Tips for Beginner Scene Kidz!!!

I have only been scene for four years, but in those four years I have learned a lot about the scene subculture. The scene subculture is very misunderstood, especially by those who are new to it. I have seen a lot of debates about what scene is and isn't online, and I would like to settle these debates once and for all. Here are some of my tips for new scene kids!!

First of all, what exactly is the scene subculture? According to Wikipedia (I know, I know, just stick with me here) the scene subculture is "a youth subculture that emerged during the early 2000s in the United States from the pre-existing emo subculture." That's right, new scene kids! The scene subculture is not a brand new one, even though many people online may lead you to believe it is (what with the rise of the "scenecore" aesthetic and all, which I will get to in a moment). The scene subculture has a rich history which I highly recommend you do some research on. 

The scene subculture is different from both the emo subculture and the scenecore aesthetic. It differs from the emo subculture because those in the emo subculture tend to act, dress, and listen to music that differs from what/how scene kids dress, act, and listen to. Those in the emo subculture are generally more timid and emotional than scene kids (though this is not always the case; do not stereotype emos), while those in the scene subculture tend to be more outgoing, loud, and passionate (I definitely am; but again, not all scene kids are this way). Those in the emo subculture tend to dress in dark colors, while those in the scene subculture tend to dress in bright colors. Lastly, those in the emo subculture tend to listen to emocore, post hardcore, and pop punk music, while those in the scene subculture tend to listen to crunkcore, neon pop punk, electronic, and metalcore music. Scene kids can listen to post-hardcore and regular pop punk bands, though.

Scene is different from scenecore because scene is a subculture and scenecore is an aesthetic. While the word "scene" may sound like an abbreviation of the word "scenecore", it most certainly is not. The scene subculture came way before the scenecore aesthetic, although the word scenecore was used by some original scene kids (it just wasn't used to describe an aesthetic like it is today). Those who are into the scenecore aesthetic tend to listen to hyperpop (which is not a genre of music original scene kids listened to) and may borrow some of their style choices from scene kids. This does not make these people scene, however. Those who have been scene for a while will always tell you that they can tell the difference between those who are fans of the scenecore aesthetic and those who are actually a part of the scene subculture. 

Now that we've got that intro out of the way, let's talk about what scene kids generally wear. Fashion is a huge part of the scene subculture, so dressing the right way can let other scene kids know that you are a part of their subculture. First of all, please, please, PLEASE try not to shop at places like Amazon, Temu, Shein, etc. if you can avoid it. If these places are the only ones you can buy things from due to money problems, then I understand why you would buy clothes from them. However, clothing from these places is generally cheaply made and will not last very long. Not to mention, these places tend to use sweatshop labor to make their products. If you want to find unique clothing for your scene closet, I highly recommend buying things from places like Etsy (I know it's not perfect, but at least there are small businesses selling handmade items on there), Depop (although this site is generally pretty plus size exclusionary), Poshmark, eBay, and your local thrift store. Hot Topic is generally a good place to shop at as well, but I recommend buying from their online site rather than one of their in-person stores. Also, Hot Topic's clothing can only get you so far. I have noticed that a lot of beginner scene kids tend to think that Hot Topic is the only place they should get their clothing from. However, your closet should not only be made up of clothing from Hot Topic. Most of my closet is made up of clothing that I have gotten from thrift stores and places such as Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, etc.

Now, I know you're probably wondering what sorts of clothes you should wear. To answer your question, I will write a detailed guide below.

For scene kids who like to present in a feminine way, I recommend looking for neon skinny jeans, camisoles/shirts/tank tops with fun patterns on them (such as polka dots, zebra print, leopard print, etc.), shirts with characters (like Domo, Gir*, Hello Kitty, Gloomy Bear, etc.) on them, hair bows, plastic tiaras, brightly colored bandanas (to wear around your neck), studded belts, big, chunky bead necklaces, scene diamond necklaces**, brass knuckles necklaces, Hello Kitty necklaces, shutter shades, big sunglasses, fingerless gloves, patterned tights, patterned zip up hoodies (including short sleeve zip up hoodies), jelly bracelets, and tutus. If you are somebody who likes to make things, I recommend making kandi bracelets. You can find a ton of Kandi bracelet tutorials online. I recommend looking at the site Kandipatterns.com or YouTube for inspiration.

For scene kids who like to present in a masculine way, I recommend looking for patterned zip up hoodies (masculine-presenting scene kids tend to wear striped zip up hoodies or checkered zip up hoodies), plain but colorful zip up hoodies, studded belts in more neutral colors (such as black, silver, or white), sweatbands, colored ties, band shirts, colorful skinny jeans, shutter shades, and bandanas. Masculine-presenting scene kids tend not to wear as many accessories or items of clothing as feminine-presenting scene kids.

