One of the most controversial music genres that has developed into a teenage cult.
Is it a misunderstood music sect or an overrated genre? Tharindu Elkin investigates…
Technically ?Emo? is a term for a counter culture that has derived from the genre of ?Emocore?. ?Emocore? is a musical hybrid of the hardcore and punk genres, however ?Emocore? incorporates an emotional edge to these particular styles. Pretty complicated…
The genre was recently attacked by the Daily Mail as it was referred to as a ?suicide cult? and blamed it for the suicide of a 13 year old girl in Kent, this triggered a protest that saw fans of emo marching from Hyde Park to the papers? offices.
Who are Emos?
Emos are the people that listen to the ?Emocore? genre and follow the culture. They are often stereotyped by many people including the media as being suicidal, depressed and associated with self-harm. They are also associated with their particular fashion, this consists of band T shirts, tight jeans and a hair style with a long straight fringe brushed to the side. They can easily be identified by their black clothing and sometimes excessive amounts of black makeup.
Why is Emo so controversial?
Due to the different fashion that is worn by Emos, many people, particularly the younger generation, perceive them as being homosexual. This is another stereotype that has given the culture a bad name. The older generation has started to complain because of the ways in which emos express their emotion. The culture has been falsely linked with self harm and suicide due to the lyrical content of some emo songs. Although the culture is constantly attacked by the media, emos defend themselves because they believe that the culture is not linked with suicide or self-harm.
