The early ’00s was a more innocent time. It was a time before Twitter, when AIM was the primary mode of stalking, um, communication. Instead of Tumblr, there was this thing called Xanga (your only outlet to express your artistic and dark poetic soul).

And every emo kids’ iPod was full of timeless classics such as My Chemical Romance’s “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us” (a song about drug use or MySpace angles?) and “You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison” (let you out early for good behavior?).

Okay, so it was kind of a nauseating time for music (but a GREAT time for side bangs). But what happened to all those emo teenagers who wore only-black-clothing-to-reflect-their-black-souls?

In a post in the Ask Reddit community, user cheezeblock777 asks: “Emos of the early 2000s, what are you guys doing now?” Some, as you would expect, grew up to be hot topic managers and tattoo artists. While others shed their piercings and dyed locks in favor of polo shirts and police belts. From scene queens to financial analysts, check out their transformations into adulthood below:

Before and After

Reddit user BaS3r: “I’m in the US military now as an MP. Specifically US Air Force. This was all I could find. I know I had worse… oh boy. I still keep BMTH, TDWP, Attack! Attack!, Escape the Fate, Job for a Cowboy, etc. on my gym playlist though. It’s my guilty pleasure.”

Before and After

Reddit user Tyfo: “I’m now 27, started my family earlier this year, moving into a house in 9 days, and I’m studying to become a laboratory technologist. Woo-hoo!”

Before and After

Before (Ninth Grade) and After (Teaching Ninth Grade)

Before (10 years ago) and After (one year ago)

Before

Reddit user Moosemaster21: “Look at me bein’ all sad n shit. Took this picture with a motherfuckin DSLR camera. Held it away from my face (took tremendous left arm strength let me tell you) then pretended to look all sad and thoughtful. This is blunderyears material, folks.”

After

Reddit user Moosemaster21: “Idaho vacation with my now-fiancée. One of the engagement photo things that normal not-emo people do. Brought my long hair back for a little bit, but it’s shorter again now and I can’t find the good photos of it short, so this’ll have to do.”

Before (2005) and After (2015)

Before and After

Reddit user validate_me_plz: “I work in the funeral industry as a removal technician.”

Before

Reddit user Gudgrim: “I was about 15 when I had a phase of about two years where I was a emo kid. Started a new school and tried to be different. I dyed my hair black and had burning pentagram t-shirts and sad stories. My normal hair colour is red, as I’m a ginger (I’m Norwegian), so this was quite the change.”

After

“Well now I’m 26 years old. I got a masters degree in geography and a job for my local government working with GIS analysis. Pay is about 60k a year. I’m also married, have bought a fairly big house, a sailboat, a car and a cat. As to my new hobbies, it’s mostly gaming and larping. Nordic-style larp that is, where there is less of a beat down battle and more about atmosphere and acting.”

Before and After

Reddit user RealTerse: “I became a fireman, if I talked to myself eight years ago and said you would cut your hair and become part of the fire department, I would’ve never believed myself.”

Before and After

Before and After

Reddit user Snickersthecat: “Went to college, voted Republican, drive a Camry, working 9-5 doing medical research and in a stable 2-plus-year relationship. Nothing makes me hate myself more than filing taxes. The man got me.”

Before (age 16) and After (age 30)

Reddit user theoutlet:

“Got a haircut a long ass time ago. I listen to more top 40 music than teenage me would tolerate. I can’t tell if top 40 has gotten better or if I’m just lazy about finding new music. I’ve been known to say on many occasions that I hope I’m never too old to enjoy Taking Back Sunday. The Postal Service will always hold a place in my heart. Oh and Stay What You Are by Saves The Day is still one of the best albums ever to me. Honestly, emo music was a huge part of a lot of things that were going on in my life and was a really cathartic part of dealing with shit. Emo music told me it was ok for me to feel bad about how shitty things had been. I needed only to look back at my LiveJournal recently to see how genuinely shitty things were for me back then. With a father that committed himself out of fear of his own thoughts of suicide and a schizophrenic mother that I was left home alone with; I was pretty sad, angry and confused.”

Before and After

Reddit user an0r4k: “I became the police. I also now send couple Christmas cards.”

Before and After

Before and After

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Before and After