December 21, 2023 | Story by Christine Bradshaw

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Most of the hottest and coolest people you know probably had an emo phase at one point in their life. I am not one of those people.

By all emo standards, I am a poser.

But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t interested in the scene and the music at the time. The issue is I was in elementary school and hadn’t yet hit puberty. By the time I was full of angst, the emo era was pretty much over. Instead, my generation endured Soundcloud rappers and the Xandemic scene as the backdrop to our most formative and angst-filled years, but I digress.

That being said, I knew and loved the emo hits of the 2000s, listening to them on the radio and borrowing my friends' teenage siblings’ CDs of Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, etc.

So when I heard Emo Nite was coming to the Velvet Underground in Toronto, I jumped at the opportunity. I first heard about Emo Nite from The Vlog Squad. I remember watching videos of Vlog Squad staples like Gabbi Hanna, David Dobrik, Carly Incontro, Erin Gilfoy, and Zane Hijazi, having the time of their lives at Emo Nite. And a fun fact, Erin married one of the founders of Emo Nite, T.J. Petracca.

Over the years, I’ve watched countless other influencers and celebrities dress in nostalgic attire while head-banging to emo hits. Most memorably, I remember watching Demi Lovato perform an iconic acapella version of ‘Misery Business’ by Paramore.

Emo Nite has become a party staple for every emo teenager turned angsty adult, so I was pumped and ready for the festivities.

I recruited some of my friends, a few who just so happened to be card-carrying emos at one point or another, donned our black outfits and winged eyeliner, and hit the town.

The event started at 9:00 pm and I’m not going to lie, when we got there around 10:30 pm, the crowd was pretty scarce. People were mostly hanging around on the walls or at the bar. It felt a bit like a school dance, except with hard, emo music playing.

A few people entered only to immediately turn and leave, looking embarrassed, mumbling about how “it wasn’t their vibe”. However, as more people filtered in, the timidity of the crowd slowly dispersed, much to the credit of the DJs, who knew exactly what tunes to get the crowd going. They were quick to whip the crowd from introversion to extroversion, to a point where people were eventually flying and thrashing around the room and jumping on stage.

The crowd consisted of a good mix of people. I was actually surprised to see many people who looked younger than me, college students who missed the peak of the emo scene and were there for a taste of it. The space felt genuinely welcoming and safe and everyone looked to be having a good time.

If there’s one thing that stood out about the night it was the outfits. Emo Nite merch, which was being sold at a table near the front, was a popular choice for many. I also saw people wearing what I can only describe as Goth Raver outfits: fuzzy boots, fishnets, miniskirts, and chokers. The more lowkey party-goers, like myself, settled for more casual looks, but everyone certainly put their most emo foot forward.

Notable mention to the woman decked out in studded belts layered atop leather pants and a pink corset, rocking a cropped blonde cut. Let me just tell you…she could dance. I spent the night transfixed by her.

I have to say, I found the styles of dancing to be one of the most fascinating and fun parts of the night. Many people were shuffling, a dance that I’ve only seen on Musical.ly and within the electronic dance music community. People on stage moved in a way I could only describe as Anime GoGo dancing; very cute, strong, and sexy.

And of course, it wouldn’t be an Emo Nite event without a little moshing. As a woman with crowd anxiety, I stood very far back but was delighted to witness the mosh pit from my dimly lit corner. People were throwing themselves at each other just hard enough to make an impact, but not hard enough to hurt anyone (some good old fashioned respectful moshing, if you will). Some people went harder than others, gaining ultimate respect and cheers from the crowd.

I also learned what a “wall of death” was: people separated into two lines facing each other and when the beat dropped everyone rushed to the middle and started thrashing. Asking one party-goer why they like to mosh, I was told it’s a good release and it's just fun. I respect it.

The event and music were still fun for non-emos or emo posers such as myself. Although I didn’t know some of the harder songs, the DJs managed to spin tracks that me and my friends knew like ‘Shake It’ by Metro Station, ‘All I Wanted’ by Paramore, and ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’ by Panic! At The Disco.

The most memorable moment of the night was when the definitive 2000s emo ballad, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade' by My Chemical Romance, was played. The DJs invited people on stage and everyone in the place was giving their absolute all to their performance. It was incredible and felt like group catharsis or just some sort of really fun therapy.

All in all, my experience was nothing short of fun and positive. Although I felt I was being regarded as a poser, that may have had more to do with my own insecurity than anything, as I was actually welcomed and encouraged to join in on the madness by the rest of the crowd.

Emo Nite was certainly a welcoming, safe community full of great people. So whether you’re a poser or a true emo looking for a night of nostalgia, I say be on the lookout for an Emo Nite in your city!