- You do not need "the hair" to be scene. The hair is pretty iconic, but there isn't enough of a consensus on what "the hair" is. Teased, not teased, bright clashing colours, neutral naturals, there isn't just one way to do scene hair. I've even seen scene kids from back in the day doing mohawks, dreads, straight bangs, and more. Scene is a combination of fashion, music, and attitude. Boiling it down to just "the hair" is flanderizing the community, and arguably abelist/racist. Not everyone can do "the hair" or even have hair to style. Scene is about self expression and doing what you can, so if you have curly or coily hair, style it how you feel. Don't let gatekeepers online tell you how to express yourself. And before anybody comes at me about wigs, Wigs can be expensive, require more care than you'd think, and can be quite uncomfortable[especially for people with sensory issues.]
- You don't need to dress the part to be emo. Emo is entirely music based, so as long as you're listening to the music at least a bit, you're in. The fashion is pretty slay, but isn't a requirement. If you want to dress like an influences and be emo, then do it.
- Scene and scenecore are separate aesthetics that share a common ancestor. Scenecore takes its inspiration from scene, gyaru, harajuku, and rave aesthetics. Scene takes inspiration from emo, gyaru, rave, and hardcore. They aren't as different as you'd think, but they aren't the same.
- Speaking of scenecore, I don't necessary have an issue with scenecore kids. Some scene kids think it's okay to bully them for being "posers," but that's just an excuse to be mean. I understand that scenecore kids claiming to be "so 2007" is annoying, but instead of spreading spite, we should be teaching and guiding them. Most scenecore kids are just that, kids[well, tweens, but you get the idea]. They are at that age where they're expressing themselves for the first time, and when you first enter a subculture, it's messy. I guarantee that even the greatest scene queens got it right the first time they dressed that way.
- Scene is a mostly apolitical subculture. Historically, scene kids weren't really into politics. A lot of that was due to the lack of obsession of politics. The only real politics that scenesters really got themselves into were LGBTQ+ rights. I've seen some people claim that scene is this ultra progressive culture, but that's not entirely true. Ultra progressiveness is anti capitalist and consumerist, but scene kids were super capitalist and consumerism was baked into the obsession with mall culture that came being a teen in the 2000s. The politicization of scene[and literally everything else] comes from shifts in trends, as well as the rage culture with mainstream social media. For the most part, your political orientation doesn't really matter. MAGA probably wouldn't align with the satanic symbolism and anti-conservative nature of scene.
- Gatekeeping is slowly killing the scene and emo communities. Both communities are about self expression and not caring about others, but the gatekeeping I've been seeing are putting people in these hyper specific groups, just for the sake of bullying. Just like "the hair," this is another example of how this community is being flanderized to now everyone needing to be a MySpace era scene queen 24/7. Take a break from dressing the part? Not a scene kid. Don't have perfect hair? Not a scene kid. Dare to wear kandi?[Some gatekeepers claim that kandi isn't scene] Not a scene kid. Do you see how stupid this all is? It's not that deep. Not all scene kids looked like scene queens. Hell, scene queens didn't always look like scene queens! Those were just for either stage performances or photo shoots. I get that people don't want the community "watered down," but in reality, they're making scene super one note and not very accessible or welcoming. The kicker is that most of the gatekeepers weren't even alive or were otherwise too young to be scene. I'm sorry, but you can't dictate what people wear if you weren't even around to experience it. Not even those who were around for scene can do that. In fairness, I think a lot of this comes from the fact that scene isn't really well archived, and most of the archives are from scene queens, so it creates a specific idea of what scene should be. As for the gatekeeping in emo, it's more your typical music gatekeeping. i.e "name X songs by Y band that aren't their most popular songs. If you can't you're not a true fan and therefore cannot be Z." That's dumb, as we all have to start somewhere. Plus, emo is a subgenre, and categorizing subgenres get, messy. Cultures are allowed to change. Just because they ain't exactly like they were in the 2000s doesn't make that a bad thing. In fact, there were some elements of scene and emo that are better left in the past.
- Some of the criticism towards scenecore hyperpop is a bit hypocritical. I do agree that hyperpop does promote some pretty unsavory things[probably to be shocking more than anything else] but to complain about these and not crunkcore is hypocritical. Yes I am aware that it was a different time and again, meant to be shocking. But people say how awful artists like 6arelyhuman or Rebyyxz are while praising the Millionaires[who promoted drugs, drinking and hookups knowingly to a minor audience] or BC13[who were called out for being misogynistic]. For the record, I am not bashing anybody who listens to or likes either genre. I listen to both pretty regularly. I'm just pointing out an inconsistency and double standard I have found.
- Clothing and accessories don't need to be authentic from the era to be scene. Many sellers on sites like Depop and Poshmark know how desperate tweens and teens are to fit in with their peers that they will take advantage of people by scalping vintage clothing. DIY and thrifting was a big part of the community, especially post recession. If you found a piece that you either can't find or can't afford, make it yourself! It's easier than you'd think. If possible, try to avoid Hot Topic, Spencers, Shein, Temu, AliExpress, and shop with caution on Amazon. These retailers are known for selling ultra fast fashion, which is horrible for the environment. These items aren't made well, so you'll end up spending more in the long run replacing the item over and over again than if you bought something reasonably priced that's better made. Plus, Spencers and Hot Topic are known for price gouging and even stealing designs, so there's that.
- Early Panic! is overrated. Hell Panic! in general is overrated. I get the appeal, but they just aren't for me.
- MCR is at least emo adjacent. They defiantly are more mainstream than something like Sunny Day Real Estate, but they were influential in the emo space. Many people's introduction to the culture was through MCR, and the culture/music has changes so much since its birth in the 1980s[yes, emo really is that old].
- Skinny jeans aren't a requirement. Many scene and especially emo kids from back in the day wore JNCO jeans and Tripp NYC pants fairly frequently. Skinny jeans are getting harder to find, and are super uncomfortable for some. Leggings, PJ pants, JNCO jeans, Tripp NYC pants. All of these can be scene/emo, especially when paired with a tighter top. Just like how scene and emo kids did it back in the day: you do the best you can with what you got!
- You don't need to down energy drinks if you don't want to. Monster, Rockstar, and Amp'd were iconic drinks in the scene and emo communities[and still are], but don't feel pressured to drink them if you don't want to. If you are under 18 you should really limit how many you drink to no more than one a day and if you are under 16 you shouldn't drink them at all. Same goes if you are sensitive to caffeine or have some sort of health problems relating to caffeine consumption[like a heart condition]. Look I'm not your mom or doctor, so if you choose to ignore this I can't stop you. Just make sure to take it easy and drink as much water as you can. Energy drinks only hydrate you about half as good as water, and caffeine in such high amounts aren't great for the developing mind or body. Caffeine is also a diuretic, so it makes you have to pee more. The more you pee, the more you can become dehydrated if you don't replenish. Maybe this comes off as hypocritical as someone who drinks Monster fairly frequently and suspects they have POTS, but I am knowingly putting myself at risk, only drink at most one a day, and consume lots of water. Just, don't feel like you need to drink energy drinks in order to be scene or emo if you don't want to, and if you choose to do so, moderation and rehydration are key.
Scene/emo unpopular opinions
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