Emo is a deep and artistic subculture, as well as a musical genre, that emphasizes authenticity and strong and sometimes gloomy emotions. The emo “look” has been around for decades but is a timeless style for teens and young adults. The way you dress, dress, and style your hair can indicate your personal style as “emo”. When combined with your own personal taste, you can successfully wear an emo look and make it your own!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Dress Up Emo
Step 1. Buy a band t-shirt or vintage T-shirt
Vintage t-shirts in particular are a popular emo style, as are t-shirts promoting punk or underground music. Head to a thrift store or garage sale to shop for old t-shirts that suit your personal style. Also make a list of your favorite punk or emo bands and buy their T-shirts to complete your look.
- If you're new to the emo subculture, popular emo bands include Rites of Spring, Moss Icon (a post-hardcore American band), Sunny Day Real Estate, The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday, Armor For Sleep, and My Chemical Romance.
- You can combine band and vintage looks and then buy a t-shirt from an early punk or new wave band.
- For example, you could wear a black and red plaid button-up shirt with your favorite pair of jeans.
Step 2. Choose clothes that fit your body
Part of the emo clothing style includes wearing tight clothing that conforms to your body shape. Find out your body measurements and then find clothes that fit that size best for a tight fit.
- Some emo men wear women's pants to give more shape to the body which is not always possible with men's clothing.
- If you're wearing a black t-shirt, for example, wear slim skinny jeans for a bit of contrast.
Step 3. Choose skinny jeans or a dark skirt
Emo children usually wear body-fitting bottoms with dark colors or patterns. Skinny jeans or a fitted skirt are popular choices, especially when paired with a chain or buckle accessory.
Pair black skinny jeans, for example, with a Saves The Day t-shirt and Converse shoes
Step 4. Wear canvas shoes, sneakers, or military boots
Emo kids often wear flat shoes that resemble "punk" footwear due to their roots in underground music. Canvas shoes, military boots, and sneakers are all popular choices for emo footwear.
- Many emo kids decorate their canvas shoes with markers or paint to express their personal style.
- If you're wearing a black band T-shirt with a plaid skirt, for example, pair it with a pair of dark military boots.
- While heels aren't traditionally “emo”, you can always wear heels in a dark color scheme. The most important part of your look is confidence!
Step 5. Pair the look with an emo accessory
After choosing emo tops and bottoms, make your look more personal with some accessories. Within the emo subculture, buckles with spikes or oversized, thick and plastic glasses, sling bags, wristbands, fingerless gloves, and striped socks are all popular accessories.
- For example, you can pair a black nail buckle with your favorite Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance T-shirt.
- Piercings and tattoos are another common accessory in emo culture. If you are a teenager or young adult, always check with your parents before getting a piercing or tattoo.
Part 2 of 3: Styling Emo Hair
Step 1. Style your hair in an angled part for a generic emo look
Hold the comb near the corners of your eyebrows and sweep your bangs from the parting to the side. Continue combing the sides until everything is swept aside, then spray with hairspray to hold the shape.
Step 2. Use slanted bangs if you want
Bangs that follow an angled part and are swept to the side are a popular hairstyle in emo culture. Depending on your experience with cutting your hair, you can either cut your own bangs or ask your stylist to cut the slanted bangs for you.
- If you're not sure if you want to have bangs for the rest of your life, try brushing your hair to the side and wearing safety pins to make them look like bangs.
- Let your bangs fall down to or just above one eye for a generic emo look.
Step 3. Paint your hair a dark or experimental color for a bold style choice
Emo kids often dye their hair or paint their hair black or some bright experimental color like blue, red, or pink. But it's completely up to you-if you don't want to dye your hair, you don't have to.
- To produce a better color and last longer, choose a good quality hair dye with lots of positive reviews on the internet. If you're not sure what color to choose, ask your stylist for advice.
- You can also try bobby pins if you're not ready to dye your hair permanently.
Step 4. Add some emo accessories to complete your look
Emo kids, especially emo girls, often style their hair with several accessories. Hats, hair clips, and ribbons that follow the emo color scheme are all popular ways to wear accessories.
- For example, you can pin a pink skull hair clip to complete your look.
- Although not very common, emo boys can also wear hair accessories however they want.
Part 3 of 3: Dress Up Emo
Step 1. Even out your skin tone with foundation and powder
Choose a foundation that matches your skin tone and apply a light layer all over your face with a sponge or powder brush. Powder your face lightly to even out your skin tone and help cover any blemishes.
If you have dark under-eye circles or acne, you can apply concealer around your eyes and other blemishes
Step 2. Wear eyeliner to highlight your eyes
Solid black, blue, or violet eyeliner is a popular part of the emo look. Line eyeliner on the border from the top corner of the eye to the sides and bottom for a gloomy and heavy look.
You can simply apply eyeliner only on the upper eyelid for a softer look
Step 3. Apply a light or smoky eyeshadow if you want to stand out
Choose an eyeshadow color that matches or contrasts with your eyeliner and dab it lightly over the lids with a beauty brush. Add a thinner layer to the brow ridges and lower lid for a more dreary style.
- For a blazing look, for example, try dabbing red eyeshadow with black eyeliner.
- If you want, you can also finish off the look with a light coat of mascara.
Step 4. Apply dark or light lipstick, if desired
Choose a lipstick that complements or contradicts your eye makeup. Apply lipstick from the center of the lips towards the corners of the lips, filling the gaps that are visible.
- If you're wearing a smoky black eyeshadow, pair it with a violet or red lipstick for a striking and somber look.
- While lipstick isn't very common among men, anyone can wear lipstick if they want to adopt that part of the emo look.
Step 5. Add polish to complete the look
Nail polish is a popular look for emo men and women. You can choose a nail polish that matches your make-up color scheme or a completely different color if you want to draw attention to the part.
If you're applying black eyeshadow and violet lipstick, for example, you can alternate black and violet nail polish on your nails
Tips
- The emo culture was started by emotional fans of underground music in the 1980s. To immerse yourself in the emo “look”, try to understand emo music and subcultures
- The most important part of the emo “look” is confidence. If you adopt the emo style with open arms, your own personality will shine through and you will always look cool.
- According to the emo subculture, true emo followers do not need to tell others that they are emo followers. Let your behavior speak for itself and combine your emo style with your natural look.
- Learn the difference between gothic and emo. Emo originated in the hard punk era in Washington D. C. in the mid-'80s and Gothic was born from the post-punk era of the late '70s/early '80s in England. Gothic is more focused on listening to gothic music, appreciating, and following the gothic era and subculture.
Warning
- Don't just imitate the stereotyped emo style. To create your own emo style, add a personal touch to your hair, make-up and clothes.
- No matter what people say, self-harm is not part of the emo look. If you have a problem with self-harm or have an urge to do so, talk to a friend or trusted adult for help.
- Avoid anything that has netting or lace, as these are more common in the gothic style.
- Just because someone else is emo and they're hurting themselves and having suicidal thoughts, doesn't mean you should. If you feel like doing any of these things, contact an adult or parent.
- Because emo encourages openness to one's feelings, depression is common in the emo community. If you feel depressed, call a loved one, a therapist, or the depression consultation number.
