I would say the hipster phenomenon has replaced emo as the dominant youth and twentysomething movement.  It seems like everybody today between 18 and 29 wants to identify as a hipster, wants to wear the clothes, shop at organic stores, attend music festivals, wants to live somewhere where they don't have to own a car, supports marijauna, liberal politics, etc.  It's reminiscent of the 1960s hippie movement except a lot more commercialized and less authentic.  The cities young people are moving to for their careers or personal ambition are those known for their hipsters, like San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Austin, etc.  Hipster has also become so mainstream (like emo) it doesn't mean what it meant just a few years ago and hipster fads are infiltrating everywhere, even those who don't consider themselves to be such (remember Bieber hair was an emo fad but nearly every guy had it in 2008).  I say hipster is so far the big cultural fad of the 2010s and it appears to just be getting started.  Occupy Wall St is very hipster-centric as well.  It's an entire cohort of people all trying to be so different they are just like everyone else.

Hipster does indeed have some similarities to Emo, though its prominence among young people is highly overstated by this thread.  Most young people, at least among those in college, are fairly "normal" and not really affiliated with hipsters.  This is almost always the case with countercultures and subcultures.  For example, contrary to popular image, the majority of college students actually were not hippies or affiliated with the hippie subculture in the late 60s.

Just as common as hipsters among young people, perhaps even more so, is a curious hatred of hipsters.  Hipsters are like the new Emo in this regard - I tend to see more people complaining about hipsters than I see actual hipsters.  Emo became like this too, with more people hating on Emo and complaining about it than actual Emo kids running about.  I don't deny that hipsters are definitely more popular than they were a few years ago and the trend will only increase in the future, though I still have some doubts as to whether it will be the "future" of the 2010s like some on this board say.  After all, a lot of people here thought Occupy Wall Street would help define the 2010s and that whole thing went bust fairly quickly (yeah I know its still going, I have sympathies with it, but its not relevant culturally now).

Hipster does indeed have some similarities to Emo, though its prominence among young people is highly overstated by this thread.  Most young people, at least among those in college, are fairly "normal" and not really affiliated with hipsters.  This is almost always the case with countercultures and subcultures.  For example, contrary to popular image, the majority of college students actually were not hippies or affiliated with the hippie subculture in the late 60s.

Just as common as hipsters among young people, perhaps even more so, is a curious hatred of hipsters.  Hipsters are like the new Emo in this regard - I tend to see more people complaining about hipsters than I see actual hipsters.  Emo became like this too, with more people hating on Emo and complaining about it than actual Emo kids running about.  I don't deny that hipsters are definitely more popular than they were a few years ago and the trend will only increase in the future, though I still have some doubts as to whether it will be the "future" of the 2010s like some on this board say.  After all, a lot of people here thought Occupy Wall Street would help define the 2010s and that whole thing went bust fairly quickly (yeah I know its still going, I have sympathies with it, but its not relevant culturally now).


I get what you are saying, but hipster culture and fashion is making its way into mainstream society and being embraced by the masses, even those who don't consider themselves hipster and may in fact dislike them.  Today's fads are by and large based off hipster. From colleges to non-denominational megachurches, hipster style and worldview is everywhere these days to one extent or another even though many wouldn't admit it.  We saw the same with emo - the clothes and hairstyles popular in the mid to late '00s were very emo influenced despite the fact there was a lot more hatred of emo than there was true emo. 

I think emo was more frowned upon

I think emo was more frowned upon


Agreed.  It's "cool" right now to be a hipster.  Emo clothes, hairstyle, and music was "cool" but it was never as cool to be emo that I can remember.

Hipster is just evolved emo, but twice as obnoxious.

That being said, it will probably define the 10s.

In my high school, emo was never "cool" (I was in high school from Fall of '05 to Spring of '09 for reference...pretty much during the peak of the emo scene). Like I said, emo kids were kind of looked down upon as being weird and self-pitying, whereas with hipsters, it's not necessarily the epitome of cool, but it's not really frowned upon. They also blend in much better with "regular" people, as in it's not as big a part of their visual identity.

Emo just seemed like an updated version of goth with some punk influence. I don't really see how the hipster scene is related to the emo scene. Emo was about dark, skinny clothing, piercings, weird make-up, longer/dyed black hair, and a "poor me, my life sucks and no one understands me" attitude. Hipsters are more artsy and sophisticated, progressive-thinking, and wear things like thick-frame glasses, beards, scarves, throw-back hats and shoes or clothing in general. I'd say they're more like modern hippies than emo.

