yo you messed up at 13:32 you said the geek years were from 2004- 2008 in the txt on screen. just letting you know

“Part 4” yet displayed “part 5”

Yes please Marylin Manson video

Your year stamps have glitched out, lol

Yeah the timeline dates got stuck on 2004-2008, but this was a great video Finn.

@That Flippin Guy Wrong. They hired people that were regularly at punk shows. I know cuz I recognized almost every employee from backyard gigs.

Right? I'll never forget the day I walked in and was blinded by lights. I knew then HT was dead.

raymond terrones ours still has black walls, but it looks like a pop culture flee market.....🤷‍♀️

I used to work at Hot Topic and I think the wood was put in to hide the indents in the wall that was needed for all of the shelving and pegs and to give them more support. I could be very wrong about that though XD. I can also say that people who went to shows often were more likely to be hired though but let's be honest here... If you work at Hot Topic you can't afford to go to shows anyways. Only my managers would be able to afford to go to warped and concerts on the regular and even then she still lived at home and didn't have as many bills or worries as most of us there had :') there was a program where you could apply for a concert and they would pay for you to go, but you'd have to be working that time taking notes on the popular fashions and a bunch of other things at the concert and it was extremely rare you'd be selected for it too.

I’ve shopped at their for years then when I applied they wouldn’t even give me a call back. Yeh they don’t care about their costumers of their original demographic anymore, they rather hire someone who’s “safe”.

Yes!!! Notable light change lol. It went from back of the club or dark alley to Sears and Roebuck as time went on ...From black lights to fluorescent lol.

Yessss!!🤣🤣

FOR REAL LMAO

100%. One week it was dark and pumping out something heavy. Next week it was as bright as the breezy way playing cheery music...

This is why vampires don't go to Hot Topic anymore.

I'm a weeb but I don't get my merch from there. I'd rather they stuck with their old ways.

I can relate. My heart broke when it devolved into emo.

Emo... yep!

Same and I wasn’t even into that stuff at the time. I feel like I missed out big time. Fml

I heard that they have pins that said "owa owa" and " bussin bussin" so yeah I'm probably not going there when I get older

I was the most underground tho

🤣

@@Comments_From_All_Channels I mean, I still buy them. So that if shit ever hits the fan I can listen to CDs. I also buy music on Bandcamp and burn it onto CDs. Preserving music is important.

@@Comments_From_All_Channels They should start selling vinyl since that's back.

Dude the name of the store is HOT TOPIC- y’all ok? Y’all can read?

@@shutuph0352 What they're trying to say is. The old hot topic was more about what was cool in the counter culture. Believe it or not, scene and emo culture wasn't main stream. But more of a counter culture for alternative kids. Now Hot topic is what's cool in the main stream.

I agree

Pretty much, yeah.

Don’t forget the 40% Rick and morty crap.

I'm emo and they hardly have any emo clothes anymore it's mainly e kids now cringe

😂😂😂 I believe this belongs to you🏆

That is exactly what I thought!

Most people grow out of music through out their 20's.

@ÅGËÑTøfØBŁiViØÑ I don't know, it's not that intellectually stimulating anymore and kind of boring. It has it's moments, parties, bars, social events I tend to really like it. Music was my life late teens / early twenties I just don't have the patience for it at home and prefer the un-interrupted thought process without the emotional influencing of how I feel. If I listen to music it usually has no lyrics because I don't like it affecting my thoughts or making me think about song related imagery words. I guess it's like a drug that I don't need anymore because I have found a good mental space and like being there. It sort of developed as I grew away from partying or drugs, weed etc. I do enjoy music when working though in a physical job moving a lot sometimes. I was that guy that had headphones on 24/7 for a few years too.

That hurt for sure. We're getting old. Times are changing.

@@thecanadakid7622 I feel like that's how the majority of middle aged people feel. My dad listens to music but it's rarey anything after the 90s and my mom listens whatever is played at the moment. Whenever I want to show them some new songs I'm 100% sure they would like they just refuse to listen to it. At least they have good taste lol.

@@thecanadakid7622 not me, I'm still into music as much as I was as a 6 year old as I am now😎🤘

Haha, that one experience can change your complete life

Same!!

