xXSimon SinisterXx

^{note: this website is still a WIP. please direct comments, suggestions and broken links to me}

• here

^{log of the last 7(ish) day's edits}

^{4/8/2025: added an FAQ and album of references for the FAQ
4/10/2025: added to and updated the online stuff section. changed the image on the front page of the site. also added a link to my WIP personal website.}

Welcome to The Scene. What scene looks and looked like will differ depending on who you ask, but remember- you don't need to ask permission. Just be you, and have a good time, because that's what it's always been about.Someone said that scene is a subculture subculture- meaning that unlike goth and punk subcultures, there are no inherent political views. Being scene is about playing the part, to be a part of the scene- nothing more, nothing less.

^{disclaimer: this is a time capsule in disguise, mostly from my memory. some things may not be 100% accurate. My upbringing was very out of the ordinary, so keep that in mind while reading and treat every statement as a fact of my personal experience.}

^{basic guides & info}

• Fashion and Style
• hair and makeup
• bedroom and aesthetic
• Music

^activities

• your persona

^resources

• FAQ

• shopping

• DIY, tutorials + more
• recommendations
• links
• internet safety

• back

fun activities

^{A lot of being scene was just hanging out doing teen stuff, so this is more or less a list of things I did or other teens did during the scene/emo era of the '00s-'10s. More-or-less imagine all of these activities in a cool outfit, outfits were half the point of going out! xD}

^{free stuff to do}

^{cheap stuff to do}

^{costly stuff to do}

• home

Diy and tutorials

^{a collection of the DIY and tutorials from across this site, plus more}

DIY was a big part of scene culture, and honestly a big part of any alternative culture. Customizing what you have to make it part of your look keeps things unique and full of personality, vs just looking like copy-paste and boring. Here's a TON of stuff you can do to make your look more you, and less everybody-else. Send more tutorials to add to the list, if you have them! :)Take inspo from these tutorials and apply it in different ways, get creative. At the time, a lot of scene fashion was pretty new and creative, people set new trends by branching out and experimenting. Be a trend-setter.If you have alt friends, scene/emo or otherwise, get together, hang out and do some of these together.

^fashion

^hair

^makeup

^decor

^accessories

finding scene stuff

where to find clothes, accessories, and more.

A few tips for shopping for scene clothes, or for things in general: DIY what you can, save for things that are perfect instead of buying up anything that kind of fits what you want, and don't buy EVERYTHING just because you can afford it.With places like Amazon, Temu and AliExpress, it ends up being so easy to buy a lot of little things instead of a couple of big things here and there. Don't buy the cheapest product just because it has Gir on it. Don't buy accessories and clothes that are mass-produced by slave labor: the quality will suck, it'll wear out soon, and you're contributing to overconsumption.So much of scene was about making things your own. Check out the DIY section of this site to find ways to do that for yourself!^{note: please send suggestions, especially suggestions for non-US shops!}

USA-centric (chain stores)

USA-centric (online stores)

USA-centric (specific stores)

europe-centric (specific stores)

• home

links

vlogs, videos, pinterest boards and more

^{vlogs & other videos}

^{pinterest boards}

^styles

^hair

^{other scene or decade-specific stuff}

^{more stuff}

^{scene communities}

• home

recommendations

^{very praised or popular medias during the 2000s-2010s}

^anime

^cartoons

^TV

^movies

^{Music genres and adjacent}

^{YouTubers and other media
assume only videos posted pre-2016 for the YouTubers on this list}

^Games

^{Fandoms and Communities with a once-large fanbase}

internet safety for minors (mostly)

• home

fashion and Style

A Rundown

There are obvious staples when it comes to OG scene and emo fashion. Skinnyjeans wins the award for most-remembered, but there were others. A LOT of the fashion was DIY alterations of generic clothes or band/fandom/pop culture merch you can easily find in stores today.

Honestly, just look at images of OG scene kids and you'll see a variety of things aside from the few people mention. Eventually you'll be able to capture the look even while you're branching out to make the style your own.Here are a few styles of scene fashion that can be sort-of categorized. Still scene, or based in scene, but also branched out to be a sub-subculture-

Commonly seen with shutter shades, snapbacks, dollar signs/diamonds/brass knuckle imagery, piercings, "diamond-studded" accessories, long necklaces with large pendants, and multiple facial piercings. Often band or fandom based merch. The further into party-rock style you go, the more neon the colors and less elaborate the outfits.

"Big" looks, with bold choices, cluttered/busy looking outfits, layered tanks and clashing colors or patterns, bow and crown imagery, animal print, headbands, skirts, tu-tu skirts and shorts over leggings/stockings, and sometimes more mainstream clothes styled to the wearer's taste. Often patterns and colors over band or fandom merch.

