot of other bands that were getting popular at the time (Dashboard Confessional, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend, My Chem, etc). I think that 2005 was the year I remember MCR having their first big album with the hit "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)".

Then by 2006 the fashion and music were on top. I considered Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and My Chemical Romance to be the "Big Three" of the mainstream emo bands (yeah, all of their fans insisted that they "weren't emo", but the rest of the world still refered to them as such). By around 2007 it had reached its peak, with other similar bands like Boys Like Girls, Plain White T's, Metro Station, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, etc all being pretty popular. The whole look and especially that flat and swirly hairstyle were extremely common.

Now in mid-2009, I'd say this. Emo as a musical genre appears to have declined in popularity a little. I wouldn't say that it's totally reached circa 1991 for hair metal, but it seems like there hasn't been many "emo" hits in a while, and the pop music trends are now leaning more towards dance music, a la Rihanna, Lady Gaga, etc. However, it's still pretty dominant in terms of fashion. Pretty much every time I go to the mall on a Friday or Saturday night, the food court has tons of people with the emo look.

In my opinion, 2007 will go down as the peak year in terms of emo as a pop culture item, as it being cool and whatnot with music and fashion, though as a mindset it probably was around 2004-2005. I also agree with the person who said that bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, while too early to have been called emo back then, will probably get grouped into the era as emo bands.

I first heard the term in 2005, but that was the year i kind of sprung myself back into pop culture.

I wanna say throughout 2003 goth died and emo took over.

When did Emo get popular?

Who the FUKK cares?

I first heard it in 2005 when apparently many people few younger than me started to wear tight shirts and jeans and have a certain hairstyle and lip piercing.  I thought it was weird, since it sounded like frat boys crying over a lost girlfriend or something.  I remember in 05, this one kid from work was listing to Fall Out Boy and people gave them hell for it.  My question is, how did it get popular?  Grunge and Nu-Metal were supported by MTV for example.

It probably started in 2003 with "Simple Plan" maybe. I remember EMO being really popular in mid 2005-mid 2006 period. I think Pop-EMO enjoyed some good popularity in 2007-mid 2008 with a band like "Paramore" for example. In 2009 EMO is dead though even Pop-EMO.


A band like "Good Charlotte" their pop-punk to me not EMO ditto Blink 182 as well.

The teen girl crowd really hooked on to EMO maybe because the late 90's boybands weren;t cool anymore in 2003 the teen girl crowd found some other musical trend hook onto. Maybe this teen-girl audience didn;t like 50 cent or Lil Jon in 2003-2004 so they hooked on to the EMO trend.

So the EMO trend as a whole lasted including Pop EMo was from 2003-mid 2008 thats about the average for hot musical trend lasting I mean grunge lasted from 1992-1996, Hair Metal 1987-1991. Glam Rap as a whole ran way longer than average from 1997-mid 2008.

When I stopped taking my meds!  ;D

http://uwguild.koabd.com/e107_images/avatars/emo_lawl.jpg

(Wishes his lawn was emo so it would cut itself)


Came for it, leaving satisfied.

Actually, I have been into Emo since 1989, on UHF.

http://www.hartlarsson.com/greatis/imgs/Emo_Philips.jpg

It probably started in 2003 with "Simple Plan" maybe. I remember EMO being really popular in mid 2005-mid 2006 period. I think Pop-EMO enjoyed some good popularity in 2007-mid 2008 with a band like "Paramore" for example. In 2009 EMO is dead though even Pop-EMO.


A band like "Good Charlotte" their pop-punk to me not EMO ditto Blink 182 as well.

The teen girl crowd really hooked on to EMO maybe because the late 90's boybands weren;t cool anymore in 2003 the teen girl crowd found some other musical trend hook onto. Maybe this teen-girl audience didn;t like 50 cent or Lil Jon in 2003-2004 so they hooked on to the EMO trend.

So the EMO trend as a whole lasted including Pop EMo was from 2003-mid 2008 thats about the average for hot musical trend lasting I mean grunge lasted from 1992-1996, Hair Metal 1987-1991. Glam Rap as a whole ran way longer than average from 1997-mid 2008.


If by Glam Rap, you mean the party hip-hop that's suddenly been taken over by the autotune, I'd say it's still very popular. And annoying.

