emo
Syllables: e·moUS/ˈiː.moʊ/
emo noun: a subgenre of late 1980s hardcore punk originating in Washington D.C., characterized by intense, highly emotional performances, dynamic shifts, and a departure from traditional punk song structures (also emocore).
Noun
emo (countable and uncountable, plural emos)
- A subgenre of late 1980s hardcore punk originating in Washington D.C., characterized by intense, highly emotional performances, dynamic shifts, and a departure from traditional punk song structures (also emocore).
- A 1990s indie rock movement characterized by complex guitar work (often borrowing from math rock), dynamic shifts, arpeggiated melodies, and deeply introspective lyrics; commonly referred to as Midwest emo.
- Synonyms:
- Midwest emo
- A commercially successful 2000s alternative rock and pop-punk movement characterized by theatricality, melancholic, or romantically frustrated themes, and highly polished production.
- Synonyms:
- emo pop
- Electronic-infused subgenres incorporating aggressive, satirical, or hedonistic themes layered over post-hardcore or pop-punk foundations (e.g., crunkcore, neon pop-punk).
- A person associated with a fashion or stereotype of that style of rock.
- A participant in the heavily aestheticized 2000s and 2010s subculture.
- (by extension) A typically young individual whose outward persona is characterized by introspection, sensitivity, melancholy, or angst; considered to be overly emotional or who is associated with the emo subculture.
- Sometimes used pejoratively to imply inauthenticity (poser) or used ironically to denote exaggerated teenage rebellion.
Adjective
emo (comparative more emo, superlative most emo)
- Associated with youth subcultures which are associated with the above-mentioned musical genre(s) and with emotional sensitivity.
- The one thing everyone agrees on is that they've never encountered a band that claimed to be emo.2007, James A. Reinking, Robert Von Der Osten, Strategies for successful writing
- Trevor looks kind of emo, rail thin, dark hair, guyliner, wears black all the time.2012, Megan Bostic, Never Eighteen
- Emotional, sensitive, or contemplative; regardless of musical preference or subcultural affiliation.
- Depressed.
- Criticism drapes a black velvet cape across the puddle that interrupts the path to change, to be emo about it.2008, Vanity Fair, number 578
- Exhibiting a fashion or visual aesthetic associated with the subculture; a presentation deliberately or unintentionally incorporating dark clothing, asymmetrical haircuts covering one eye, studded accessories, and often borrowing elements from gothic fashion, Burtonesque macabre, or brightly colored scene or geek aesthetics.
- Hot Topic is historically recognized as the go-to mall emo store, particularly during the 2000s, serving as a primary hub for alternative, scene, and punk fashion, music merch, and accessories like studded belts.
Proper noun (1) capitalized: Emo
Emo
Proper noun (2) capitalized: Emo
Emo
emo meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
emo in Hindi
- ई. एम. ओ, ईमो
emo in Tamil
- ஈமோ, எமோ
emo in Marathi
- music
- ईमो īmo
emo in Urdu
- ایمو, ای ایم او
More languagesFewer languages
- emo in Bengali
- ই. এম. ও
- emo in Telugu
- ఎమో, ఈమో
- emo in Malayalam
- എമോ
- emo in Kannada
- ಎಮೋ, ಇಮೊ
- emo in Punjabi
- ਈ. ਐੱਮ. ਓ, ਈਮੋ
- emo in Odia
- ଇମୋ, ଇ. ଏମ. ଓ, ଇ. ଏମ୍. ଓ
- emo in Nepali
- ईमो
- emo in Arabic
- إِيمُو ʔīmū
Examples of emo in a sentence
- She got into the emo scene at an early age.
- The three bands that make up the emo trinity are My Chemical Romance, Panic!
- We cannot forget to mention the Holy Spirit in the emo trinity, My Chemical Romance.
Synonyms of emo
Forms of emo
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | emos |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more emo |
| superlative | most emo |
Origin of emo
Clipping of emotional. Compound emocore first attested in 1986. Word emo first attested in 1988. Generally used as an umbrella term.
Words formed from emo
Phrases with emo
Words that rhyme with emo
Questions about emo
- What does emo mean?
- Emo means a subgenre of late 1980s hardcore punk originating in Washington D.C., characterized by intense, highly emotional performances, dynamic shifts, and a departure from traditional punk song structures (also emocore).
- What is emo in Hindi?
- Emo in Hindi is ई. एम. ओ, ईमो. See Emo meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is emo?
- Emo can be a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce emo?
- Emo is pronounced /ˈiː.moʊ/ (US).
- What is the plural of emo?
- The plural of emo is emos.
Words near emo in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: emo (page history and authors); Emo (page history and authors); emo (Hindi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emo (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-emo.wav.
Cite this entry: “emo.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/emo. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.