Anti-Emo Violence Plagues Mexico as Attacks Increase

A wave of anti-emo violence has descended on Mexico. The first reported instance occurred on March 7th, when 800 young people came to the city of Queretaro with the sole purpose of finding emo kids to beat up. The anti-emo movement has propagated from message boards and social-network sites led by youths who dislike "the emo look and attitude." A week after the Queretaro incident, a group comprised of punks and rockabillies faced off against the emo crowd. In response to the attacks, the emo population staged a silent march asking for peace and tolerance through Queretaro's main center on March 15th. The march was organized by a Mexico City gay-rights organization that feels the anti-emo attacks are fueled by homophobia. The problem is not only restricted to Mexico, however: Reports from Chile of skinheads fighting emo kids occurred prior to the Mexican violence.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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