If by Glam Rap, you mean the party hip-hop that's suddenly been taken over by the autotune, I'd say it's still very popular. And annoying.
I haven;t looked at the Billboard Hot 100 in 3 weeks but "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas is the only autotone song  I know of currently and the Black Eyed Peas are not Glam Rap they're Pop-Rap.

i think of emo as like a 2002 to '08 thing. it's still popular now but only residually i think. it doesn't really have a future as a genre.

I haven;t looked at the Billboard Hot 100 in 3 weeks but "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas is the only autotone song  I know of currently and the Black Eyed Peas are not Glam Rap they're Pop-Rap.


Yes, I was thinking of pop-rap. What do you mean by Glam Rap?

Yes, I was thinking of pop-rap. What do you mean by Glam Rap?
"Glam Rap" is a genre of rap music that goes back to 1997 with Puff Daddy and includes artists like 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Lil Jon. "Glam Rap" i s defined as rappers who brag about how much money, women who they are getting with, or rapping about their latest Mercedes-Benz they bought in their songs. Glam Rap includes rap subgeneres like "ringtone rap"(DL4, Dem Franchise Boyz, or Mims) or "Crunk" like "Lil Jon" as I mentioned before.

You know, on the subject of Emo, I have to give it at least one good thing: it gave Rock music a new and unique identity for a couple years.  Now, it wasn't one I liked.  Tight pants, whining about girlfriends, and eyeliner on guys isn't really my thing.  Some of the bands like 30 Seconds to Mars weren't half bad, but it wasn't my thing and was too easy to make fun of.  However, at least it was a unique identity.

Looking on the charts right now, I think Rock seriously needs a new identity or some form of innovation now since it's lacking one at the moment.  Looking at the Hot 100 and the various Rock charts, Rock's current identity seems to consist of the following:

- Generic Post-Grunge like Nickelback, Daughtry, and Shinedown (why is this genre still around?)
- Old Nu Metal bands like Linkin Park who have changed their sound, mostly to generic Hard Rock
- Established 90s holdovers such as Green Day and Pearl Jam.  Probably the best of these categories as I tend to like these bands, but still not a unique identity.
- The occasional Indie Rock band.  Unique compared to the others, but seems to be declining in popularity.

Not everything falls into those four categories, but well over half of it certainly does.  Rock needs some serious innovation at the moment and a unique identity that doesn't rely on a 15 year old genre (Post-Grunge), generic Hard Rock leftovers from the early 00s, and bands that have been around since the mid 90s.  Emo sucked, but at least it was a uniquely 00s trend.  It seems like mainstream Rock has regressed in terms of having a real identity.

Emo sucked, but at least it was a uniquely 00s trend. 

How about we call it by it's original name?

70's Glam Rock and then 80's New Romanticism.
That's basically all it is. An old genre/style being revisited - just given a new name to try and make something new out of the old. There isn't anything unique about it, it was revived at the right time - when music needed something else.

Males wearing facial make up, androgenous clothing and their hair either done in a quiff or hanging in their face. Music in the style of Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Spandau Ballet, Roxy Music, Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, Ultravox... the list can go on. Heck, even women dressing masculine with short pixie cuts, or designing their faces so they appeared dirty, over worked and under appreciated. (very early Bananarama)

But let's not say it is something new! It drives me crazy hearing young 'uns say it is "their" music movement and that no one had ever reached the emotional heights that groups are today! Bronski Beat could beat the heck out of all of these 'emo' bands still to this day! 8)

I think I first heard the word itself in a Rolling Stone article in either late 2001 or early '02, although I wasn't clear on what it meant at the time. I thought it was like singer songwriters or some other kind of AC music, lol.

Here's the thing, I think it's hard to define where it started, because Emo sorta merged with the kind of pop/punk that had been around since 1998/'99 (i.e. "What's My Age Again", or even certain Offspring songs - although I'd never call them Emo at all, they did somewhat jumpstart the commercial punk sound that would be popular for awhile). Stuff like Jimmy Eat World or other bands were kinda transitional between the two. Like from a 2003 perspective, Simple Plan would've just been pop/punk, but from a present perspective, they can be lumped with early emo.

I'd say Emo became a fashion and a definable genre around the Kerry/Bush election or a little after. Like mid 2005 was when "Emo kid" etc. became common terms.


I can see why....

I first heard of the term in maybe 2004 and it enjoyed some decent popularity around 2006. I was never that big of a fan though there's a few alright songs. I liked "Swing, Swing" back in 03. I didn't mind Fall Out Boy's first couple hit songs at the time, My Chemical Romance I never liked very much (too screamy for my taste). Emo wasn't the worst though, snap music which was popular at the same time was worse than emo imo.

