A particular style of hardcore punk rock
"The band played an intense set of emo songs that blended fast-paced hardcore punk melodies with raw, emotional lyrics."
In plain English: Emo is a style of music and fashion that expresses deep sadness and intense emotions through loud guitars, fast drums, and dark clothing with long hair covering your eyes.
"The teen wore his hair in long bangs and listened to emo music all afternoon."
Usage: While often used as an adjective to describe sad or dramatic behavior, the noun specifically refers to the music genre and its associated subculture. Avoid using "emo" as a verb; instead, say someone is "getting emo" if you mean they are adopting that style of expression.
Emotional; sensitive.
"The emo boy sat quietly in the corner, feeling deeply moved by the sad song playing on the radio."
A village in Ireland.
"The residents of Emo, Ontario, gathered to celebrate their town's annual summer festival."
A township in Ontario.
The word emo is a shortened form of the compound term "emocore," which was first used to describe an underground music genre in 1986. The single-syllable version emerged two years later, around 1988, as musicians and fans adopted this catchy nickname for their style.