I honestly don't know a lot about androgynous scene fashion, as I do not know and have not seen a lot of scene kids who present in an androgynous way. If you're a person who likes to present in an androgynous way, it might be fun to mix elements of masculine and feminine scene fashion.

I know what you guys must be thinking at this point: What shops should I buy scene clothing items from? I will answer this question by recommending you guys some online shops. Some shops that I highly recommend you guys buy from include CrabCraftShack on Etsy, UPUPAWAYJT on Etsy, MasterMind92 on Etsy, RockWristband on Etsy, and thescenecloset2 on Depop. If you don't want to buy clothes from specific shops, some search terms I recommend you use on different shopping platforms include "scene", "scene emo", "scene zip up hoodie", "*insert band name here* tee", "*insert band name here* shirt", "*insert band name here* top", and "zebra print top".

I would also like to give you guys scene clothing brand recommendations, as finding out what brands to search for on secondhand sites or in thrift stores can be difficult. Some brands that you may see scene kids wearing include Abbey Dawn (this is my favorite brand of all time), SoSoHappy, Self Esteem, Wet Seal, No Boundaries, Tripp NYC, Cupcake Cult, Dropdead Clothing, Newbreed Girl, and Silent Scream Clothing (this brand has their own website). Sadly, it is quite common for people to sell clothing items from some of these brands for crazy high prices. Depop sellers in particular are notorious for doing this, which is a real problem for scene kids (like me!) who don't have crazy amounts of money to spend on clothing. With this in mind, it is important to remember that clothing items from Wet Seal, No Boundaries, Self Esteem, and Newbreed Girl are often less expensive than clothing items from SoSoHappy, Abbey Dawn, Cupcake Cult, Dropdead Clothing, Tripp NYC, and Silent Scream Clothing.

Now, let's talk about hair and makeup. I will be the first to admit that I am honestly not a huge hair and makeup person, so I cannot provide you with all of the information you may need. If you want to learn more about scene hair and makeup, I recommend watching old school scene YouTubers (my favorites are Amber Katelyn Beale and Thevenomnomnom) and looking for hair and makeup tutorials online. Keep in mind that, unfortunately, the scene subculture (in the 2000s) was a very white one. A LOT of old school scene kids were white and had naturally straight hair (I myself am a white person with naturally straight hair), so it is pretty difficult to find scene hair tutorials for scene kids who have different hair textures. I recommend digging around online for these tutorials. They do exist! That being said, scene hair is generally big, colorful, and straight (again, not every scene kid has to have straight hair to look cool!). Old school scene kids generally teased their hair and added a ton of hairspray to it to make it bigger. A typical scene haircut consists of a large, side swept fringe and tons and tons of layers. Part of the reason I myself don't straighten and tease my hair despite having a typical scene haircut is because I don't want to damage my hair; if you're like me, feel free to forgo straightening and teasing your hair to make it look bigger. Another important thing about scene hair is that old school scene kids generally put extensions with different patterns in their hair (raccoon tail extensions and leopard print patterned extensions were very popular among old school scene kids). Even masculine presenting scene kids dyed, straightened, and teased their hair, although many masculine presenting scene kids dyed their hair less wild colors or kept their natural hair color. 

Scene makeup is honestly not that crazy. It consists of heavy black eyeliner around the eyes. Some scene kids also like to wear blush or lipstick, but these things are not required to look scene. The eye makeup is really the only thing you need to wear if you want to look like an old school scene kid. Keep in mind that some old school scene kids liked to do colorful eye makeup.

I know I have spent a lot of time talking about what scene kids wear and how they do their hair, but it is now time to discuss the music that scene kids listen to. Music is another huge part of the scene subculture. A lot of people think that the scene subculture is just about what you look like, but it is so much more than that. Below, I will recommend some bands and artists for you guys to listen to. 

Are you a fan of pop punk? Well, I've got good news for you! Scene kids listen to pop punk, like, a lot. Scene kids are generally fans of a subgenre of pop punk called neon pop punk, although they listen to regular pop punk bands as well. Some examples of neon pop punk bands include All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, Forever the Sickest Kids, and Paramore. Some other pop punk bands (neon or not) that I like and recommend include Brand New, Farewell, Freshman 15, Hellogoodbye, Hey Monday, Hit The Lights, Matchbook Romance, Mayday Parade, Motion City Soundtrack, Set It Off, The Academy Is..., The Bride Wore Black, The Maine, The Starting Line, There For Tomorrow, We The Kings, Yellowcard, and You Me At Six.