How about we call it by it's original name?

70's Glam Rock and then 80's New Romanticism.
That's basically all it is. An old genre/style being revisited - just given a new name to try and make something new out of the old. There isn't anything unique about it, it was revived at the right time - when music needed something else.

Males wearing facial make up, androgenous clothing and their hair either done in a quiff or hanging in their face. Music in the style of Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Spandau Ballet, Roxy Music, Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, Ultravox... the list can go on. Heck, even women dressing masculine with short pixie cuts, or designing their faces so they appeared dirty, over worked and under appreciated. (very early Bananarama)

But let's not say it is something new! It drives me crazy hearing young 'uns say it is "their" music movement and that no one had ever reached the emotional heights that groups are today! Bronski Beat could beat the heck out of all of these 'emo' bands still to this day! 8)


I think emo is more punk music than new romantic/glam rock. However, a lot of their fashion style is borrowed from those trends. And there have been a lot of new romantic throwbacks lately... I just don't consider them emo.

I think emo is more punk music than new romantic/glam rock. However, a lot of their fashion style is borrowed from those trends. And there have been a lot of new romantic throwbacks lately... I just don't consider them emo.


Ok, I will concur, but only because 'Punk' later transformed into New Wave, which then transformed into New Romantic etc.


"In 1976—first in London, then in the United States—"New Wave" was introduced as a complementary label for the formative scenes and groups also known as "punk"; the two terms were essentially interchangeable." ref.


But to claim that Emo is a new style of music and that it is it's own, never thought of before style is just plain wrong. Without the likes of Johnny Rotten, The Clash or The Smiths - each musical spin-off would never have happened. Only then could Emo be called it's own, brand new musical style. ;)

Two words, Godd Charlotte.

To paraphrase , what a charecter said in one of my favorite movies, said....

"That Emo rock you guys listen to is gutless."

You can guess, how much of a fan of Emo, I am.

;D

Ok, I will concur, but only because 'Punk' later transformed into New Wave, which then transformed into New Romantic etc.


"In 1976—first in London, then in the United States—"New Wave" was introduced as a complementary label for the formative scenes and groups also known as "punk"; the two terms were essentially interchangeable." ref.


But to claim that Emo is a new style of music and that it is it's own, never thought of before style is just plain wrong. Without the likes of Johnny Rotten, The Clash or The Smiths - each musical spin-off would never have happened. Only then could Emo be called it's own, brand new musical style. ;)


Man, I love musical history. XD

I've been listening to a lot of new wave/post-punk lately... and it's interesting how none of our rock music now would not exist without these first.

Man, I love musical history. XD

I've been listening to a lot of new wave/post-punk lately... and it's interesting how none of our rock music now would not exist without these first.



karma Dude, karma!

And you know that I know you speak the truth! 8)

I believe Emo got popular in 2007. Emo bands, such as My Chemical Romance, were mentioned in 'Radio 1's Stories of the Noughties: 2007' that aired on Monday 7th December 2009.

Emo bands, such as My Chemical Romance, were mentioned in 'Radio 1's Stories of the Noughties: 2007' that aired on Monday 7th December 2009.


I wonder if this signals a resurgence in emo popularity? ???

i think of emo as like a 2002 to '08 thing. it's still popular now but only residually i think. it doesn't really have a future as a genre.


Emo did'nt even exist till 2005 you cock

I agree. I think because of the pop-punk in the early 00s, in 2020 there will be a stereotype that the 00s was ALL about emo, every year from 2000 to 2009 was full of it.


Kind of like the '90s are stereotyped to have been all about grunge.  From my memory, rap and eurodance were just as popular in the '90s as grunge.

I think the Emo era was about 2004 to 2007.

Emo is one of the worse music genres in music history IMO.  8-P

2005.

Kind of like the '90s are stereotyped to have been all about grunge.  From my memory, rap and eurodance were just as popular in the '90s as grunge.


Yeah, and other rock bands were just as popular, if not more than those grunge bands like Guns N Roses and Metallica.  To some people, Metallica was an 80s band, but they really got huge in the 90s with the Black Album, Load, and Reload.

I think the Emo era was about 2004 to 2007.

Emo is one of the worse music genres in music history IMO.  8-P


Emo fashion peaked in '08 at least in my area.  It's still popular today even though there has been a noticeable decline.

Emo fashion peaked in '08 at least in my area.  It's still popular today even though there has been a noticeable decline.


