1. Straightening your hair to death every morning to make sure your fringe was just right.

And when you finally outgrew that phase, it took FOREVER to get your hair back to a healthy/normal state. Bonus points if you used to cut your fringe yourself.

2. You wouldn't be caught DEAD anywhere without a ton of eyeliner.

Or as mom called it, "raccoon eyes".

3. You had more band tees than you could count.

The only store you really shopped at was Hot Topic.

4. You religiously read Kerrang! and Alternative Press.

You could fill a library with every issue.

5. But the REAL reason you subscribed to them was to rip out all the pages and decorate your walls with band pictures.

All your idols in one place!

6. Studded belts.

Were you even emo if you didn't wear more than one at the same time?

7. If you had a hard time taking your skinny jeans off, you know they were just right.

The "skinny jean dance" was the only way to get them on. RIP belt loops.

8. The only shoes you wore were Converse and Vans.

They were also covered in song lyrics.

9. You perfected the 'MySpace angle' before selfies were a thing.

Lemme tell ya, this was WAY harder without a front-facing camera.

10. Your AIM away messages were also song lyrics.

The more intense, the better!

11. No one understood you.

Guess some things don't change.

12. Your favorite bands were My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, etc.

And you had all their CDs/live DVDs.

13. And "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" was your JAM.

"You like D&D, Audrey Hepburn, Fangoria, Harry Houdini, and croquet..."

14. You begged your parents to let you go to concerts.

Especially Warped Tour.

15. Moshing/hardcore dancing was a way of life.

I can't explain it, it's just a thing we do. And we all pretended that it was the greatest thing ever; not dangerous in the slightest.

16. Facial piercings.

For some reason, we were obsessed with putting holes in our faces.

17. Adamantly denying being emo.

"It's not a phase, mom!"

18. But we all secretly loved it (and still do).

There was something about our music and culture that had a way of bringing people of all backgrounds together. Our community was there to remind everyone that they truly aren't alone. Although we've all grown up, the music is and always will be there.

Do you remember anything else about your 'emo kid' days? Let me know/share with your friends!