In my high school, emo was never "cool" (I was in high school from Fall of '05 to Spring of '09 for reference...pretty much during the peak of the emo scene). Like I said, emo kids were kind of looked down upon as being weird and self-pitying, whereas with hipsters, it's not necessarily the epitome of cool, but it's not really frowned upon. They also blend in much better with "regular" people, as in it's not as big a part of their visual identity.

Emo just seemed like an updated version of goth with some punk influence. I don't really see how the hipster scene is related to the emo scene. Emo was about dark, skinny clothing, piercings, weird make-up, longer/dyed black hair, and a "poor me, my life sucks and no one understands me" attitude. Hipsters are more artsy and sophisticated, progressive-thinking, and wear things like thick-frame glasses, beards, scarves, throw-back hats and shoes or clothing in general. I'd say they're more like modern hippies than emo.


I totally agree that hipster and emo are two entirely different fads.  The similarity is the way they have completely taken over pop culture and young adult culture.  Emo-lite style was "cool" in the late '00s even though actually being emo was not. I would say however that the age range for hipsters goes a little older than emo did.  You didn't see very many emo kids over 25 while you see hipsters up to late-20s.  Many former emo kids are now hipster adults.

I don't see it yet. Maybe it's just the location I'm at. Hipster's existed throughout the 00's as well but I never saw an explosion yet like Emo was. Most people look similar now unlike in the 00's where there were a bunch of Emo's and stuff.

I don't see it yet. Maybe it's just the location I'm at. Hipster's existed throughout the 00's as well but I never saw an explosion yet like Emo was. Most people look similar now unlike in the 00's where there were a bunch of Emo's and stuff.


There has been a hipster explosion in many parts of the country, though most will call it "hipster-lite."  It's the more commercialized, mainstream version, but it has just as much to do with worldview as it does fashion.  Go to any part of your city known for being young, hip, and popular with young professionals, or any college campus and you'll see what I am talking about.  Also, much like the hippies of the '60s, there is also a worldview associated with the lifestyle centered around devotion to liberal politics, environmental consciousness, opposition to religion, opposition to suburbia/chain stores/restaurants, pro-marijuana, supporting indie music, the desire to live in a walkable neighborhood and not own a car, among other things.  Many might consider this just the way today's youth is but this worldview is part of a larger fad which is hipster and there is a lot of peer pressure to assimilate.  I agree hipsters existed throughout the '00s but the fad really started to explode in 2008 as emo was starting to die out.

I think so. I pretty much never hear about emo any more. You can still find emo/scene kids if you go to Warped tour or something, and some of the fashion has lingered on but generally speaking, nobody listens to bands like Hawthorne Heights anymore. Many of them do still tour but mostly play small venues and it's obvious their time in the sun is up.

I graduated from high school in 2010, and I remember emo being pretty influential throughout all my four years in high school, though it did start diminishing around my senior year.

This song is pretty emo, and it sounds like it could have been released in the mid-to-late '00s, but it was actually released in spring, 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tE31Wd7DF4

Yes, I think 2010 was the last year emo was kinda still a force. You had "The Only Exception" by Paramore which was the last emo hit.

Most hipsters are ex-emos, so it makes sense.

And yeah, I mark 2010 as both the last year of emo (though it peaked in 2005-2007), and the first year hipster really took off.

I honestly could care less about hipster or emo.  ::)

I honestly could care less about hipster or emo.  ::)


Ignorance is bliss for me because I don't know what a hipster is or much about emo.  And I am grafetul for that. I guess it must be a young peoples thread, not for old fogeys like me.  I'll leave it to "the generation gap".

Most hipsters are ex-emos, so it makes sense.

And yeah, I mark 2010 as both the last year of emo (though it peaked in 2005-2007), and the first year hipster really took off.


Agree with this.  I think hipster is more popular than emo ever was though.  I would say most people today between the ages of 18 and 28, especially guys, are hipsters or bandwagon hipsters.

Bandwagon hipsters and actual hipsters are the same thing. Nobody is a hipster in their own eyes.

Bandwagon hipsters and actual hipsters are the same thing. Nobody is a hipster in their own eyes.


This is completely true.

NYTimes editorial: How to live without Irony, an Xer's take on the hipster thing, and an interview with the author.