: 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.
With their influence still felt across the alternative and emo scenes, their live comeback is certain to be a major talking point in the months ahead. Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025 Emerging from Long Island’s legacy-laden emo community, Macseal has worked hard across albums, EPs, and live shows to build a reputation for melodic yet complex emo-meets-power pop. Brendan Hay, SPIN, 21 Feb. 2025 The ultimate long-term emo team, not just in the NHL. Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025 In the current moment, there’s this new heavy sound that feels like it was built on early-Nineties shoegaze, with fair amount of emo from the mid to late Nineties and a little bit of old-school punk rock in it. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emo. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!