I'm glad I never had to deal with that when it came to my parents. Even when I was in elementary school, we would go to Hot Topic every time we went to the mall. They both loved going there too and my dad even got both of his ears pierced there, twice.

that's because eveyone that was emo or scene at that time changed to basic now in these times, or maybe a little on the rocker side but no more than that, i definitely don't see emo fashion much anymore

@@Hammyhamster101 i see a lot

Hehehe

Err... That problem hasnt stopped. In fact its gotten far worse :-\

@@instrumentalist28 lol chill go be depressed somewhere else

isaac thrash emo is a fashion sub category inspired by the music genre. Just because people have a emo style does not mean they are depressed or that they are ”acting ” depressed.

Yeah. Wasn't it great?

In 1998 I worked in a second hand record shop in the mall. The hot topic emoyees would trade merchandise with me. Like, I'd trade 2 albums for a wallet and a pair of earrings lol.

Originally in the punk scene, the 90s age of the goth scene, and probably the early emo scene; one of the culture would make or alter their own clothes and attire, get spiked collars from pet stores, stuff for bdsm or porn shops, generally made stuff work, before stores like HT made a cash grab for it. Thinking about it now; it almost seems like gate-keeping to had call those who bought all their merch from places like HT, calling them posers, or as we goths called them; mall goths. Some were, though.

@@ItsDaJax “mall goths” omg I remember that term haha

@@heidenwut7393 it used to be the other way around back in the day

That’s what I always knew it as 🤷🏻‍♀️ (I’m 34)

I did too. Hot topic was a poser store.

Isaac Peachey "it's not a phase mom!"

@Vicodyn I went from shitty pop """""rock""""" when I was 5 (no I actually was 5) to nerd when I was 9 to skater when I was 11 to emo *and* hardcore *and* pop punk at 12 then the same as 12 except back to being a skater again at 13

Excellent!

Where they huge hot topic pants with red zippers?

I bought my first Marilyn Manson CD from Caldor (The 1990’s Wal-Mart) it wasn’t edited either

I got Anti Christ Superstar in a second hand CD sleeve from a pawn shop when I was like 13 and I put it on my stereo so quite I had to put my ear to the speaker to hear it bc I wasn't sure what kind of hellish satanic sounds would issue forth. I was slightly disappointed it was merely rock music but I was too young to appreciate it at the time...

Manson would be proud.

@Adam Rutherford It's a rite of passage

It's all about the anime!!

damn bro where is this at

Where do you live?

That, sir, is a fucking great comment hahahaaha

Honestly the dislikes have got to be the editing It said 2004-2008 on like three different phases

lmao i'm fuckin dead

I fucking cackled, my guy

???

pretty clever lol

Accurate.

Because they need something to fill that void they call a marriage.

To me, it was more of a fratboy store. But I get what he said.

@@breanntheartist1989 wow! You don’t sound bitter at all. I can’t believe a person would want to share something as great as having a husband or wife and growing a family together. What a disgrace, what a joke! These are the scum of the earth! How dare they want to be in a loving relationship with another human being! Grow up bro. Not all marriages are void of love, like apparently all of yours are. Turn your nose down. Your not that great that anyone takes your opinion to heart. 😘😁

Bruh same, except I'm 20 lol

This hit me in my soul

Sad.........................................

I'm 35 and same

That sounds horrible...

