The feeling of angst is the same in any culture, yet social acceptance of it may not always translate the same.
Last month angry mobs severely beat fans of emo music, a "social tribe" that began in the United States and became popular among brooding teens in Mexico, NPR reported.
The Mexican mobs justified their attacks on the youths’ sexual orientation and appearance.
"'These people are gay; they wear makeup. They don't have any culture. They're suicidal,'" said Ioan Grillo, a journalist who writes about the anti-emo sentiment, in quoting Internet posts following the first attack on emo fans. "Emo" is short for "emotional."
Typically emo teens gravitate toward the aesthetic of skinny black jeans, dyed-black hair and black eyeliner.
On March 7 in Queretaro, Mexico, a mob attacked emo music fans at a square where they usually hang out and severely beat three teenagers, NPR reported. Emo fans who marched in protest of the violence were attacked again the following week by angry people who threw bottles at them.
Grillo said that while Mexican police have taken steps to protect the teens, the anger and aggression toward emo kids is not likely to stop any time soon, NPR reports.
Grillo told NPR the first attack was organized over the Internet with a proposal to confront emo kids at a popular Mexico City public plaza.
"'Let's take back the square,'" Grillo told NPR the posts read.
Grillo said many of the anti-emo comments focus on homophobia. Another reason for the sentiment stems from feelings that emo kids are privileged and spoiled members of the middle class, NPR reports.
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