People's opinions on goth, punk and emo as overdone labels?

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I don't know about everyone else but there must be a lot of people who tire of the idea of labeling somebody based on their musical preferences or even to the point of them taking over how their personality traits conduct who they are. I mean, you like that music, but what if that doesn't complete your entire sense of being? I can imagine someone being turned off by the idea that just because they sometimes listen to Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM or Combichrist they have to wear black everything and think deeply about the brooding subject of death EEEK so wonderful! No offense, but at the same time if people who like industrial goth bands are labeled as such that is just my point for anyone who likes any specific genre of music. In a way that includes hipsters, preps and teenyboppers (those of course who are high schoolers and middle schoolers obsessed with the world of "youth celebrities' gossip and bubblegum pop music," to be specific.) Anyhow, if you have an opinion, STATE IT, because i consider this more than just an interesting concept.

i think of it as people that wear black make up, all the same to me

Don't care much. I think people get too much crap over those labels, and people have nothing better to do but criticize those people. I myself like a bit of dress-up, but I don't intentionally dress like a subgenre, whatever that means.

I don't understand why people have to take a judgemental approach towards certain clothing or labels. I don't see why people feel the need to associate characteristics and roles with certain images, I think people like to cling to outlines and stereotypes because it gives them a sense of structure. It's easy to for people to judge based on an outline but difficult to truly understand someone from an empathetic perspective.

I don't have any issue with labels (including towards myself), as long as it's true. I listen to metal, and wear band t-shirts, and I have no issue being called a metalhead. I am nerdy and have no issues with being called a nerd, but I would not like being called goth, I don't have a problem with the gothic culture or the people who are a part of it, it's just that I'm not a part of it.

Yes, stereotypes can be very annoying/aggravating, but even if someone doesn't specifically label you as being part of a certain culture, they will still apply those stereotypes to you. Regardless of what they call you, people are always going to think certain things of you if you wear black, or have crazy looking hair, or whatever style is associated with a certain culture. To me it's the automatic stereotyping that is the problem, not the labels themselves.

I don't really have an issue with labels, mis-use can be annoying.........I mean no I am not goth because I wear black, that's stupid I would have to listen to a lot of goth rock and consider myself part of the associated sub-culture to be 'goth'. I happen to be more into metal, so I consider myself a metalhead and I like the color black who cares.

it depends. if you like the sound of punk rock, awesome. but that you adopt an entirely new persona and change your world view, fashion, mannerisms, etc. because of it... now that's a bit much. I can live with the change of fashion though, if that's all.

Well I am Punk Goth so I don't mind it really.

Any sort of label of categorisation like this is a bad thing when used by people who are igorant or thoughtless. Often it depends on context I guess. e.g.:

Two former flatmates of mine called me a goth because I owned a couple of pairs of black jeans and a Metallica album. Seriously. That was their ONLY basis for it. Laughable really, looking back on it. But then, they weren't nearly as pleasant, open-minded and knowledgable as they liked to think they were, and in retrospect it was an indirect way of insulting me while coming across as nice and 'friendly' in front of other people.

My taste in music is very diverse at the moment, but the whole stereotyping thing actually makes me stop and ask myself whether the way I speak, dress or behave is giving out some message I don't want it to. "I won't wear this shirt with those shoes in case someone thinks I'm a hipster." or "if I do my hair like this I'll get called an emo." It's stupid and really irritating at times because I want to just *be* and avoid drawing attention to myself.

I'm sure this thread will be very long and contain some long and insightful answers, so I don't feel I'm able to contribute much more than this. I just find stereotyping in general headdesk-inducing, and the OP's concerns are a good example of that.