by Jennifer Vose

Created on: December 03, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2011

Emo kids - sensitive, emotional, and poetic, but with a rock 'n roll edge. With a unique fashion, attitude and lifestyle, their draw to all things with a highly emotional tone means that music plays an integral part in any true emo kid's life. Thus, music would be an appropriate gift for the hard-to-shop-for emo kid on your list.

The question is, what are they listening to? Emocore, or emo music, stemmed from hardcore rock and punk of the early '90s. However, today emo kids mostly draw from the indie music scene. While some emo kids rely on the band "Fall Out Boy," others enjoy music that is less well-known. Today we're said to be in the "third wave" of Emo culture, and it has drastically changed from its hardcore punk roots.

It is very difficult to define emo music, since it has become a term referring to people and music that have any emotional tones. My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco are perhaps two of the most well-known emo bands. Others include A Day in the Life, Silverstein, and Kyle Fischer. Chances are, if you've heard of a band it may be too late to purchase it, since some emo kids don't like to listen to bands that are popular. Other emo kids don't care if the band is on the Top 10, they will still embrace the music. You really need to know the emo kid you are shopping for!

For this year's Christmas, there can be many good buys for emo kids. A great place to check out what the emo scene is all about would be to use the iTunes essentials feature. When you log on to iTunes, if you search for emo you can find their essentials list. Divided into "The Basics," "Next Steps," and "Deep Cuts," you will be able to peruse various bands and songs attributed to the emo scene. Using this to find a few bands, you can then look for albums you'd like to purchase for an emo kid.

Whether you choose Alexisonfire or Beefeater, The Gloria Record or Hawthorn Heights, remember that the best person to ask is the person you are buying for. When in doubt, just know that music is a gift in itself. If you cannot figure out the right band to purchase, give a giftcard to iTunes, Amazon or Best Buy online music store. Allow the sensitive emotional individual to find exactly what they'd like to listen to.

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