Emo vs Goth
Emo and Goth are actually distinctive in their own way ‘“ and their key differences are what we will try to uncover here.
First, here’s a quick definition of the two. Emo actually stands for emotional hardcore. It’s a type of punk rock music which originated in Washington during the mid-90s. Goth, on the other hand, has a much earlier origin dating back to the early 1980s and it’s the short term for Gothic rock.
Now, what are the similarities between the two? Basically, both emo and goth are forms of experimental underground music and hardcore punk. Their musical influences are basically the same, with punk as the root. Emo has stayed close to home when it comes to the musical influence while goth has veered off towards electronica.
More about music ‘“ goths usually listen to The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death and Dead Can Dance. Emos have more of these types of music to listen to: Fall Out Boy, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Chiodos, My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessional.
Second, let’s enumerate the key differences between the two. As far as their personalities is concerned, the aura that goths and emos resonate is somewhat similar and are usually associated with depression, cutting, darkness and more of the not-so-pleasant aspects in life. However, you cannot categorize one particular type of personality as being solely goth or emo ‘“ it still varies.
How about their tastes in fashion? This one’s pretty easy. As mentioned earlier, the one color that they have in comon is black. But the similarities stop there. For goth, it’s black all the way except for those who belong to the raver or glitter-goth categories. Aside from an all-black ensemble, they also have black nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner. They also go all-out in the accessories department, using leather chokers, corsets, lace, frills or dangling jewelry. For emo, black is still a dominant color but they also like band t-shirts, tight jeans, scarves, hoodies and layered clothing.
Finally, there’s the difference that they have in culture influences and expression. Emos express themselves in poetry such as Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’. They also make critiques based on post-punk and punk philosophy. Goth, on the other hand, has a sub-culture related to black magic, vampires, witchcraft, and their way of thinking veers more towards the nature of death, fiction and fantasy.
Now that you know the basic similarities and differences between emo and goth, it is pretty easy to distinguish one from the other, isn’t it?