"Emo" - if you are over the age of 25, you probably think its the name of some kind of washing powder, or a flightless bird. Unless of course you have teenage kids, in which case you may think its some weird cult that seems to have turned your once-loving, fresh-faced child, into some kind of alien.

But what the heck is "Emo" anyway? Well Emo is actually short for "Emotional" and it is a broad title that seems to cover quite a widely varying set of styles of emotionally-charged punk rock. As with all musical genres, it has its own style and dress code, but - in keeping with the spirit of punk - there is very little consistency involved in any of these.

Despite the anarchic spirit of Emo, the Internet is choc full of forums and discussion groups, full of young kids asking about the best ways to create an Emo "look" - everything from what clothes to wear, to the best hairstyle.

Oh yes - the Emo hairstyle. Probably nothing characterises the Emo look more than the Emo hairsyle. The so called Emo haircuts are pretty popular in the USA, creating fans and haters of the emo style. Some believe Emo hair styles are the next mullet - popular hairstyles that will be the source of much embarrassment in future years!

But what exactly is an Emo hairstyle? Hmmm - its difficult to say really. The hairstyle, like the movement itself, seems to borrow from the punk hair style and gothic hair style. One website describes the Emo Romulan look - short, thick, greasy, dyed-black hair with bangs cut straight across the forehead, and cut high over the ears. Another suggests that a proper Emo style should be black with a fringe covering half the face.

Some suggest Emo hair should be very jagged and sleek looking, others say it should be spiked and messy. "Emo style" has also been described as a buzz haircut. Confused? You will be!

It all goes to prove that in reality, there isn't one specific Emo hairstyle. It's the new-age mullet, cut in lots of chunks, it can be any length (although short is definitely the most popular), its shaggy with side bangs and spikes are very important, although if its slicked down this is just as good! However, there are two things that seem to be essential for an Emo hairstyle;

1. Grease - great for creating either the spikes or that slicked-down look.

2. Color - like the Model T Ford, it can be any color as long as its black! Preferably it should be dyed black. For variety and uniqueness, this can then be highlighted with any other color - the more out there the better.

So that's a quick guide to the Emo hair style. If you are the parent of an "Emo-teen", it probably won't help you to handle this phenomenon any better. But if you are an Emo-teen, hopefully it should help you realise that, to be true to the spirit of Emo, you don't have to stress about how your hair should look. Just wear it any way you want - as long as it's black!