Are you a fan of dance, pop, or electronic music? Well, scene kids listen to those genres of music as well! Some examples of dance/pop/electronic artists that scene kids listen to include Amy Can Flyy, Breathe Carolina, Cash Cash, Electric Valentine, Handshakes & Highfives, Ke$ha, Kill Paradise, Never Shout Never, Nickasaur!, PlayRadioPlay!, SlowMotionNoise, and The Title.

Are you perhaps more of a post-hardcore and/or metalcore kind of person? Well fear not, as scene kids listen to these genres, too! Some metalcore and post-hardcore bands I highly recommend include A Day to Remember, A Faylene Sky, A Skylit Drive, Abandon All Ships, Aiden, Alesana, Alexisonfire, Architects, Armor For Sleep, Asking Alexandria, Atreyu, Attack Attack!, August Burns Red, Between Home and Serenity, Black Veil Brides, blessthefall, Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Chiodos, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Clarity Process, Dance Gavin Dance, Dorian's Decay, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Escape the Fate, Eyes Set To Kill, For All Those Sleeping, From Dying Skies, From First to Last, Goodbye Soundscape, Greeley Estates, Hawthorne Heights, I See Stars, Lovehatehero, Missing In Maryland, Odd Project, Of Machines, Paddock Park, Parkway Drive, Pierce the Veil, Saosin, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Senses Fail, Signal The Escape, Silverstein, Sky Eats Airplane, Sleeping With Sirens, Taking Back Sunday, The Devil Wears Prada, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Used, Thursday, Underoath, We Came as Romans, Woe, Is Me, and Yesterdays Rising.

Lastly, are you somebody who is a fan of obscene, loud, scream-y, auto tuned music? If you are, I recommend listening to crunkcore music. Crunkcore was HUGE among old school scene kids. Keep in mind, however, that crunkcore artists sing about sex, drugs, and getting drunk A LOT. Also keep in mind the fact that some of these artists say very misogynistic, homophobic, and sometimes even racist things in their songs (looking at you, BrokenCYDE). With that out of the way, some crunkcore bands/artists include 3OH!3, BrokenCYDE, Dot Dot Curve, I Set My Friends On Fire, Maya Malice, Scotty Vanity, The Medic Droid, The Millionaires, and Ohemgee.

There is one more thing I must mention about scene music. That thing is this: Do NOT listen to Blood on the Dance Floor or Jeffree Star (unless you really want to; at the end of the day, I can't stop you from listening to either of these artists. If you care deeply about problematic behavior like I do, though, then these artists should be avoided at all costs). One of the artists behind BOTDF, Dahvie Vanity, is a notorious sexual predator and pedophile who also mistreated the other person behind the band (Jayy Von Monroe). Jeffree Star, on the other hand, is, well... A lot of things. Racism and transphobia are two of the things he has engaged in in the past, but he has also engaged in many other problematic behaviors. To learn more about both Jeffree Star and Dahvie Vanity, watch this four part series on Jeffree Star that the YouTuber Nikki Carreon did (Dahvie Vanity is discussed in video four of this video series):

An Unhinged Jeffree Star Deepdive (Part 1): https://youtu.be/0No44amnyX0?si=ImQaGegBLpoSaoS_

A Disturbingly Long Jeffree Star Deepdive (Part 2): https://youtu.be/AOZPXdBf1wc?si=YzodoUQMM8E4VxoP

Jeffree Star is an Evil Villain (Part 3): https://youtu.be/nsgsTpEdGrw?si=mz7OuGqiGYXl2UZq

The Unhinged END of Jeffree Star (Part 4): https://youtu.be/U6DrarJHjow?si=FI4_CivfPximmXGe

I know that this series is a very, very long one, but I implore you guys to watch it. It is extremely informative. 

Here is another video on BOTDF, in case you want more information about Dahvie Vanity:

The Rise And Fall Of Blood On The Dance Floor: https://youtu.be/_BpVAZ8finU?si=5hXW61_vx9ydOyRv

Before I finish writing this blog post, I would like to quickly go over the lifestyle of a scene kid. The scene subculture originally thrived on online spaces, especially MySpace. Being online was a HUGE part of a scene kid's life. In today's world, it is even easier to be online all the time. Even though this is the case, it is important for every scene kid to remember that the scene subculture thrived offline too. Scene kids often went to concerts and public spaces, like malls. They weren't afraid to hang out with their friends both online and offline. 

Those are all the tips I have for you guys! One last thing I want to say before I end this blog post is this: Ignore any haters that try to bring you down. Scene kids were hated on a lot back when the subculture was really thriving, as many people saw them as self-absorbed, rude, and cringy posers. Despite this, however, scene kids continued to live their lives. A big lesson a lot of scene kids had to learn was that cringe culture was (and still is) stupid. Scene kids learned not to give a single shit about the ways in which they were perceived by others. If they were able to thrive, you can, too. Ignore those haters, you new scene kid!