Oh!! I didn't know.  :o

When ever I see/hear the word "emo", I always think of the mid 00's, ESPECIALLY 2005. It has declined a lot, at least in my area, since 2007. Thank God!

Was it true that one kid from Myspace around 2005/6 killed himself after he posted a myspace blog and listening to Simple Plan?

I believe the first time I heard the term "emo" was in early 2005, although I was only in seventh grade at the time and surely not as culturally aware as others. I do know that throughout 2003 bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan were quite popular and had they come out a few years later would surely be defined as "emo", but due to the time I don't remember them being labeled as so. Simple Plan in particular sang really whiny songs about life sucking and have no friends, etc. I consider these bands to be somewhat "pre-emo".

Due to my early '05 hearing of the term, I'd say sometime in mid-2004 was when it really started to take off. Green Day's American Idiot came out in either August or September of that year, I believe, and while I dont' consider Green Day or even that album to be genuine emo, there's no denying that the look of them at the time and the outlook/feel of that album certainly gave the craze a jolt. Hell, most emo kids loved the album anyway (I did too but I was never emo). Also in 2004 My Chemical Romance released their Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album that made them popular, and contained the song "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", which is probably the defining emo song.

Then throughout 2005 all the other bands like Hawthorne Heights, Taking Back Sunday, 30 Seconds to Mars, Dashboard Confessional, and others became popular. Also, that's when the pop-emo bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco became really huge.

If I have to pick an absolute peak year I'd say 2007. FOB, MCR, and PATD were considered the Big 3, and the genre's fashion was equally popular. Even if you weren't considered emo, many had that haircut. I remember throughout 2007 saying to myself how it was probably at a similar spot hair metal was 20 years ago. By 2008 some other bands like Paramore and Metro Station got big, and over the course of that year it's popularity really started to decline. I guess just none of the bands released any hit songs. Also, FOB took a hiatus that they are still on, PATD lost two members but pretty much broke up, and MCR simply takes forever to do sheesh. By 2009 the fad was pretty much over (musically at least, though even today the look is somewhat present, though much less prevalent than around 07).

So I'd say it really got popular around 2005, hit it's peak 2006-2007, and declined over the course of 2008. However, I'm only referring to 00s emo, not any 80s roots.

It's funny, emo music itself started to be popular around 2002, even the late 90's a bit (Weezer and Third Eye Blind really are early emo groups), but emo kids and the term emo was NOT common circulation until 2005.

i would say by now it is almost, not quite, dead.

It's funny, emo music itself started to be popular around 2002, even the late 90's a bit (Weezer and Third Eye Blind really are early emo groups), but emo kids and the term emo was NOT common circulation until 2005.

i would say by now it is almost, not quite, dead.


Both Weezer and TEB are alternative rock bands.  Sure they were poppy, but no way were they emo themselves.

Paramore is actually quite good, not like guilty pleasure good but actually pretty talented. Hayley Williams is a talented girl, writes good lyrics, and has a great voice. They're pretty underrated by some people really, some just ignorantly throw the emo label at everything and call it garbage without giving it any chance.  ::)

This oozes awesomeness:  8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9A6tn_P6g&feature=channel

Paramore is actually quite good, not like guilty pleasure good but actually pretty talented. Hayley Williams is a talented girl, writes good lyrics, and has a great voice. They're pretty underrated by some people really, some just ignorantly throw the emo label at everything and call it garbage without giving it any chance.  ::)

This oozes awesomeness:  8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9A6tn_P6g&feature=channel
I remember "Paramore" in early 2009 being labeled "Pop-Emo".

i blame it 100% on tom delonge.
at first, he was in blink-182 all happy and jumpy, yelling dick jokes and what not but in 2002 he started box car racer which was influenced from EMOTIVE HARDCORE bands from the 80s. when he came back to blink-182, the project definitely had an impact on them and blink's self-titled is really where pop punk and emo combined and most of the so called emo bands probably drew inspiration from this album.

Has anyone noticed the complete dissapearance of emo music from the mainstream? After 2008 it fell off a cliff. Definitely a far cry from 2005-2007, when it peaked (although overall the emo era was 2002-2008).

I've already started to see a pretty substantial amount of used emo CDs at the thrift stores. That is a warning sign that a genre is doomed.

I think a lot of non-emo middle school and high school girls got into it becuse MTV promoted it as the "hot thing" for a while, but then abandoned it.

Emo was just a fad like crunk. The Ke$ha stuff is the current fad, then there will be some other fad to replace it.

