Hair was, is, and probably always will be a huge part of emo fashion. Originally, to be emo you had to dye your hair black. Not everyone did it, but it was the thing to do if you were truly going for the emo style. The emo hairstyle for guys typically consisted of flat ironed hair with a side swooping bang that covered one eye. The emo hairstyle for females brought back the idea of big hair but also encompassed the side swooping bang that covered one eye. I think the best comparison of the female hairstyle would be to that of Elvira.
Giant hair bows were a big time accessory for girls. Eyeliner found its way onto the faces of emo guys and gained the affectionate name of guy liner. Again, not all emo guys wore guy liner but enough did that it became a pretty popular part of the emo fashion statement. Some even went a step farther by wearing eye shadow and other make up items.
Emo males started wearing girls jeans. In the beginning this created much controversy which later died down when retailers caught on to the trend and brought back skinny jeans. Tight clothing, in general, was/is a fashion standard for emos.
The fashion style was very vintage looking in the beginning. Many emos went to thrift stores to shop for printed t-shirts and flannels. Thick framed glasses, sweat bands, and messenger bags were also a pretty big thing at the time.
Thanks to the emo culture, lip piercing gained in popularity. This has probably contributed greatly to the exploding expansion of new piercing parlors opening up across the United States. Many emos got a single lip piercing on either the left or right side of the lip.
Emo fashion has changed much in the last ten years. Many of the fashion trends once associated with being emo no longer exist while some of them have lingered on through time
