emo
Americannoun
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a type of guitar-based rock music developed from emocore but having a softer, pop or mainstream sound.
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a fan of emo, especially a person who is overly sensitive, emotional, and full of angst, or who adopts a certain style characterized by dyed black hair, tight t-shirts and skinny jeans, etc.
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a person who is overly sensitive or emotional.
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emotional display; emotion.
The storyline had too much emo and not enough substance.
adjective
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noting or relating to the type of music called emo or emocore.
emo albums of the late 1990s.
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of or relating to a fan of emo, or to the lifestyle, dress, etc., typical of such a person.
emo teens;
emo fashion.
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overly sensitive or emotional.
noun
Etymology
Origin of emo
First recorded in 1985-90; shortening of emocore
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If you grew up with this sound, you’ve internalized voices like this to a degree that you barely notice how they connect to rap and emo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Petracca opened up with Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin Down” to set the sing-a-long tone before blistering through a set of remixes to songs by beloved emo and pop-punk artists such as Panic!
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
At other times he’s more like a sympathy-oozing emo rocker, which is how he comes across in real life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
In a Reddit Q&A, PinkPantheress said Fancy That represents a "more fun" side to her personality than the introspective, "emo asf" lyrics of her debut album Heaven Knows.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
The sound system alternately blared hip-hop and grungy emo rock as various DJs took turns pushing one another out of the way.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
