alright kids let’s break this down one last fuckin time (and this is a breakdown of just aesthetics)-
goth: all black, often very elaborate, gothically inspired (obviously), not branded
emo: still lots of black but much more casual, skinny jeans, certain brand shirts (usually music-themed), converse/vans, jewelry, specific hairstyles, think 2000’s hot topic kids
punk: lots of black again, very elaborate but in a completely different way, studs, chains, patches, piercings, leather, another set of specific hairstyles and bright hair colors, really rooted in anarchical themes
grunge: old clothes, flannels, oversized, layers, ripped jeans, distressed **if you’re buying “grunge” clothes new, you’re a fucking sham, the entire grunge aesthetic arose from garage bands too poor to afford clothes that weren’t thrifted, poorly sized, and already worn out**
additionally, all of these include elements of gender non-conformity and prioritize self-expression as well as identification as belonging to a group
and remember!!! all of these are actual subcultures, not just aesthetics, so when you say you’re “being goth/etc” remember to specify that you mean aesthetically, because its not fair to boil an entire subgroup of people down to just their aesthetic trends
amen to this shit