Quirky/funny t-shirts, cutesy designs, cupcake, cookie, lolipop and sweets imagery, lighter color and sometimes pastel schemes, lots of kandi/accessories, fandom merch, child/nostalgia imagery, tumblr-humor, "rawr xD" and typing quirks, silly faces. Often avoids the edgier aspects of scene and emo fashion. Most likely to have Gir merch.

Darker/more muted color schemes, black and red, skull, bones, star and weapon imagery, razorblade imagery, band merch, polka-dots, horizontal stripes, checkered pattern, zip-up hoodies, neckties, snakebite piercings and lip rings.
Overall, the most low-key outfits and style, with less emphasis on the quirky and loud aspects of scene.

Very muted and moody color schemes, with cross/upside-down cross imagery, plaid, galaxy and mustache imagery, pop culture merch, long t-shirts over leggings/stockings, thick-framed glasses with no/fake lenses, old instagram image filters, mock quirkiness, trendy looks with alternative/edgy elements, especially from scene, emo and goth subcultures.

Accessories

Accessories were often chosen to match outfits, not piled on with the goal to wear as many as possible. Long necklaces with a short necklace, with or without a choker. Bracelets and hats with colors that compliment the outfit.Common accessories were-Checkered belts, studded and spiky belts, belts with stars, glitter, and fandom imagery, and seatbelt belts.Spiked chokers, and tattoo chokers.Chunky necklaces, like long necklaces with diamond, anchor, brass knuckle and handcuff pendants.Skulls, tiaras, and fandom merch were also common on jewelry, like the Batman logo.Kandi, sillybandz, jelly bracelets, silicone wristbands (especially band ones) and threaded/friendship bracelets.Piercings, especially ear gauges, snakebites, septum piercings, and conch piercings. Tattoos, especially star tattoos.Hats with attached mittens, especially themed like animals, dinosaurs and monsters. Beanies, with or without pins/buttons. Snapback hats and trucker hats. Bows, headbands, raccoon-tail hair extensions and hair extensions in general.

accessories tutorials

clothing tutorials

Frequent questions

things that people ask frequently, and things that are regularly debated.

Nope! Despite what you'll hear (a lot!) online, people generally just styled their scene stuff (band merch, fandom merch, etc) with what they had, and did a lot of different things with their hair. The main hairstyle in common was simply a low side part, vs any one or two actual hairstyles. Here are some videos that showcase one or multiple examples of non-skinnyjean or non-scene-hair outfits.Please note I did not listen to the audio of these videos, I don't know what was said or how loud they are so turn your volume down!video 1 - video 2 - video 3 - video 4 - video 5 - video 6And to take some of the research upon myself, I also have screenshotted various points in each video to show what I mean. Click the "album" button below to see for yourself!Obviously, people will say "they're not scene/emo" or make excuses about it, but the reality is, most people within any group of friends within scene and emo subculture had a LOT of variety. People remember based on the scene royalty, AKA the influencers online. But most people didn't dress like that 24/7.

What counts as "the music" is another point of contention in The Scene. Emo and scene kids both argued all the time about what counts, what doesn't, what is poser music, and so on. But scene (and the emo subculture) are fashion, music and attitude/mindset based. You have to listen to SOME, you have to wear SOME of the fashion, you have to have SOME of the attitude. But not all of anything, not even all of one band!That aside, you will for sure like something scene (or emo). There's such a huge variety of music, which I compiled a semi-organized list of on this site! Check it out, if you think it might help or if you just want to discover some new music.(˶ˆᗜˆ˵)Remember, people WILL argue about what counts. Some people will say yes, some people will say no. Some people say scene was about concerts, and some people say it was an internet subculture. It was a lot of different things, and that means the music was a lot of different things too.

album

hair

clothes (mostly non-skinnyjean pants)

noteable stuff

brands, patterns, characters and etc that were common in emo, scene and swag subculture/fashion

Brands

characters/merch

patterns and symbols

good examples of '00s-'10s fashion (in general)

^{(various styles, NOT scene specific fashion)}

bands/celebs

loosely 2000s

loosely 2010s

online stuff

^{MMO/MMORPG/Virtual Pet}

^{creative/self expression sites}

^{retro web stuff}

^{weird, cool and fun stuff}

your persona

^{what is a Persona}

Back when the internet was changing from what it was then, to what it is now, scene and emo was at a peak. The term influencer wasn't a common one, and people were just being their best selves online, being silly and having fun, and sometimes that would take off.Things are different now. The internet is faster-paced, and everything is for sale, even the time you spent online. Online spaces and subcultures in general were to get away from real life, and now they're used as a means to advertise a product- even when that product is the website itself.The ads never stop, there's always something new to want. With endless content and endless cheap junk for sale, it's easy to buy things on impulse, only to want more because you'll see more to want.Find your style, use what you have to make it work, and alter what doesn't work to make it work. After that, consider every purchase carefully- if you had to decide between getting something that is almost perfect now, or getting something perfect later, wouldn't you want to wait?Don't buy everything just because you want it, or you'll end up with the same junk everybody else has because they're doing the same thing. Be unique, individual, and find a way to make things fit you when you can.

