It’s Not a Phase : Emo Drag and Utopian Potential

This thesis explores the presence of utopia within four different drag king performances that use emo as the main aesthetic. The two drag kings that are featured in this thesis are both British, and almost all of the performances exist within a British context. The theories of José Esteban Muñoz, Jill Dolan and Jack Halberstam, together with performance analyses, are used to examine how shame and queer time relates to utopia within the emo drag performances. Emo can be hard to define but it is easy to spot. Emo was a prominent 2000s subculture that is often recognized through its look, as well as the music that was heavily featured. In this thesis argue that the drag artists highlight the queer aspects that are already part of emo. The findings of the analyses are that queer time and age is highly relevant for how the drag kings are read on stage and how the performances themselves function. I present the argument that emo is closely tied to youth culture, and when an adult is presenting themselves as emo they will either be read as a teenager or as a failed adult. Emo as a subculture works successfully with other concepts and art forms, and I argue that emo will queer other ideas simply by existing close to it. Both emo and drag are nothing without their communities. The moments of utopia are created within the meeting of people, both between and members of an audience as well as between the artist and audience. This thesis highlights the need of queer spaces, especially in a time where those spaces are limited and shrinking.