I would consider 'emo' and 'scene' before my time and I could never dress like that, but I have to admit I've always been an alternative girl at heart.

My brother (he's a few decades older than me) has a teenage daughter. He said something about emo kids, and she — summoning all the disdain of her 17-year-old self — sighed and said, "Dad, that boy isn't emo. He's SCENE. God." I didn't know whether to laugh or tell her to treat her dad with more respect.

Emo, scene, punk, hipster; it's all pretty flavourless to me. Most kids these days don't even know the origins of these styles, or understand how connected they were to certain social movements and statements of their time. Now if some teen's mom asks her to clean her room, it's a cause for shredding her hair and wearing too much eyeliner so as to reflect mom's parental repression. There is rarely any originality in these "I'm an individual" looks now-a-days. I feel so jaded.

I don't know, I think a lot of kids know the origins of these styles. I mean, when I was 16, the Clash and the Jam were long gone, but I still developed a mean crush on Paul Weller. And even though I didn't love the Dead Kennedys, their music helped me understand the culture of California back in the day. So I think teenagers are definitely able to connect the dots if they're curious and smart.

I do think the politics are largely absent from modern-day mall emo, and that confuses me. I'll see scene kids throwing around language that we never would have used — some racist, sexist, homophobic stuff — and it blows my mind. So on that level, I'm... not exactly jaded, but there's definitely a generation gap and an attempt to understand how offshoots of punk became so apolitical.

(I could go on and on about this, obviously. )

I would not want my daughter thinking it's cool to have ear gauges, multiple piercings and tattoos.

I never thought I'd see a Rites of Spring reference on ANY Sugar blog, let alone this one! Good on you!

And I wish someone had told me 10 years ago about the plugs... my poor ears are now contemplating a plastic surgeon after taking my 00's out :/

Very insightful, Bella.

Give me yet another time waster.

Oh wow, this is amusing!

Never been one to really be scene or emo although about 7 yrs ago was most def a part of the "scene" here in Boston-although never felt the need to express myself by piercing my face or anything along those lines. But to each their own, I think most of us grow out of it with the appreciate of the music but leaving behind those bad fashion and err beauty trends we picked up.

you can change the skin tone!!! i like the other game where you can cut their hair, but i can't work it out!!!

What can I say, ladyv? I have a persistent vision. Zing!

and just curious, if you think stretching your ears is a good idea when you are young, and then a bad idea later, does that mean its just a bad idea?? i dont understand. why would you regret them? there is so much awesome jewelry out there for stretched earlobes. i actually never liked little stud earrings and hoops and lame stuff like that, i really feel like my earlobes look better like this than they did before. i dont think things like that are just a passing phase :\ why would you assume everyone will "come to" and regret them when they've reached your "level of clarity"?

plasticine - personally, i only regret the part where i can't wear all the cute earrings i want to. my personal style has changed.

I'm with Pistil--"emo" and "scene" were not terms used back when I was teenager. I was a teenager in the 90s and was VERY into the whole grunge/riot girl scene that was popular back then. I'm pretty sure that if I was a teen now, I would not gravitate towards the "emo" style...but the 8th grade students I teach now, on the other hand, would love this!

ladyv: that's why i have 2 piercings on each ear!! lol i can wear plugs AND little earrings, but like i said earlier, i never really liked how they looked on me :\

ahh, I had to comment on this one...
well, I was a teenage emo kid, also. At 16, you could find me at a show, in my tiny band t-shirt, plotting my next protest or vegan meal, listening to my Mineral 12" (EVERYTHING seems more important when your 16)
But it is interesting to me, too, Bella, how apolitical and mall emo has become. We were an offshoot of hardcore, which had broken off from punk, and yet I feel that the politics and rebellion had stayed with us. Emo style these days is very goth influenced, and that surprises me a bit..they have the emotion, but not the action.
And as far as the ear plugs are concerned, I think everyone has something silly to look back on and cringe (I have a tiny handmade star tattoo..God help me..)

@amymarie - exactly

Amymariejackie, I still listen to Mineral. "Parking Lot" is one of those songs that I know is kinda cheesy, but I can't not listen from time to time. You, ladyv and I should get together and have a vegan potluck. I'll wear my Food Not Bombs shirt (which I think my DAD wears now cuz it was so big on me).

Bella, I dedicated every Saturday morning for years to Food Not Bombs and still make a mean seitan stir-fry, so I'm game
and no-one can ever convince me that mid 90's emo wasn't pure (albeit cheesy) poetry. "and she folded up her fears/ like paper airplanes/ and lost them in the trees..." BRILLIANT

Hah! I used to do Food Not Bombs in Hartford.

I'm going to go ahead and guess that we probably have some friends in common, then. Ah, those were the days. If you are on Facebook, look for the 90s Hardcore app. It's hilarious — you can send your friends dialers, letters from Aaron Cometbus, a distro table, a Los Crudos patch, or (my favorite) a "very boring workshop."

I'll let y'all know if my four-on-the-floor Indian Summer-ish band ever comes together. We're gonna be GREAT.

"Dad, that boy isn't emo. He's SCENE. God."
Ah, priceless
I remember when Fugazi were considered an emo band!
I'm a bit disappointed too when I see how apolitical are the "scene" kids nowadays. I used to be an hardcore punk-rock fanatic back in the days and I was pretty politicized. I mean, it was part of the rock'n'roll attitude.. being liberal and interested in the world surrounding you. Ah, I'm getting old

I think it's a pretty fun game-- my favorite part is playing with the piercings and make-up! Although I am not "Emo" or "Scene," I am a bit more "Goth" if that's what you'd rather call me (which most people do. Oh well.), it is still pretty interesting. Also, I disagree with some people. Not letting your son/daughter have piercings or tattoos is ridiculous. I understand if they're like 5 or 6, maybe even up to 13 or 14, but.. it's just horrible when parents don't let their children express themselves or even wear the kind of clothes they want, just because it's not in their taste. Let your child have her own mind!