I'd say that the public has become just more accepting of being all kinds of alternative. Hence, the inside/outside group dynamic that we at some point thought to be an important part of being alternative, is now almost gone. Which is actually a very good thing. So if you're looking at "alternative kid" as somebody who's not going with current trends and has their own non-mainstream interests, than any "scene kid" from any undergroundy "scene" will do. It's just that the geek culture build a bridge between all the different scenes and the assumed normies, giving a common ground of sorts. If you're looking for a pre-2010's "scene kid" who suffers just for liking non-mainstream things? I don't know. The scenes have changed, the cultures and economy within those scenes changed. Kids/Teens still are going to bully you for being different, regardless of the reasons or group belonging. The only thing that comes to mind are groups related to LGBTQ community. I mean the media likes to make it appear as if it's all fine and dandy when the "acceptance" is only surface leveled and only there, where the law can enforce it. And if you look closer at it you'll see a lot of parallels with how alternative people have been treated prior to 2010s. The "homosexuals are spawns of Satan that will corrupt our youth" (aka the "Metalheads and Goths will make your kids into Satanists"); the bullying of kids who don't act like the gender they were born, either by dressing differently or by having interests that are attributed to the opposite gender (aka the bullying of scene-kids who dressed according to the gender-dress-code of the scene, including long hair and eyeliner for the males and not excessively feminine fashion for females). The total lack of information on homosexuality making parents "disapprove" and "forbid" anything gay-related to their teen children (aka. the fights over dumb clothes, horrific music and terrible haircuts with a scene-kid). The social awkwardness when you try to make it all casual, while people asking you dumb stereotypical questions about "the gays/the lesbians/the trans" etc. (the dumb questions on whether you cut yourself if you're an emo/goth kid, stupid inquiries about the "violent metal music" etc.). And last but not least - "Oh, I totally understand you! I kissed a girl once when I was 16!" (aka "Cool! I went through a goth-phase in highschool too!). I mean it's not quite the same - most of the scenes revolve around some combination of music, fashion and hobbies, while the starting point of LGBTQ is rather internal and rarely impacts your musical tastes and fashion choices. But ironically, the struggle that members of this community once had (and still have) to go through created some sort of scene with it's own idols, fashion tropes etc. The inside/outside dynamic can be crazy from both sides. The only thing we don't have is an equivalent of HotTopic. The Gay-Parades and gaybars may fullfil similar functions - that's where people find like-minded friends and support which they lack in their families. During bigger gay-parades (or pride month) one can get LGBTQ-themed everything, for almost every branch of this diverse community. I guess no-one needed this response, but being both alternative and gay I just had to :D

I agree, my homegirl’s boyfriend is a piercer with colored hair, gauges, piercings and tattoos and legit never listened to heavy music he’s really into EDM and Trap music. Funny enough I don’t have have piercings tattoos or long and or colored hair or even dress like your typical metal head or punk and yet that’s mainly what I listen too, I had long hair in high school and wore band shirts but that’s about it. I’m glad we live in a more accepting time and I honestly still go to hot topic because I enjoy the experience of being able to buy a band shirts and anime collectibles all in one store

The new alternative kids are the ones without tattoos and colored hair who go to church and both their parents are still married.

'Nobody gets made fun of for liking comic books and anime anymore'. You obviously don't read a lot of social media comments, especially the ones here on youtube when someone either has an anime profile pic or mentions liking anime! People still get made fun of for liking anime, by fucktards. And people still get made fun of for liking comic books, I once saw a guy get talked down n by a bunch of women for liking comic books, and how he needs to grow up because that's for kids. So, you're wrong; 'geeks' or 'geeky' things still get people picked on because there's still plenty of idiots out there. I bet there's at least a few of those people who will read this comment and be like: 'Shit, this reminds me of the guy I bashed last month for liking anime.'

@@darkcarnival1805 it was hyperbolic to say 'people /never/ get shit for liking those things anymore' but it's not a lie to say that geek culture is much more mainstream. A lot of 'normie' people are on board with Marvel and Game of Thrones etc

Yeah if you don't stick with the times you get left behind. Imagine if Sprint stuck to landline phones instead of cellular for example.

@@ath85 all the more reason to rebel and start a proper punk movement

@@nerdymom2 cool bro! The only prob tho is that I'm prolly old enough to be your dad.

@@ath85 I’m 27 my profile pic is old

Hence the name HOT TOPIC. They went with the WOW hot trends (topic) of the era...anything not considered “mainstream”. Genius!

Meh... their selection was weak for me 😂... could never find gorgoroth, marduk, suffocation, belphegor etc @ HoT ToPiC

Wow you brought up Skinny Puppy

@That Flippin Guy ya bro malls are gay only posers go shopping

Goths and metalheads are not the same thing. 🤦

Also Goth Culture is about the music not the looks.

Agreed.

Ugh the poser term is what I dont miss. Kids didn’t want anyone to live the life they wanted. They had to pick everything apart.

