As two million people thronged Capitol Hill last week, each with a dewy tear gleaming in their eye and their hearts lodged firmly on their sleeves, the world bore witness to an incredible transformation: the death of emo as a subculture. See, now that Barry O’s inducted us into a new caring, sharing world of hope and belief and awesomeness, suddenly everyone is emo, everything is emo. Like Krishna-consciousness, emo is now in every blade of grass, every sparrow’s song.

So in celebration/commiseration of its subcultural demise we thought we’d look back on the most inherently emo ideas there were.

1. Benylin.

2. Veterinary science.

3. Being OK with other people’s issues.

4. Best friends.

5. Aspiring to sexual confusion.

6. Imagination.

7. Metaphors involving Chinese proverbs.

8. Revenge fantasies.

9. Dead Poets Society.

10. Eckhart Tolle.

11. Oxfam.

12. Avatars.

13. Just needing to get out of your own head sometimes.

14. Feeling like you have more in common with the opposite sex.

15. Barack Obama.

16. Quasi-sexual dreams about horses.

17. Fear of flying.

18. Briggs-Myers tests.

19. Eyes.

20. We Need To Talk About Kevin.