With the resurgence of alternative fashion like dyed hair, chains and rising popularity of influencers like the queen Tara Yummy and Johnnie Gilbert, many young people are channeling their inner Elvira and adapting alternative styles like dyed hair, chains, and fishnet stockings. As a past emo and I guess present alternative fashion girlie, I have definitely noticed the reawakening of these subcultures in mainstream media. Whether it be people who I know would have given me weird looks in middle school lip syncing “New Perspective” by Panic! At the Disco on Tik Tok or people that asked if I was “okay” when I dyed my hair blue implementing harsher eyeliner in their daily looks, alt fashion is on the rise. With the more mainstream adopting the alt style, a lot of misconceptions come with it. Not a lot of people know the specifics of some of the subcultures inside alternative fashion, which goes hand and hand with the alternative music scene. I am here to clear up the confusion and set the record straight with the difference between goth, punk, emo, and grunge fashion and their ties to music.
Goth
Modern goth fashion originated in the 1980s in the UK and is usually defined as seeing beauty in darkness and something I call theatrical sorrow. Being goth is all about finding fascination in the dark and unusual and romanticizing dark themes. The Clash, Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees are some of the musical artists that shaped the subculture of “goth” and “gothic rock”. There are many different sub genres of goth but the style staples are lace, velvets, fishnets, leather, corsets, and of course the color black. At its core, goth makeup is very dramatic and dark, using white foundation and black eyeliner that extends to the temple. Hairstyles range from teased to high heaven (trad goth), mohawks and shaved heads (deathrock), or long black hair. Some famous goths include: Siouxsie Sioux, Elvira, Rozz Williams, and Dita Von Teese.
Punk
This style comes from anarchy, aggression toward injustice, and anti-government ideals. Punks are about nonconformity and it was roughly born at the same time as goth was, but from different influences. They were influenced by the Sex Pistols’ anti-establishment sound and the Ramones’ energetic sound. Punk is arguably the broadest in regards to the different subcultures within the style. The fashion consists of distressed jeans, plaid, Doc Martens, spikes and studs, and piercings. Punks were the original “DIY’ers” and aimed to reject polished society by embellishing their tattered clothing. The most iconic hairstyle would be the liberty spikes (ex. Benji Madden from Good Charlotte) and other mohawks (ex. Travis Barker from Blink-182). Some iconic punks are: Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, Joan Jett, H.R., and Billie Joe Armstrong.
Grunge
Next, we have the subculture of grunge. This genre is aligned with topics like social alienation, self-doubt, psychological trauma, and a need for freedom from emotions. Grunge began in the 90s in Seattle with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. The grunge style is often seen as “bummy”, but I see it as more care-free and casual. Since the bands that forefronted the grunge movements weren’t capitalistic, many of them bought clothes from thrift stores, which is still a trend today. Baggy t-shirts and jeans, oversized knit sweaters, Birkenstocks, and long skirts are all a part of grunge fashion. Many young adults are still sporting distressed clothing, proving grunge is here to stay. Famous people who subscribe to the grunge style are: Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Courtney Love, and Kat Bjelland.
Emo
Now onto the emos, aka my bread and butter. “Emo” stands for emotional, so the subculture is generally about being vulnerable and in touch with your emotions and musically it has emotionally intense lyrics and sound. The genre started to develop in the late 80s, but became more mainstream with bands like Jimmy Eat World in the early 2000s with the success of their song “The Middle”. Other popular bands of the genre and what I and many fans called “the emo trinity” are My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, and Fall Out Boy. The lead singers of these and other popular emo bands would wear tight black clothing, band tees, skinny jeans, chokers, and studded belts. The makeup is usually heavy eyeliner half covered with the iconic side bang. My everyday look as an emo 8th grader was a tight P!ATD band tee, tight black leggings (I hated jeans for some reason), my black converse that I wrote my favorite lyrics from songs on to seem cool, and black eyeliner with DARK filled in eyebrows.In my mind, I was that girl. It was a serve at the time, but I like to think as I evolved so did my fashion. Some famous emos include: Gerard Way, Haliey Williams, Pete Wentz, and Andy Biersack.
Advice from Ex-Emo
Hopefully, this clears up confusion when categorizing each aesthetic. I want to preface that if you want to be fashionable, you don’t have to subscribe to one style genre. I spent a lot of time worrying, Oh does this outfit fit the subculture I am claiming to be, when I should have been thinking about what I think looks good. You can pull different pieces from any subgenre (but it is important to be respectful if the fashion is culturally significant of course) and curate an outfit that you like. So dig into your closet (or go to the thrift store), find some pieces, and put together an outfit you are excited to wear. Use fashion genres as inspiration, not a guideline.