There is indeed a BIG difference.

As anyone who knows me knows, I hate being called emo. (which happens a lot). In fact, pretty much all goths don't like being called emo and for a fair enough reason that emo is a completely different subculture. Some people actually don't know the difference, like the girl in my media class last year. We were learning about stereotypes and the teacher was writing them all up, but the teacher said that goth was not a stereotype (which it really is. Trust me). The girl sitting in front of me then said "They don't call it goth anymore, it's called emo now. Goth is the old name for it". When I said that wasn't true and that I was goth, she gave me a dirty look and said "What ever" as if I knew nothing about the subject. So for the very few people who might actually end up reading this, I'm going to educate you. (even if you're not a dipshit like that girl) Let me start with the stereotypical emo.


Emo started out as a music genre in the earlier part of the 2000's, but then turned into a style of clothing. The original emo look was moody 14 year olds dressed head to toe in black. Black converse, black skinny jeans, black band shirts of shitty emo bands, snakebite lip piercings, black hair with a side fringes (red streaks are considered acceptable among these creatures) and the cherry on top of the black sad cake, the shittaly applied pander eyeliner that they are so well known for. They are kind of like gothlings that are too frightened to go the full way. The stereotypical emo is one that comes from a middle class to well off family but complains about everything and cuts them selves for attention that they claim they don't want. They consider them selves to be the acceptation to the rules of school uniforms, chores, ect. As time went on the style changed. Black nail polish, black and white stripes and the odd colour here or there become popular amongst the angsty young community. Once coloured skinny jeans started mixing into the style, the whole emo thing started to evolve. Suddenly there was this whole new bread of scene kids. It's pretty much the same as emo except with bigger hair and everything HAS to be brightly coloured. Though skinny jeans, heavy eyeliner, band shirts and side fringes stayed. But scene kids are a whole other thing I might write about when I get bored. Now here is a picture of a classic emo kid.

Now for what goth is. Goth evolved from punk in the early to mid 80's. It started out as a darker version of punk but caught on pretty fast and started changing as time went on. It has been running strong for about 30 years now and there are ridiculous amounts of variations of goth. There is cyber goth, victorian goth, industrial goth, fetish goth, cabaret goth and trad goths, just to name a few. Because there are so many different types of goth it leave room for the individual to mix and match and leave their own mark on it, but it also makes it hard to explain what exactly goth is. The main things that make a goth a goth, I suppose is mostly black clothing, very very white skin, and extravagant hair and makeup. Corsets are very popular mostly as womans clothing but also occasionally as mens clothing and boots are a must. Some goths like wearing short tight things and some like myself, like to wear long flowy things that cove most of their body. It's a tricky thing to explain, but the stereotype of mopey goths that hate sunlight and joy is an unfair one. Most of the goths I have met other the ones that give into that ridiculous stereotype, are really nice people. A tad odd, but nice. I think the best description I have heard of what the subculture is built up of is "finding beauty in places there seems to be none." And that's exactly it. Thinking a dead dog or cracked building or rusted syringe is pretty is all apart of it. Goth is a particularly accepting subculture in that sense which makes it easy to give into and stick with. Some people love it so much that it becomes a life style (me being one of those people) and do what ever they can to look their best and to look out for each other. Unless that one person is a dick. Theres always one >.>    Below is a picture of a goth. NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE!   

kaythanksbye! :)