If you have seen guys with the long dark hair, tight-fitting skinny jeans, piercings, and makeup and wondered what gives? Chances are these guys are apart of a subculture called Emo. The androgeny is only a tool that helps to blur the lines between the sexes; lending to the idea that gender is a societal construct that causes division and fosters incorrect ideas about maleness and femaleness. It is similar to Goth but still widely different.

Emo (short of emotional) is in the punk and rock family in terms of music but people who claim to be emo are more interested in music that delves into the emotional state of mind and is more emotionally expressive. The music is a reflection of the lifestyle more or less. People who tout themselves as Emo are generally very emotionally candid, introverted, quiet, sensitive, and overall are very in touch with their emotions. They do not fight against it, instead Emos embrace it. Outwardly, they can be regarded as sad and depressed and many are, as suicide, death, unrequited love, and emotional instability are common themes with music, but for the most part Emos do no shy away from expressing their feelings even if it makes others uncomfortable.

Outsiders regard Emos as exaggerating the problems of life, overly-dramatic, and attention seeking.