Originally Posted by xLizardx

And so it begins. "Emo" is basically an almost utterly subjective definition, these days - the word has been appropriated and applied to so many different sub-genres that it's essentially meaningless.

Therefore, I will not apologise for using the word in two differing contexts:
a. to refer to the subgenres with which I personally associate it
and b. to refer to the genres/ subgenres that are associated with the word in popular/ mainstream conceptions.

Why the latter? Because chances are, no matter what your personal [and potentially more informed] perspective on the matter may be, if someone who doesn't know much about this area of music uses the term, then they probably are actually picturing something that sounds more like Fall Out Boy.

Obviously, understanding context is always expedient when trying to conduct a conversation. Since the person who asked the question doesn't [IMO] seem to know much about the genre[s], then I provided a list of what I thought she would most likely wish to hear.

Now, you can waste your time getting all holier-than-thou about my more pragmatic approach, or you can learn to accept the fact that the meanings of words evolve and change, and that, moreover, it makes absolutely no difference to you what another person listens to - no one is forcing you to follow suit.

Now please, re-consider your elitist attitude. It's neither big, nor clever, and it certainly doesn't make you seem cooler than the other kids.