: a style of rock music influenced by punk rock and featuring introspective and emotionally fraught lyrics
In emo, the heart forever hurts, and the ultra-introspective songwriter pines for beautiful death.—
Robert Sullivan
Robert Sullivan
emo
adjective
The film is sensitively directed, full of emo songs and quiet little character moments.
—Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
Examples of emo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group produces music melded in alternative, emo, and pop genres and has been influenced by The Cranberries and Panic!
—Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 4 June 2026
There are many, many, many emo songs built from texts from kids to parents.
—Nathan Brackett, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Her new album, Written Into Changes, is a Skittles rainbow of emo flavors.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
An emo band whose members might otherwise now be at their most stable and content, they still seem authentically driven by unbridled, urgent emotion—only now their breakups involve lawyers, and the friendship drama occurs between people who rely on each other for income.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for emo
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 4 June 2026
There are many, many, many emo songs built from texts from kids to parents.
—Nathan Brackett, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Her new album, Written Into Changes, is a Skittles rainbow of emo flavors.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
An emo band whose members might otherwise now be at their most stable and content, they still seem authentically driven by unbridled, urgent emotion—only now their breakups involve lawyers, and the friendship drama occurs between people who rely on each other for income.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for emo
Cite this Entry
“Emo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emo. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