* Don't go overboard on the Gir stuff, though.

** As of February 2025, the only shop that is selling scene diamond necklaces is a shop owned by original MySpace scene queen Kiki Kannibal. There used to be tons of small online businesses that sold scene diamond necklaces, but Kiki Kannibal, who was the scene queen who popularized the scene diamond necklace, returned to the scene in February of this year and immediately ordered all shops selling scene diamond necklaces to stop selling them. Keep in mind that although Kiki Kannibal popularized the scene diamond necklace, she does not own the idea of a diamond shaped necklace. The scene diamond necklaces she sells on her site are extremely overpriced, and I wouldn't recommend buying them. I am hoping that this drama will blow over soon and that shops that were previously selling scene diamond necklaces will soon be able to sell them again, but for now buying scene diamond necklaces is off the table. One shop that used to sell scene diamond necklaces is Oonafay on Etsy. When they were selling scene diamond necklaces, I managed to get my hands on five of them (all of which were different colors). Their scene diamond necklaces were high quality, and the other items on their shop also seem to be pretty high quality. I recommend supporting their shop, as it is likely that they have been earning less money now that they aren't allowed to sell their most popular product. Support small businesses! Don't buy from Kiki Kannibal!

P.S.

If you want to find scene hair or outfit inspiration, I recommend browsing Pinterest and/or soemo.co.uk for a while. If you choose to use soemo.co.uk for outfit and hair inspiration, click on either the "Emo Girls latest pictures" or "Emo Boys latest pictures" section of the site and go to the very last page of either of these sections. Once you are there, I suggest clicking backwards through the archived photos. If you're curious about what accounts to follow on Pinterest for scene (and in some cases, emo) hair and outfit inspiration, I recommend giving these accounts a follow: bxnny_666 (https://www.pinterest.com/bxnny_666/), razrbladesnlipgloss (https://www.pinterest.com/razrbladesnlipgloss/), a1yssaAnim0sity (https://www.pinterest.com/a1yssaAnim0sity/), 2sweet4scene (https://www.pinterest.com/2sweet4scene/), riotscenedoll (https://www.pinterest.com/riotscenedoll/), volatilenick (https://www.pinterest.com/volatilenick/), lethalletty (https://www.pinterest.com/lethalletty/), XxsnuffingxX (https://www.pinterest.com/XxsnuffingxX/), mahhscenexx (https://www.pinterest.com/mahhscenexx/), corycannibal (https://www.pinterest.com/corycannibal/), str8inurthr0at (https://www.pinterest.com/str8inurthr0at/), glittersorez (https://www.pinterest.com/glittersorez/), allieapathetic (https://www.pinterest.com/allieapathetic/), cuntc4ke (https://www.pinterest.com/cuntc4ke/), davimose (https://www.pinterest.com/davimose/), xx_saintoftheblood_xx (https://www.pinterest.com/xx_saintoftheblood_xx/), solitudal (https://www.pinterest.com/solitudal/), bloodontheaspha (https://www.pinterest.com/bloodontheaspha/), xxaudreyangelicxx (https://www.pinterest.com/xxaudreyangelicxx/), GodWearsGucci (https://www.pinterest.com/GodWearsGucci/), Ami_Puffy (https://www.pinterest.com/Ami_Puffy/), and scenexsource (https://www.pinterest.com/scenexsource/). Two other really cool looking scene kids on Pinterest are candysurgery (https://www.pinterest.com/candysurgery/) and emoprincessintheclub (https://www.pinterest.com/emoprincessintheclub/), but I hesitate to tell you guys to follow them because both of them listen to BOTDF and are proud of it. 

Some scene and emo kids (both old and new) that do not have their own accounts on Pinterest but whose styles I admire include Ivana Insomniac, Hanny Plink, Mona Massacre, Ambrehhisdead, Muñeca de Sangre, Lexi Lush, Thevenomnomnom, Scene Syll, Qat_brain, gravelygothickayla, 2scared2fall, Pocketbrat, Roxxi Molly, Tara Terminate, Champagneshowerzz, Kittiestichez, eep_wtf, Mika Mortified, Maya Malice, Dropdead Dani, Klydii Kapiitate, Luke of the Dead, Nina Bear Masaker, HeidiMightyBear, Emmy Bow, and Libellchen Massacre Doll. Pictures and videos of these scene kids can be found on Pinterest (even though the scene kids I just mentioned do not have personal Pinterest accounts), Instagram, and YouTube.