emo

noun

ˈē-(ˌ)mō 

: 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

emo adjective

The film is sensitively directed, full of emo songs and quiet little character moments.

—Kyle Smith

Examples of emo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My ultimate conclusion is that this was the early 1980s emo musings of a teenage girl. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025

Then came the 2015 reboot, which was a bomb, turning the characters into sullen, moody versions of themselves (and Dr. Doom into an emo megalomaniac). —Peter Debruge, Variety, 22 July 2025

Caroline’s debut album built an outpost at the intersection between post-rock, emo, and campfire folk. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 May 2025

Some fans have expected new music from the group, but for the most part, very little has emerged for a long time – but followers of the emo rockers never stopped listening. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for emotional

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau