Most young people have heard of “e-boys”; they are rising in popularity, especially now that it is fall and they can go about layering T-shirts on top of sweatshirts. But they are still just trending, so some may not know what they are or what they look like – both of which will be explained.
E-boys are generally skinny, young teenage to young adult men. They are typically seen in all or mostly black, having a more bold and edgy look. What differentiates them from a stereotypical “emo” look is how they style themselves. The way they dress is not as intense or dramatic as emos and tends to be more simplistic and quirky. E-boys like layering T-shirts on top of sweatshirts – bonus points if the sweatshirt is striped or a polo. They also often wear wallet chains across their jeans and chain “punk” necklaces around their necks. Popular brands often integrated into their style are Vans, Carhartt, and Thrasher; most of them also go to thrift stores for vintage pieces, since some aspects of their style resemble the 90’s grunge or skater scene or older vintage tee trends.

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Along with how they dress, the most known e-boys such as Noen Eubanks either have a long, straight curtain haircut that divides in the middle of their scalp or short curly hair. Their hair is often dyed black or unusual colors to add to the “quirky” aspect of the aesthetic.

How did they get so popular? Until 2018-2019, e-boys were simply part of an eccentric subculture only supported by others in the same community. However, when TikTok, a social media app where people post short videos similar to Vines, purchased Musical.ly, they were exposed to the world and became much more mainstream. In a typical e-boy TikTok video, they do brief suggestive and/or charming actions (depending on how one feels about e-boys) to trending counterculture music such as “Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of Night” by Savage Ga$p or “We Fell in Love in October” by Girl in Red.
E-boys, not to be confused with emos, soft boys, skaters, or 90’s grunge, are a trending phenomenon highly accredited to their fame on the app TikTok. They have an edgy, modernly vintage look and are basically a 2019 blend between skaters and emos. Many of them listen to music such as Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and modern or old punk rock. This “aesthetic” will likely fade in a year’s time, but for now, it continues to thrive.