: 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.
But perhaps more importantly, Cork Tree helped the band become the therapists pumping through the speakers of a whole generation of skinny jean-wearing teens, igniting the pop-punk and emo music scene into a blazing force for the masses. Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025 Accordingly, one of last night’s best sketches found Poehler playing a middle-aged mom dealing with perimenopause by acting like a teenage emo fan. Michael Tedder, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2025 Foxing spent the next couple of years on the road, landing opening slots for fellow emo favorites like the Hotelier and Modern Baseball. Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 Sep. 2025 They were not done bringing us into pure emo mode. Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Sep. 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 29 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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