Fall Out Boy was the Duran Duran of the 00s.

I actually like a lot of emo, but still, the stuff is gonna sound rediculously cheesy and dated in say, 2015.

Emo fashion has finally started to drop off in the second half of '10.  In 2009 the emo haircut and skinny jeans on men were still pretty popular.  Today, I see relatively few guys wearing that style.

Skinny jeans are just starting to get popular. Emo hair is definitely out though. I haven't seen anyone with it in quite a while.

I didn't really notice the emo trend come into popularity until around 2005. That was also the year I noticed a lot of kids dressed in punk fashion. I remember Green Day and My Chemical Romance were popular amongst them.

The question for me is not when did emo get popular, but WHY?!

Around 2005

Emo got popular around late 2004 to early 2005. Unfortuntely, the music lasted in the mainstream until about 2008. Way to long for crap music like that to last. The Emo fashion lasted up to this year, but it is FAR less popular and is pretty much dead at this point.

I would say Emo got popular around 2005.It hit it's peak during 2005-2007,mainly 2006.Everything from the bands(MCR,FoB,P!ATD,others),the Myspace profiles,the self-cutting,etc.I say the emo fad died out in 2008.Though Black Veil Brides(who got popular in 09/10) is popular with the modern emo crowd,along with the "scene" crowd.

Emo got replaced by the "scene" fad.Imagine if someone spilled Crayola paint on an emo kid & they became happy,you have a scene kid.I would say it started around 2009 & it's peak in 2010-2011 with Screamo/Metalcore bands(AA,BMTH,ETF,etc) instead of Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock sounding bands.Though the males wearing Skinny Jeans & Emo hairstyle stays popular with the scene crowd.Around 2012 is when the scene fad is starting to die out,& it will probably die out sooner than later.

I would say Emo got popular around 2005.It hit it's peak during 2005-2007,mainly 2006.Everything from the bands(MCR,FoB,P!ATD,others),the Myspace profiles,the self-cutting,etc.I say the emo fad died out in 2008.Though Black Veil Brides(who got popular in 09/10) is popular with the modern emo crowd,along with the "scene" crowd.

Emo got replaced by the "scene" fad.Imagine if someone spilled Crayola paint on an emo kid & they became happy,you have a scene kid.I would say it started around 2009 & it's peak in 2010-2011 with Screamo/Metalcore bands(AA,BMTH,ETF,etc) instead of Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock sounding bands.Though the males wearing Skinny Jeans & Emo hairstyle stays popular with the scene crowd.Around 2012 is when the scene fad is starting to die out,& it will probably die out sooner than later.


myspace is a big reason why emo took off

All the emos turned into hipsters  :P

I thought emo was the 00's goth.  Just like dubstep is the 10's jungle.

Ah, emo... I remember when it was at it's peak when I was in high school. Absolutely was not a fan. 8-P

I thought emo was the 00's goth.  Just like dubstep is the 10's jungle.


You misinformed retard, the last goth trend was going from late 90's-2004 so how would that make emo "2000's" goth you moron? Havent seen an emo since around early 2009 anyway.

R.I.P          LOL

You misinformed retard, the last goth trend was going from late 90's-2004 so how would that make emo "2000's" goth you moron? Havent seen an emo since around early 2009 anyway.

R.I.P          LOL


First of, emo is a subgenre of punk, it has been around since the 1980's and takes alot of influence from "gothic" subculture, with some other fads thrown in.  Btw, calling me a "moron" and then ending your post in huge black capital letters with an LOL at the end, doesn't emphasize anything, or make me a moron, it just shows your biased and idiotic point of view. I could technically call you a moron in bold print, but I think you proved it already with your vague, juvenile, and "moronic" post.  ::)

Emo infuenced fads started fading in 2009 and were all but gone in 2010.

I'd say emo is a 2003-2010 thing, peaking in 2006-07. It's definitely left its mark on this decade though, I think 'scene' is more of a 2010s thing and it's definitely emo's direct descendant and it's still very much alive if you go to any kind of music festival, it's nothing but scene people.

I'd say emo is a 2003-2010 thing, peaking in 2006-07. It's definitely left its mark on this decade though, I think 'scene' is more of a 2010s thing and it's definitely emo's direct descendant and it's still very much alive if you go to any kind of music festival, it's nothing but scene people.


Agreed. Emo was definitley big in 2006. Panic At The Disco was popular then with "I Write Sins Not Tragedies". And yes, 2010 is the latest that I would've seen any real significance of emo in culture.

