Emo hairstyles are one expression of youth culture that has seen an upsurge in popularity. The flamboyant styles are fashionable and creative and each individual look has something different to communicate to the world.
The new emo expression does in fact have it's roots in a bygone age of popular music. During the 1980's, the musical revolution of punk rock gave birth to the emotional or emotive hardcore musical sound. Emo is the modern day short form of 'emotional' and thus emo hairstyles refer to the punk movement of the past but with very contemporary cultural expressions combined. Some might like to call any hairstyle that looks loud and unconventional as emo but those who consider themselves as emo purists, have very clear ideas about what actually qualifies as a true emo hairstyle.
The whole point of emo hairstyles is to express individuality and each person tries to create their own unique look. Therefore, it is not easy to isolate exactly what a typical emo hairstyle looks like since variety is the name of the game. However, despite this, emo hairstyles do share some common characteristics that help create the classic emo look. The wearing of fringes or bangs are a very distinctive feature for example. Fringes are usually long and brushed to the side although some are much shorter and cut with abrupt edges.
Emo boys and girls are especially fond of extremely dark or extremely light coloured hair. Black is perhaps the most popular although white is very common too. The basic colour is usually contrasted with luminous highlights of a single or multitude of other colours. Highlights can be thin streaks or large sections of opposing coloured hair. Some emo hairstyles omit highlights and rely on a single shocking colour to create the emo look.
Emo hairstyles often appear unruly or even unkempt. This look is deliberately sought by the wearer who might go to great pains to get their hair to look 'messed up'. The uncontrolled appearance is seen as an expression of spontaneity and freedom. You will rarely find emo hairstyles that are constrained by hair accessories and loose free hair is the preferred look to coincide with internal feelings of liberation. Older generations might look at emo hairstyles as outrageous or as a young persons decline toward maladjustment but this is rarely the case.
Emo hairstyles are an expression of creativity and the young people that wear them are often very creative individuals indeed. It doesn't matter where an emo hairstyle is long or short or whether it is washed daily or weekly, what matters for the emo boy and girl is that their hair helps stand them out as an individual in their own right.
