the buzz log

Ask 100 tormented teens what "emo" means and you'll probably get 100 different answers. Difficulties in pinning down the term lead to searches on "what is emo," "how to be emo," and "what is the definition of emo." The Urban Dictionary lists over 100 definitions for the word and Wikipedia provides more theories but few definitive answers. Although it's hard to get a fix on what emo is, the confusion surrounding the term hasn't hurt sales of black nail polish, hair mousse, or Dashboard Confessional albums.

After searches on "emo hairstyles" doubled over the weekend, we delved into the world of melodramatic despair. Searches on "emo" are flat over the last week, but it's a trend on the rise. We graphed emo searches over the last two and a half years and found the style still hasn't faded to black...

In fact, "emo" pouts around in our top 1,000 searches and is responsible for many devastatingly emotional related queries. We put down our mascara long enough to count down the top 20...