by Kimberly H.

Created on: April 24, 2009   Last Updated: May 24, 2009

Like a lot of people, I first heard the term "Emo" being used a few years ago. At this time, this term was picking up steam and being tossed about in mainstream culture. At first, I was curious because I actually had no idea what it meant, and so I asked around. Time and time again I was told that Emo was about boys wearing their sisters pants, black hair hanging in the eyes, and hacking at the wrists. "What sort of music do they listen to?", I asked. All replies started with "Emo" bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and The Used.

Some of this information was a little bit shocking, but when I saw the look with my own eyes, and saw headlines comparing Emo to Goth, I got mighty confused.

You see, many people tend to associate my look and taste in music with the Gothic Subculture. And if you ask people what they think is Goth, you will get the same answers from everyone. Goths warship Satan, practice witchcraft, want to die, are depressed, and enjoy heavy metal and techno.

Wait a minute... What? Come again?

I quickly realized that I needed to change my sources. The fact is, what you hear from the media is a complete obliteration of the truth - much like a game of "telephone" gone wrong. If the media is telling people that Goths are the ones who shoot up high schools and that they sacrifice goats in their spare time, what do you think people will start believing and telling other people? I started to imagine how wrong they must be about Emo. And the kids calling themselves Emo; where exactly do you think they heard of it? That's right, the good old media - fueled by rumors, gossip, and heresy. Not facts.

I started to do my research on the topic, and I also realized how difficult it was to find the truth in a pile of bias un-researched blogs, articles, and theories, written by ill-informed know-it-alls. As I began to sort the misconceptions from reality, I was left with quite a few articles written by people who had knowledge of music history and stereotypes.

In the 1980's, Punk was still in it's glory, and their lyrics were largely political and anti-authority. Some lyrics were largely controversial, and violence in the punk scene would escalate from clashes of opinions and beliefs. In reaction to some of these instances, a few bands began to speak out in their lyrics. Rather than sparking topics like political debate, these lyrics began to take a deeply personal and passionate meaning. They sang about the bitterness of life and romance, as if it

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