To start off, I am expecting no one to agree with this one, because I might be the only one that feels this way. What I'm really trying to say is that I believe that "emo" is not, or rather, no longer a genre of music.
First of all, lets look at what emo is defined as. Emo is short for Emotional. Now there are a lot of emotional songs in all kinds of music, but hardly any of them are labeled as emo, only the ones that are in rock music and dress a certain way. And that is what music is to me; a fashion. If a band is dress even remotedly emo (stranger that usual hair cut, tight pants, band t-shirts), there music is labeled emo. I mean Britney Spears and the Jonas Brothers have emotional songs (I know, hard to believe), but they aren't labeled emo, because they don't look at all. Emo is a fashion. I, in no way consider emo a genre, it may have been about 12 years aog, but as of the mid 2000's, no sir.
And that happens to a lot of the new bands around today. Most of them if they are some form of rock, they will automaticly be labelled as emo. This is very unfair because they are automaticly lumped into a stereotypical genre and in some ways, are over looked (unless you are Fall Out Boy) and there music isn't taken as seriously. Honestly, this just grinds my gears so bad.
Another thing that bugs be about emo is people saying that emo people are always depressed and cut themselves. This is just disrespectful. Depression is nothing to laugh about and both depression and cutting are serious pysological disorders and take years to get over. No one should joke about that. It's horrible.
Anyways, I think the main idea I'm trying to get across is that I don't believe emo is a genre anymore. It's all about the fashion, not the music.
2 comments:
I agree with you to a point. Except that, in my opinion, EMO doens't stop as merely a fashion statement.
I do agree that EMO kids/people/artists are labelled unfairly. Remember, though, that stereotypes begin from some truth - were ALL nazis bad? Are all African people great athletes and singers?
In my opinion, EMO is a lifestyle that is taken to various lengths by its members. While many are seen to be loners who don't socialize well, they seem to me like misfits who are misunderstood - they seem to socialize VERY well within their own group.
Some EMO kids are depressed, and do participate in some of the same behaviors that depressed people do. This sometimes can involve cutting, self-mutilation, self-hurt, and burning. I agree that it is unfair to paint them all with the same brush - I would venture to guess that the overpaid guys in The Used probably aren't as depressed as the characters they portray in their music and videos. Are they still EMO? I think probably.
The label EMO being attached to Coheed and Cambria is altogether another blog....
Good stuff Janel. 10/10
Yeah, I get what you mean Janel.
I try to avoid using that word, because I'm getting sick of how it's been overused for everything.
All music is emotional in some way or another. It's pretty much impossible to not have any emotion in music. I feel too that it has gone beyond the music and is based on other aspects, such as clothing and behaviour.
I find myself being defensive when people around me say something is emo, but it may not be. Like, someone is wearing their hood up, that's emo! No it isn't! Maybe they're cold, gosh! That kind of thing gets on my nerves.
"Emo" has been blown up into something it never was intended to be in the first place.
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