: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The nostalgic emo and rock fest will take place on Oct. 18, 2025, and will also feature performances from Weezer, Avril Lavigne, the Offspring, the Used, All Time Low and Knocked Loose. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024 The rise of music piracy happened just as the emo scene, of which Dashboard Confessional is a part, started to experience true growth. Angela Andaloro, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024 The set, released in 2004, remains a standard in the emo world. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 Largely a solo project, the band released four studio albums of emo and indie-folk music over the years, starting with 2011’s Labor Pains through 2017’s Brokenlegged and 2020’s Ground Aswim. Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near emo

Cite this Entry

“Emo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emo. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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