Every Gay Boy's Emo Crush Growing Up

Article written by Kendra Beltran

Coming of age in the early to mid-’00s was a wild ride. We were at the brink of the internet taking over our lives, everything had bling bling, and emo music was the soundtrack of a generation. At least those who felt like they were on the outside looking in. This, in many ways, is why a lot of emo cliques around the country at the time were filled with LGBTQ kids. Look at ‘Drag Race’ winner Symone. She took a heavily inspired emo look to the runway during season 13 to pay homage to the kids who took her under their wing growing up in Arkansas back in the day. So today we’re paying a little homage ourselves to the genre, but not in the fashion sense. No, we’re taking a look at the emo boys that every guy crushed on back then, and perhaps even a little today because let’s be real - once an emo kid, always an emo kid.

Chris Carrabba, Dashboard Confessional

Can you even consider yourself emo at heart if you never cried over someone to a Dashboard Confessional song? But on another note, Chris Carrabba was, is, so damn fine. Basically, one of the fine wine men of the emo era because he is still as gorgeous today as he was when he was singing about hair being everywhere.

Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie

If you grew up and found yourself going for the older men, even some bears, then you likely crushed on Ben Gibbard at some point during your adolescence.

Tyson Ritter, The All-American Rejects

You 100% dreamed of riding this man’s jawline and staring into those beautiful bright eyes.

Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy

There are a couple of non-lead singers that managed to take the spotlight when it came to gaining your attention back in middle and high school, and Pete Wentz is surely one of them. This bassist gave you life with his guyliner, skinny jeans, and lyrics so deep you swore he was an absolute genius. A genius you wanted to fuck.

Forrest Kline, Hellogoodbye

Hellogoodbye’s music was like ‘Sesame Street’ compared to the rest of the emo bands on this list, but for some reason, they always got lumped in with them. So here we are, and here is Forrest Kline, the guy who definitely made you yearn for a lanky ass man in booty shorts.

Pierre Bouvier, Simple Plan

How many looked into moving to Canada to find out if all the men up there looked like Pierre?

Bert McCracken, The Used

Those who fell hard as fuck for Bert from The Used were obviously heading down a path of giving their heart to the bad boys of life.

Brendon Urie, Panic! at the Disco

That ass, those lips, that hair. There was no way you saw Panic! at the Disco and didn’t want to get all up in that guy’s disco.

Aaron Gillespie, Underoath

What can we say, there are plenty out there who love a redhead!

Adam Russell, Story of the Year

Story of the Year was acrobatic as fuck on stage and that made you wonder, how are those moves in bed?

Adam Lazzara, Taking Back Sunday

There is no doubt in my mind that Adam swinging that microphone around his neck led a lot of people down a kinky path in life.

Gerard Way, My Chemical Romance

Was there any band in the emo scene as big as My Chemical Romance? Nope. Every guy in the band had their legion of fans but it’s hard to deny that the Gerard fandom was a little wilder but I mean, you already know that because you were a part of it.