Are we nostalgic for emos?

For a city like Dublin, which has been making a name for itself in the fashion industry, there is an arguably timeless fashion that has quietly fallen into the shadows. While I’m sure the shadows would suit their aesthetic, the emos have been nowhere to be seen. 

Central Bank used to be a hub for Irish emos during the mid-2000’s, where they would find community in each other. But what has happened to that community? Is it an external or internal estrangement? Well, it’s important to note the complexities of emo culture and how they interact with contemporary fashion. 

Back in the mid-2000’s, the unapologetic expressiveness of fashion did not exist, it was more you either dressed ordinary and trendy or you dressed emo and different. It was more along the lines of one or the other, making even the emos not necessarily have a choice in how expressive they could be. People just dressed and interacted with the ‘close enough’ group. Now, in recent years, as thrifting and vintage dressing have become the ‘trend’, the rules have changed from what you’re specifically wearing to how you are sourcing it. It is more normalised now to see an outfit and gain inspiration from it rather than ask where it’s from, as more often than not, it’s a unique piece from a charity shop. 

So, what are we misunderstanding about emo culture in Ireland? Emos are not one generalised group, nor do they necessarily all dress the same. And now that these subgroups, such as ‘scenester’, ‘scemo’, ‘Elder emo’, and ‘E-kids’ are able to express their own individuality, they naturally filter out into their own groups. So while the emos have somewhat gone underground, they have not disappeared but have actually grown as a culture. 

So, how are the modern Irish emo expressing themselves? You can see the various eras of emo culture through thrifting, such as the classic emo with band tees and studded belts and of course, the classic black eyeliner. There is the scene or scemo who, under the generalised stereotype, does not fit the typical image of emo. The scene or scemo usually wears neon colours and animal prints, bringing that colour into their hair accessories. Along with the Modern ‘E-kid’, short for emo-kid who wears pleated skirts, oversized hoodies, and heavy chains. It is not that we haven’t seen this culture around Dublin but it has evolved into these subgroups that emo culture is not exclusive but inclusive. You may see one or two emos walking around without a group and think that the culture is disappearing. However, with Dublin’s contemporary expressionist attitude, we see emo culture completely blend into modern fashion, not seen as different. 

But if you are missing the deep jet black eyeliner and fishnet tights that are probably hiding under a rain jacket, there are plenty of spaces to still bring out your favourite black or neon pieces. Bring the bold eye makeup to Whelan’s ‘’New Noise Emo night’ that features bands such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Hot Mulligan. Workman’s Club is another great alternative crowd that hosts ‘Outkastz’ on their emo night, along with other live bands. Emo culture, fittingly, centres around music and the emotional expression that comes with it. So, keeping up with any of these bands will prove just how present and active the emo community is within Dublin city. The Grand Social is another promising venue that is famous for themed nights, it’s most recent one being ‘Emo Prom Night’ that was hosted on January 31st, where they promised to have emo-pop punk nu-metal-Rock- metal, and alternative music played by DJs. 

But if all these events are happening within closed doors of a club or music venue, does this mean that emos feel safer within these establishments rather than meeting in vulnerable spaces such as the Central Bank of Ireland? In a traditionally Catholic country such as Ireland, does its capital show that much progressiveness compared to the countryside? The emo culture, which is visually loud, so contrary to the uniform invisibility the Irish youth were raised in, is not socially acceptable by the older generation as much. The ‘bankies’ who got their name due to their attachment to the Central Bank, who felt safe to build a community in that area due to the 1980’s alternative shops that surrounded that area before the gentrification of Temple Bar. An area where you can still sense the alternative aesthetic around Cope Street. 

Andre Goyvaerts, who interviewed Bebhinn Cullen, quotes in his article Who were the ‘bankies’?  “Stephens Green was an option, but it had a closing time and was a bit dangerous too… Everyone’s bus stop was closed. And we were never told to move on for loitering”, making it clear that social harassment was something to be cautious of. While the cases reported on were likely small due to emo discrimination, emos made sure they existed within the sight of security or cameras. One can only imagine the amount of harassment cases that should have been filed on a late evening in Dublin, only to have no one around to see it or people refusing to step in. 

Every year, we see Dublin as a city become more inclusive in an individual identity; there is still a long way to go before emo culture feels fully safe. And until then, as adults, we can set the example to the Irish youth and make sure we are standing up for emos in social settings and attending emo-themed nights so that we don’t associate the culture with nostalgia in the future! 

Writer: Sophia Arceo @sophiearceo

Edited by : Alex Kelleher