^{old influencers}

These are some of the people who really paved the way in the scene subculture. This is a Pinterest collection of scene influencers created by a very dedicated, thorough user by the name of Ridley Aliene. Take a look at her collection and consider what makes every influencer unique from other influencers, and get a feel for what you like and don't like.

^{Choose your style}

Personally, I'm into fandom more than music, so my profiles, my clothes and my room reflect the fandoms I'm in. I base my style on images I see and outfits I remember from my teens, but I also just wear stuff I think is cool. I don't buy everything with characters I like on it, only the stuff that looks good and fits my style.The colors I wear the most tend to be similar to this site- black, blue, and splashes of other colors. I coordinate the colors to keep them balanced and even, and my accessories almost always match or compliment the colors I'm wearing already.There are other styles, though-

-there's no one way to be scene. Take pieces of what you like here and there to build up the look that is perfect for you. Take a look at the fashion trends of the 2000s and 2010s, too- there are some pretty major differences between then and today. There's more on that topic under the fashion and style section.

^{Choose your name}

Choose an online handle- a username- that reflects you. I chose xXSimon_SinisterXx because-1. I think it's funny. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°2. I like the alliteration.3. I love villains, bad guys, slashers, etc. Horror & thriller are my favorite genres in every category.Choose a name that you feel represents your persona. Check out the examples and resources section for useful links, like name suggestions and links to OG scene kid content to reference.You could find rhymes, puns, alliteration, and more- candy, breakfast foods, desserts, random quirkiness and cutesy words. Edgy words related to skulls and bones, darkness and angsty weren't uncommon, especially in emo communities. References to music, movies or other media would also work.Typically, your online name would be a username that you use across multiple sites, linking them together but not used on professional sites, or websites that have your personal information.My Reddit and Friendproject use the same screen name, but my Facebook account doesn't. That keeps strangers away from my friends and family, and any other details that might share more about me than I'd like to share.Also check out-

^{Sense of Self}

People tend to be part of subcultures because they find a sense of self through that- it can be hard to know who you are, especially in today's world. What do you care about? What do you enjoy? What do you dislike? What is your attitude towards life, towards people?One of the perks of websites like old Myspace and Geocities was the ability to express yourself. To put your interests, hobbies, personality and aesthetic into one place; like a character sheet! Personality quizzes, blogs, websites like this one- are a blank canvas for you to scribble, sketch, draw and paint your personality on. Here are a few sites in particular that are perfect for exactly that!

Make sure to check out the online fun section of this carrd, for more websites to check out and some MMO suggestions!

how to get along online

A lot of the links throughout this carrd will be new to a lot of people, or put emphasis on the oldweb attitude that faded as the internet evolved.That attitude was, basically, don't like, don't look. You report real-life dangers; if real children are getting hurt, if a person or animal are being abused, or if someone is thinking about hurting themselves or another person.People are going to think, say and do things you don't agree with. Ignore that. Be the change you want to see, don't engage with negativity. There's already plenty of that in the world, so put in effort to make online spaces fun and peaceful.

^{Joining a New Site or Game}

Here are some basic rules and tips for checking out new places and joining new communities online!

DO

DON'T

Obviously report dangerous situations, but don't engage with it or with dangerous people!

tips

how to research

^{basic internet research}

^{google and youtube specific}

^{research the scene}

There are plenty of scene-specific pages to tell you all about scene subculture. Here are just a few, and you can use the tools from basic internet research to find more!

^{related aesthetics}

A handful pages on the aesthetics wiki that have overlap with scene, or with the 2000s and 2010s.

^{other aesthetics}

Aesthetics with less ties to scene/emo or adjacent aesthetics and subcultures, but relevance to the '00s-'10s, often on tumblr.

