Emo

Emo, short for Emotional Hardcore, is a rock music genre and youth subculture that originated in the mid-1980s Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, emerging as a reaction against violence and hyper-masculinity. The aesthetic is rooted in emotional expression, introspection, and nonconformity, and its most recognizable visual era peaked in the mid-2000s with bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco driving the look. Emo fashion in the mid-to-late 2000s included skinny jeans, tight band t-shirts, studded belts, Converse sneakers, Vans, and black wristbands, while heavy eyeliner and black fingernails became common during this era. Hair was a defining element too — typically jet black, side-swept, and straightened with a long fringe covering one eye, often accented with streaks of color.