Emo didn't hit the mainstream until 2006 with MySpace. People like Matthew Lush aka gay god are a perfect example. Prior to 06, it was more of a goth/mall goth thing. In 2005 and 2004, emo was probably just starting, but not known about as much. It was really more of a post 2006 thing. I also find that kids born in the early 90s adopted emo more often than kids born in the 80s, hence why it popularized more towards the middle of the decade.

Also, agreed 100 percent with panic at the disco

I think I first heard the term around the beginning of my freshman year in 2005. It was popular for basically my entire high school tenure, probably peaking during my sophomore year, but it faded rapidly during my senior year ('08-'09). By Fall of '09, I was in college and don't really recall seeing any emo people around campus? Idk, maybe there were still some in high schools though.

I was in high school at an interesting time, since those 4 years touched every year of the second half of the decade (Fall of 2005 to Spring of 2009). When I started high school, gangsta rap was still in, and by the time I graduated, Lady Gaga was starting to become popular.

Emo didn't hit the mainstream until 2006 with MySpace. People like Matthew Lush aka gay god are a perfect example. Prior to 06, it was more of a goth/mall goth thing. In 2005 and 2004, emo was probably just starting, but not known about as much. It was really more of a post 2006 thing. I also find that kids born in the early 90s adopted emo more often than kids born in the 80s, hence why it popularized more towards the middle of the decade.


I disagree actually. I think people born in the late 80s were equally likely to be emo or scene. There were tons of 15, 16, 17 year old emos in the mid 2000s that were born in 1987 and 1988. And conversely, someone born in 1993 or 1994 was just barely old enough to have hopped on that boat.

Emos were always looked down upon and a minority of people in high school though. A lot of people liked the bands, but to actually fully be the part definitely was never considered 'cool' at any point. Of course, recent pop culture is so fragmented that nothing is really considered cool, especially not being mainstream.

I disagree actually. I think people born in the late 80s were equally likely to be emo or scene. There were tons of 15, 16, 17 year old emos in the mid 2000s that were born in 1987 and 1988. And conversely, someone born in 1993 or 1994 was just barely old enough to have hopped on that boat.

Emos were always looked down upon and a minority of people in high school though. A lot of people liked the bands, but to actually fully be the part definitely was never considered 'cool' at any point. Of course, recent pop culture is so fragmented that nothing is really considered cool, especially not being mainstream.


In this mid-late '00s, emo fashion took completely over despite the fact emos were looked down on. Nearly every dude in 2008 between age 15 and 25 had that scene swoop haircut.

I was in high school from 2001 until 2005 and the whole Emo thing was basically non-existent, even in my senior year. Around here, Nu Metal/Post Grunge was the music of choice among white male students, although I live deep in redneck country, so maybe that had something to do with it.

I was in high school from 2001 until 2005 and the whole Emo thing was basically non-existent, even in my senior year. Around here, Nu Metal/Post Grunge was the music of choice among white male students, although I live deep in redneck country, so maybe that had something to do with it.


Interesting. Yeah I think it started in late 2005 so probably late 1987 would be the oldest people likely to have been into it. My school year was in high school from late 2004 to mid 2008 which was basically the height of it, though the year right after mine was the only span completely inside of it. So I'd probably say the ultimate emo year would be the class of 2009, and the 3 years around that would fit the bill to some extent.

I was in high school from 2005-2009 and about half of my classmates were emos to some extent.

I was in high school from 2001 until 2005 and the whole Emo thing was basically non-existent, even in my senior year. Around here, Nu Metal/Post Grunge was the music of choice among white male students, although I live deep in redneck country, so maybe that had something to do with it.


Did nearly every guy have this haircut?

http://www.haircutstyle.net/images/menhairstyles193.jpg


Interesting. Yeah I think it started in late 2005 so probably late 1987 would be the oldest people likely to have been into it. My school year was in high school from late 2004 to mid 2008 which was basically the height of it, though the year right after mine was the only span completely inside of it. So I'd probably say the ultimate emo year would be the class of 2009, and the 3 years around that would fit the bill to some extent.


I would say emo goes back as far as 1985.  Some people jumped on the bandwagon in college.  I knew a lot of guys in college who were emo all born in the 1985-1987 timeframe.  I even knew one guy in 2008 who was a college grad who went for a job interview with his emo bangs so long it completely covered one of his eyes and I thought "grow up and cut your hair, you are in the real world now!"  My guess is he is probably a hipster today.