The word “emo” has the power to make me cringe so hard that my joints crack. Even typing those three letters just then, I was a bit disgusted with myself. It wasn’t always like this, but years of Emo Nites and emo nostalgia festivals and “elder emo” “humor” TikTokers have conditioned me to treat the word like a threat to my sanity. I would rather get sucked into the vortex of a tornado than debate what is or isn’t Real Emo, or try to break down the etymology of the word.