: 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
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.
The collection features 25 7″ records documenting emo’s first decade or so, accompanied by a 136-page hardcover book that tells the tale of the genre through stories from across the country, illustrated with photographs, flyers and ads from Numero’s vast archive. Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025 Australia loves Indian rock and Asia loves the slow emo kind of ballads and, then, America loves the more rock-esque, fast tempo kind of post-punk sound. Craig Lindsey, VIBE.com, 4 June 2025 In an April 2023 interview with CBS Mornings, the former Disney star spoke about returning to the emo genre for her album Holy Fvck, hinting that her next songs will likely be more upbeat. Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 27 May 2025 That figure is enough to bring the emo groundbreaker into the top 10 on the Billboard 200, where My Chemical Romance has now scored four wins and where the title also reaches a new high point. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for emo

Word History

Etymology

short for emotional

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emo was in 1988

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Cite this Entry

“Emo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emo. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.

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