^Remember

When you're putting yourself out there for anyone in the world to see, you have to be aware that there are people who will target you for it and be ready for that.If it isn't for your interests, it'll be for your personality, or appearance, or voice, or disability, race, who you date (or if you simply don't date anyone), who your family is, how much money you have, whether you have the latest phone, if you have different rules or a different lifestyle than them, and the list goes on forever.Someone, somewhere, will find a reason to be mean and negative.A popular phrase during the scene era, "haters gonna hate" is still true today. Normal people don't go around criticizing and insulting strangers. To be frank, that is some pretty odd behavior. Who does that? Imagine going out of your way to be mean to people who are cool and kind- something is wrong or lacking in their life to make someone do that, and pity or indifference are the only ways to feel about that.Another, similar phrase is also relevant: haters make you famous. Comments, views and shares- even when the intent behind them is malicious- raise the chances of your content being shown to others who will like it on most sites and apps.If you get comments, replies, or other rude and mean behavior directed towards you, don't read it, don't engage with it, just scroll by and move on with your day. You get the increased stats, and they don't get the validation they're looking for.Ignore the weirdos who go out of their way to be negative and spread hate. If you're in a position where ignoring a bully isn't an option, use the gray rock method, and keep important and personal details about your life away from them as best you can.Haters gonna hate, but remember: haters make you famous.

hair & makeup

^{A rundown}

When it comes to scene- and to an extent, emo- hair, there are a lot of styles and choices to consider. The most remembered hair from the scene community is the low side part, with the emo fringe. There were a variety of cuts and styles, and also a lot of inspiration from the visual kei style.People tend to put their own twist on things, rather than copy something exactly, so there was no "one hair" and while you'll see a lot about how scene was all about "the hair", there were a lot of things that went into being scene and not everyone could have an elaborate hairstyle.For the people who couldn't, they kept their hair long, had a side-part and then swept their hair- layered, if possible- to one side, similar

Those aren't perfect examples because they still have some layering and styling, but they're the closest I can find online (although I'll keep looking). Some people kept their hair short or in styles that weren't a perfect fit for the look they wanted, but would just throw on a beanie, snapback/trucker hat or a quirky hooded scarf...

Other styles played with bangs,
volume, teasing, highlights and color, extensions and so on. Here are some examples-

and here are some examples of colorful scene hairstyles-

and finally, some examples of scene hairstyles with curly, wavy, afro-textured styles, and more. Despite ongoing research, I'm not completely sure how to refer to different textures and hair types and I am not sure when people are using extensions vs styling their natural hair.

^{Note: I am so sorry in advance for any textures or styles I have labeled incorrectly! I've done my best, and I am open to corrections. Please feel free to message me if you have suggestions or information that would help, I don't want to spread misinfo!}

A collection of afro-textured hairstyles to serve as potential inspiration for techniques and styling ideas.

Deciding on the cut, color and style you want to go with is a personal choice. Collect examples of hair that you like, and narrow down what works for the look you're going for. Do you need a style you can wear to formal or strict places, but that you can style how you like it when you're going out?If you're someone who wakes up 5 minutes before time to leave the house, you should probably go with something that looks good without a lot of time or effort, or at least make sure to always have a hat ready! On the other hand, if you get up extra early to get ready for the day, a high-maintenance cut is probably not a problem for you.Something else you may want to consider is your face shape; you could look at examples of haircuts on faces that are shaped similarly to yours. For example, I look awful with straight bangs, and I need volume to look my best, so I tend to go for messier looks.Find what you like, and use it as inspiration... but play with the colors, lengths, extensions, accessories, teasing, and everything else to find something uniquely you. You don't need to copy-paste someone else's hair onto your head, you should find something and make it your own.

Some OG resources regarding scene hair and makeup, and remember to check out this site's DIY section as well!

Makeup

Makeup trends of the '00s and '10s were pretty different than what the trends of today are. While you can incorporate a mixture of the trends from today, some of the most remembered and OG looks had certain makeup techniques in common. Smokey eyeshadow, smudged and heavy eyeliner, and the most infamous; foundation and concealer with no blending/shading/highlights, including on your lips.

^{eye makeup}

As far as eye makeup, there are a few different ways to go about the look, but for the most part, they all include a couple of things. One being eyeliner that goes all the way around the eye in one connected shape, and the other being heavy mascara use.Sometimes you might see winged eyeliner, sometimes not. Sometimes you'll see smokey eyeshadow, and other times you'll see a more solid black. Fake lashes, some color eyeshadows, and tinted chapsticks/lipgloss or lipsticks weren't completely unheard of, but they weren't as common.Something else to consider is that through the '00s-'10s, thin, shaped eyebrows were in. Then, through the 2010s and with the rise of The Kardashians, fuller, thicker eyebrows became more trendy.

