Ignorant--Just what IS the difference between goth and emo?

[Shattenhund]

I think the main difference between goth and emo is more than just musik, I think it has more to deal with the mindset itself. Emo mindsets are just that- Emotiononal, as in more of a depressionary state, not just about oneself but about all surrounding issues. A gothic mindset is emotional, by dictionary definition, but is much more radical, sometimes more angry, than depressionary. That also explains the different styles of musik.

Those are my thoughts on the subject. I've been around both cults enough to naturally tell the difference, so I don't really anylize it that much anymore.  

[unibrowgirl]

listen to the song. see if that helps.

emo kid by adam and andrew

if it doesnt, goths are cooler.

im an emo kid myself. that's who i am.
(plus there are less of us)  

[GilAskan]

unibrowgirl

listen to the song. see if that helps.

emo kid by adam and andrew

You realise that that song is a joke and that 99% of it's lyrics are intentionally false?  

[Toasterladd]

there are WAY more emos than goth. and, im glad so many ppl here know what REAL emo is. im a half half myself. but, the largest diffrence is the mindset. goths-intulectual, spiritual, not as true emotional. Emo- sad, depressed, and usuallysemi self centered. most emos nowadays are posuer emos, its hard to find real ones like me. cutting is used by both though, so dont be too confused on that one.  

[GilAskan]

Toasterladd

there are WAY more emos than goth. and, im glad so many ppl here know what REAL emo is. im a half half myself. but, the largest diffrence is the mindset. goths-intulectual, spiritual, not as true emotional. Emo- sad, depressed, and usuallysemi self centered. most emos nowadays are posuer emos, its hard to find real ones like me. cutting is used by both though, so dont be too confused on that one.

You don't really seem to know what you're talking about either.

The real goth culture is FAR larger than the real emo culture. The fake goth culture, at this time, is smaller than the fake emo culture.

Real Emo - An abbreviation for emotive hardcore, a subgenre of hardcore punk developed in mid-80's Washington DC. Major groups include Rites of Spring, Moss Icon, Jawbreaker, and pg. 99. The term emo can also refer to the small subculture around it, which mostly died out in the 80's. The culture was very similar to the hardcore punk culture: aggressive, intense, and very idealogical.

Fake Emo - "Emotional" teenagers who claim to be depressed and cut themselves. The fake emo culture is all about whining, swooshy hair, square-frame glasses, eyeliner, gauged ears, messenger bags, girl's pants, and Vans' shoes. Bands listened to in the fake emo culture include Hawthorne Heights, Fall Out Boy, Cute is What We Aim For, Bright Eyes, Aiden, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Such bands tend to be either post-hardcore or pop-rock.  

[Loki Iago]

Goth: dresses all in black usually with a plethera of accessories (chains, necklacces, huge boots, piercings, etc.). Also they are into dark things because they are cool.

Emo: dresses however they want usually with wrist-accessories. Also self-mutilation is more of an emo thing as opposed to goth. They're not into dark things because they're cool, they're more into depressingly dark things (rather than cool dark things).

That's at least how I see it.  

[Byrn_in_hel]

Hey GilAskan. I love you. Wanna marry me?

(No, I am NOT a stalker, its just that you are one of the few people who actually knows what they are talking about.)  

[Tusyo]

Gothic is an artistic way of life, from the darkside. It's seeing the darker side of things, and taking pleasure in that darkness.

Emo people are people who were spoiled as children who are over sensitive to the hardships of life and are easily depressed. Most often consider suicide at a young age.  

[Ether-Eating Eskimo]

Toasterladd

there are WAY more emos than goth. and, im glad so many ppl here know what REAL emo is. im a half half myself. but, the largest diffrence is the mindset. goths-intulectual, spiritual, not as true emotional. Emo- sad, depressed, and usuallysemi self centered. most emos nowadays are posuer emos, its hard to find real ones like me. cutting is used by both though, so dont be too confused on that one.

I'll admit, I can be annoying when I correct people. So I've been trying to do it less lately...

But the fact that you put cutting in there... erm... I really don't think it's acceptable at all.

Cutting is neither part of the goth nor emo culture.

Mallcores and attention-seekers aside, I would imagine there are just as many prep, rap-fan, punk, etc. cutters as goth and emo cutters.
_______________________

I agree with the music "opinion".

And, may I say, it's getting frustrating trying to explain it. My sister is trying to explain to me why Fall Out Boy is both punk and emo, because everybody says they are.

Apparently, through all the-- well, information-hunting/research I've done online and, in books, (albeit less than some people here), I've missed the fact that genres are actually subjective, and have no real specifications. rolleyes

I believe there is a goth culture and subculture, but that it is only slowly (or quicker than some would like to think) being invaded by all the NINies, Mansonites, and Evanescence fans. :S

Goth = Goth Rock, Death Rock, Darkwave, Ethereal, Dark Cabaret

Emo = Emotive Hardcore  

[dark_LordBeld]

ArynChris

Then in what sand...
...do we draw the line?
In what place can we say
here
this is goth
this is emo
this is mall-etwas
this is poser
this is silly
stereotype.
Too many definitions
Too many overlapping
trends.

(Ugh. Too much bad poetry from the hands of A.C. xp )

this "line" you seek, is more of a semi-permeable membrane of sorts.
a few things cross between, but most don't.  

[Alice_K8]

I think the difference is this:
Emos say "my life is a dark abyss",
And Goths, if anything, are more prone to say "this world is a dark abyss" (but not sulking about it - just accepting it)  

[Jarc_The_Mighty]

-Resurrected Writer-

Well if this helps you at all,
The basic foundation of goth is listening to bands like:
Bauhaus
Joy Division
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Sex Gang Children
The Cure
Cinema Strange
Christian Death
Switchblade Symphony
The Cruxshadows
Voltaire

and having an interest in/being involved in the goth community.

The basic foundation of emo is listening to bands like:
Rites of Spring
City of Caterpillar
Embrace
Moss Icon
Heroin
Jimmy Eat World (some of their stuff, though most of it is pop rock)
Cap'n Jazz

and beyond that, I don't know if there is such thing as an emo community.

As for personalities, a lot of goths tend to appreciate darker, misunderstood, or deep ideals of life - death, romance, and other various philosophies. They also tend to be pretty creative, and believe-it-or-not, a lot of goths are actually happier than most "normal" people (probably because we feel very accepted within each other)

The emo personality I'm not quite as sure of, as well. My best bet for that is that they are much more at ease with conveying their feelings (the whole range, not just angst) than most people. Also - like goths - emo is a very introverted style of music, which separates it from the extroverted, aggressive world of punk rock which it sprang from.

All true, as long as you keep in mind that the music is ONLY a foundation. That yes, goths, emos, and other such cultures/subcultures (like how I'm a juggalo), were started through music, but the music only creates a drive and originality and not the soul purpose of that group.