Emo and "emo" music-- enough!!

It is a genre of music, but it’s not so simple. There is much more to it. The definition isn’t so clear. The root word is emotional. It refers to a distinction of attitude, dress, hair, and even makeup; all as of result of the music. I think? I’m not sure if this is directly related, but the style or regime of goth seems like it is just a stage beyond emo.

·         The trademark is straight long black hair, down over the eyes usually.

·         The dress is normally baggy and black, sometimes with pins and unusual accessories like spiked bracelets.

·         The attitude is generally pissed off at life for no reason. A “kill your mother” / “what’s the point” / “I hate myself anyway” / “slit your wrists”-kinda thing.

·         White, pale makeup is sported in excess.

Sounds pretty lame, no?

It is… trust me on that one.

I don’t get it, nor have I tried to… nor do I care to. I am not a professional here and I sure as hell am not an emo myself… I’m just an observant.

Okay here’s maybe a better example than my rambling… Spiderman 3, when Tobey McGuire is empowered by the big bad archrival Venom. He turns all dark, wannabe cool, and has an emo thing going on huge… He’s wearing all black, has a bad attitude, and when he takes off the mask, his hair has the emo tinge huge… bangs down, almost to eye level.

Emo, the certain genre of music… which I think is senseless right there in itself, giving a certain musical genre a title like emo. How can you just label anything with the route word being so general, such as “emotional”?

Makes no sense.

It’s like when beer companies advertise that “we have the coldest beer.” Cold is not a taste, it’s a temperature.

I am aware that emo has its own definition past “emotional”, but whoever created it used a root word wayy too general. I mean, come on, can’t all types of music be emotional? It should be… it gives the music substance. Has anyone ever seen Andrew W.K. perform? Fuck, is it ever emotional! And no one has classified him as emo. Why? Because the genre of music isn’t what makes it emotional! Now that I’ve won my argument against no one, I’ll define the “genre” :)

Emo is rock, but it’s never too heavy… with a good shade of punk to it. I guess it’s more like girly rock? It’s hard to explain… I’m trying here! My Chemical Romance seems to be the classic example used by everyone (receiving the “emo”-torch from Good Charlotte). But their dress may be the only evident root to it. They are crazy into the black, but by the release of The Black Parade the lead singer changed it up and dyed his hair blonde (cover-up?). Musically, MCR have a good punk feel to them (re: “Helena”), but mostly they are straight rock (re: “Famous Last Words”). Personally, I think this genre should just be called “alternative rock”.

I call for an end to the classification known as emo because, let’s face it, emo is just becoming the mainstream. There are countless bands with enormous amounts of popularity popping up onto the scene that play this type of rock. Taking Back Sunday, Fallout Boy, Panic! At the Disco, and countless others. I want to abolish this distinction because there are zero bands who are just stereotyped straight rock anymore! Really, it’s all bulked-in as “Alternative Rock”. This is not the era of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. There just isn’t mainstream rock and roll anymore! Wolfmother has to be the most original band to burst onto the scene in a long time. And they are pure rockers. Generic is a bad call, because they’re pretty original. Still, “alternative rock” has been strapped to them. Bands like the Foo Fighters, The Trews, Nickelback, Chevelle, Default, Theory of a Deadman, Breaking Benjamin, and 30 Seconds to Mars are hard rock.

Stop it with this stupid emo tag! It’s dragging rock down by classifying the pre-mentioned bands as alternative rock. Call emo music, “alternative rock”, and leave the rockers as “Rock”. It’s not that complicated…

            Getting back to how introduced that whole topic of emo, I personally like some bands who are classified as emo, and I hate others. Seems like the more “rock” they are, I enjoy, and the more “poppy” they are I don’t like.