Misery Business: Things All Pinoy Emo Kids Did in the ‘00s
By Kevin Christian L. Santos

Do you ever have those flashbacks of a random moment and cringe, thinking of how cool you thought you were? In this case, you were into a very particular genre of music and represented it hard. In this case, it’s emo.  You know, one of your “phases” that brought rigid stares from your parents? You responded with: “OMG mom. It’s punk. Not a phase. You’ll never understand”–which sent them on a self-blame trip again, despairing for an answer for “where did we go wrong?” Let’s go there and see how very hxc you were with your feeeeeelings.

8. You made cryptic status messages on Yahoo Messenger using angsty emo lyrics

Photo via: AndroidFreeware

No one but no one could ever understand the torment you were going through. Your best sanctuary was the music you listened to and you expressed it on YM. You shuffled between “And with my one last gasping breath I’d apologize for bleeding on your shirt,” and “Staring at the setting sun, no reason to come back again, the twilight world in blue and white, the needle and the damage done.” You sighed from “I’m not okay” to “I sleep so I don’t have to feel/ the truth that you can’t ever be/ the one person that won’t ever forget me.”

Holy hell, were these lyrics dark.

Photo via: Giphy

7. You had a livejournal

Photo via: Phonesreview

Besides your instant messaging service, you’d also be brooding and writing your feels on Livejournal. It was a form of catharsis. You’d also come up with handles that exposed the darkest, most agony-filled side of you. Names like “HarryXtheXHated” or “BellaXwhore” or “XxXmiseryXbusiness” or “KCxCore” or whatever dark name with an “x” you could think of. Paired with cryptic lyrics, you’d have an emo post that only your fellow shredded-soul  friends would understand.

We were so angsty back then. It was the best.
Photo via: Giphy

6. You had one of these bad boys

when u clean out ur closet and remember how dumb u were in 8th grade pic.twitter.com/S7yTuGHO7I

— First World Pains (@FirstWorldPains) April 6, 2015

Why were studded belts so cool back then? Why did we wear them a lot? Was it because it was “punk?” Was it a way to show how we bristled at our own inner sensitivity?

You also probably had a studded bracelet and/or sweatbands, even though you weren’t really sweaty.

5. You had emo bangs

Photo via: ElisePlease.Livejournal.com

Photo via: Tinypic

The perfect sideways-swept bangs is truly a work of art and is difficult to master. Bonus points for dyeing said bangs. You’d obsess about getting it right; from simply combing it sideways, applying mousse, or with pawis. How was the vision in your other eye? You didnn’t care. The bangs captured your perfect brooding emo aesthetic.

Photo via: Pinterest

The wind would be one of your worst enemies. Every wayward puff meant having to restyle those damned bangs all over again. Neck sprain was a constant risk from always having to jerk hair off your face. Totally worth it.

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