my life sucks, it means nothing without you, ill slit my wrist and then apologize for bleeding on your shirt, i make out with guys but that doesnt make me gay, i wish my life had meaning, wahhh

In its original incarnation, the term "emo" was used to describe the music of the mid-1980s DC scene and its associated bands. Eventually, the DC scene adopted the term "emo-core", short for "emotional hardcore", derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and literally emotional during performances. The most recognizable names of the period included Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater, Grey Matter, Fire Party and slightly later, Moss Icon. The first wave of emo began to fade after the breakups of most of the involved bands in the early 1990s.

Starting in the mid-1990s, the term "emo" began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influences of Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason put forth a more indie rock brand of emo, which was more melodic and less chaotic in nature than its predecessor. The so-called "indie emo" scene survived until the end of the 1990s, as many of the bands either disbanded or shifted their style to the mainstream.

As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the moniker "emo" within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, the term "emo" was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today's emo is even more vast, leaving the term "emo" as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music.

In all of its forms, emo music generally shares some of the same concepts: personal, meaningful lyrics, usually of an introspective nature, and a deep connection with a band's audience.