What do the terms 'emo' and 'goth' mean?
Goth:
Is a lifestyle, it's a state of mind. It's a way of life for
people who think outside the box, and love the darker side of life.
It's about being a free thinker and not caring about what other
people think. It's about love, romance, beauty and living in that
dark areas that everyone else is so afraid of. Now I know people
say that it came from the 80's but if you do some research there
have always been groups of people who dress in dark colors and put
themselves outside of normal society. For a good example look at
Theda Bara labeled "the initial Goth Girl" (website name thedabara
- no URLs in answer) and to those that think goth is dead, well
just remember that history always repeats it's self.
Emo:
It is a label people give themselves for being apathetic and
emotional to an extreme (usually miserable), but wallowing in it
and not wanting it to change. They tend to feel they are
misunderstood and that life is not fair to them in specific. In
fact "emo" is short for emotionally troubled or disturbed. It is in
fashion with some of the group to cut themselves and wear heavy eye
make-up. The hair cuts tend to have awkward sharp angles and are
often glossed. Many of the guys wear very tight jeans, often
women's. The girls tend to lean more towards late 70's to early
80's fashion.
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They are the names of two subcultures, both originated in the
70's subculture called punk.
Goth: A subculture consisting of gothic clothing, music and
literature. The clothing is inspired by industrial, victorian and
early 1900's english clothing, all mixed with dark. The music is
inspired by industrial and german music, but is considered much
darker. Gothic literature is basically a mix between horror and
Romantic literature. No, you don't need to smoke or do drugs to be
goth.
Emo: Originally a style of music originated in the 80's hardcore
punk. Around 2003 it became a more generic term as the major record
labels labeled bands like Dashboard Confessional and My Chemical
Romance emo. Then it became a bigger subculture consisting of a
specific taste of music, a style of clothing, and of course, the
emotional lifestyle. The latter is really misunderstood. It has
nothing to do with self-injury and depression, but is more about
getting in touch with your emotions. Writing songs and poems is a
common thing in the emo lifestyle.
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Goth:
It's many things but the term has been around for years. It was
originally a Germanic tribe then a type of building, a genre of
book and eventually a subculture which holds fashion, music and
aesthetics. It's more than just a subculture but it's what people
can call home and a place of acceptance - we do not judge. It's
about showing appreciation and beauty in the darker side of life -
not evil. A typical trad(itional) Goth would wear darker colours,
possibly some accessories of chains, spikes and studs. They also
listen to a certain genre of rock called Gothic rock. That's what
defines us as a Goth (physically, apart from the darker
personality) anyone can wear black and spikes and call themselves
Goth.
Emo:
A sub genre of hardcore punk formed in 1984-5 in Washington D.C.
A band called Minor Threat had an idea, their idea was carried out
by a Minor Threat fan called Guy Picciotto with his band (or he
joined) Rites of Sping. Rites of Spring officially became the first
emo band. Their fans portrayed their music as 'emo' and the RoS
members mentioned this in a 1985 Flipsize magazine. Emo also has
its roots in indie rock and many bands who are emo are also indie
too. Emo isn't mainstream and you won't be able to hear any emo or
screamo bands on the TV or radio.