^tutorials

bedroom decoration & aesthetic

a rundown

Your room should be an expression of your inner self, not a copy of a room you saw online. That's not to say you can't take ideas and inspiration from other bedrooms, but when you're decorating your space you should put care and effort into making it yours.What do you like? What are your interests, what aesthetics do you like? When someone walks into your bedroom, they should get a sense of you from it. What would make you happy to see on your walls? What makes you feel the most comfortable, what do you feel makes a bedroom cool?If you see a decoration you like, but it doesn't exactly fit your vibe, consider what else you could do with it to really make it your own.

^{2000s-2010s trends}

There were a few different aspects of bedroom decor that were common during the '00s and '10s. Color combinations, patterns and stylistic choices that didn't stick around, but that you might see in a certain brand of boutique shop or hair salon.A good way to phrase it might be "tactful clashing", similar to the way scene fashion often incorporates clashing colors and patterns. You'll see some of those trends in scene fashion and decor because, while they aren't scene inherently, because they were simply a product of the time.Here are some common color combinations:

Sometimes, you'll see orange, yellow, and often you'll find these colors tactfully used in other combinations, as well as with various patterns, like:

Of course this isn't an exhaustive list, but I've also compiled some of the noteworthy decorative choices from the decades in question:

other stuff

You may have noticed a pattern of CLUTTER. Cluttered items, posters and other decor on walls, clutter on shelves, cluttered accessories. That is one of the main trends I've noticed that have followed through to the 2020s, but I'm hoping to see it get back into the quirky, random humor type of clutter- like gluing a bunch of tiny items and toys to a peace sign, or to a mirror frame.

^{scene (and emo) trends}

^tutorials

Finally, an important note. While there's an underlying aesthetic to scene and emo bedrooms, and to trendy bedrooms throughout the '00s and '10s, most tweens and teens just had a regular bedroom. They would put up things they liked on the walls- posters, printed photos of bands, celebrities, characters or art they liked. Put up the old Christmas lights when their family got new ones. Hang a blanket they liked on the wall.A big part of room decor is identity. Putting pieces yourself into your dwelling space, with the means that you have rather than going out and getting a whole bunch of cheap stuff off the internet.Cut old cardboard into shapes or letters and use tape, paint or paper and glue to make wall decorations. Print out photos in different sizes of things you like and arrange them into a wall collage. Cut old t-shirt graphics into posters or wall decor. See what you can do with what you have, because what you have is already part of you- a bunch of stuff off Temu might seem cool, but it'll seem cool to the other hundreds of people who ordered the exact same thing, too.

• home

music

After a lot of thought, I realized that I wasn't sure how to go about a music section. I don't know the deep history of music, and I was on the side of music that wasn't as aggressively defended as being "scene"- aka, I was on the crunkcore and fandom/web side of scene.All of these were listened to by myself and other OG scene kids I hung out with.There's a lot of controversy about what "counts" vs what "doesn't count", but:You also don't have to listen to exclusively scene music, all of it, or all of any one band. You will almost certainly like some songs from some bands from some of these lists, so you should just make playlists of your own and share with your friends. Make your scene about your music!^{Also note: this is by NO means an exhaustive list, only the music my friends or myself listened to. Please send me playlists to add to the list if you have any!}

I recommend checking out each individual band and going through multiple albums and songs. Its a long process, but discovering music is kind of what bonded a lot of scene kids together! To anyone who disagrees with my placements on these lists:I'm not here to argue! Save your breath (or typing) for suggesting MORE music, not less.

• home

scene+emo

Scene and emo bands, especially post-hardcore and pop punk.^{Note: the band recommendations are NOT in any kind of order, I will hopefully figure out the best way to organize this mess in the future!}

Hint: when checking out bands on google or youtube, add "before:2014" to find the stuff I mean! Some of these bands are still active but they're on the list for their old stuff.

genres

bands

crunkcore+more

Crunkcore, hyperpop, EDM, and everything else!

Hint: when checking out bands on google or youtube, add "before:2014" to find the stuff I mean! Some of these bands are still active but they're on the list for their old stuff.

Genres

bands

bands you should avoid monetarily supporting

links to more stuff

other people with more in-depth knowledge and organizing abilities than me have compiles lists already- I'm linking to them here, and have them archived in case the posts are ever taken down!Please check them out! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° they all have different ones than the others so it would be a good idea to look through them all.

youtube playlists

I noticed some of these playlists have random songs from this year or recent years added- just check if something was posted 5-20 years ago or not before taking it as fact!

spotify playlists

web + fandom stuff

Virtual singers, YouTuber music, fandom-specific content, and more.

Hint: when checking out bands on google or youtube, add "before:2014" to find the stuff I mean! Some of these bands are still active but they're on the list for their old stuff.

genres

notable stuff