When I was 16 in 1999, I was riding a skateboard and a bunch of kids on a school bus called me a poser! Different thing, but your comment reminded me of this. Cute kids, they must have learned the word “poser” that day, and had no clue what it meant, lol.

Everyone in Hot Topic was a wannabe or poser. It was pretty great. I was pretty much done with that stuff when I graduated in 2005. Had to get a job that wasn't Hot Topic cashier so I had to change my style somewhat.

that's fucking awful, I saw too many stranger things and riverdale t shirts the last time I went. Although, I was able to find Black Craft sock there...

@@raidexe RIVERDALE 😕

@@wolfie__7610 no I'm being serious lmao

@@raidexe I HAVEN'T GONE TO HOT TOPIC SINCE I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH BUT IS IT REALLY LIKE THAT? I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOTH STORE NOT A STRAIGHT PEOPLE STORE

The only thing I liked was that they had doja cat t-shirts but you can easily get that at spencers

I remember getting my summer job and spending most of my money on hottopic.

buying walmart jeans a few sizes too big instead of jnco

Lol kinda true. I thought it was cooler that I made my own trip pants and printed my own punk patches though. Cuz I was poor lol. But I still went to Hot Topic. Thrift stores were cheaper

43... still banging my head. That said, stopped going to Hot Topic when the Bronies (I thought MLP was cute until I met the fans) and Harry Potter fans (enjoyed HP, but the fans can be obnoxious) took over.

@@DrTranofEvil You gotta see the fans and the shows as two different things. I love MLP but the fans can be annoying!

At 32, there are a FEW merch I've bought that either I could mix and match (surprisingly their special editions clothes can be worn for work i.e. a Rey-Star Wars Sweater Cardigan) or vintage tees for old bands. Downside, it's becoming more like Spencer's w/all those Funko pops

jessica m I agree, don’t get me started on Rick and Morty fans. Love the series, I don’t talk to the fans. R&M is brilliant (albeit, at times, incredibly lowbrow) comedy, that doesn’t require a massive intellect to ‘get’. Some folks don’t seem to understand that. Rick is supposed to be smart, but that doesn’t make watching him educational. It’s cool to like a thing, it’s cool to be excited about a thing, but dear lord, don’t be a gatekeeping, pretentious, creep. Oh, and i have a long story about the Brony giving me the death stare. I was a corporate traveler, staying at a hotel that hosted an MLP event. Long story short, I rode up from Portland to Seattle on my motorcycle and my biker-looking (tattooed, bearded, etc) self was very out of place when I was leaving to go to work for the day. This dude gives me a death stare as he’s heading out to his car. I swing a leg over my bike, he reaches into his car and pulls out a Princess Celestia plush that took up his whole back seat, tucks it under his arm, gives me one last glare and marches back into the hotel. The only thing going through my brain was ‘dead lord, I hope that thing ain’t anatomically correct’. 💀

lol same!

gnarzikans Reminded me of the bumper sticker, “I’M SO GOTH, I’M DEAD “ 💀

I only got into underground stuff in year 14.

I listened/listen to The Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Siouxie and The Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Mira, Faith And The Muse, Audra, Voltaire, Unwoman, Diva Destruction, Unto Ashes, Human Drama, etc. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's Hot Topic sold their CDs too.

Those were great Manhattan nightclub shirts

Roses are red, violets are blue, I'ma eat that boots like I'm Guy Fieri at a barbecue.

omg really that’s cool yeah i get my merch from hot topic lolll my parents hate it

I still feel weird looking at the new logo, and it's been years!

I remember buying a korn shirt. I was a small kid, like at most 110 lbs type kid & that was still a small shirt. But I wanted it bc I was going to a korn concert the next day. Put it in the dryer once, & it went from small to like xxtiny. It basically became a mid drift shirt. I wore to it school once & that was pretty much it. I left in my car when it was raining & I didn't bother w/ the windows bc I was lazy af. The next day was sunny & the shirt pretty much collected mold

They died when they started selling skinny jeans instead of Skinny Puppy 🙄

And disney shit

i miss the old hot topic :’(

And Billie EILISH shirts

When they started selling sponge bob pajamas in the late 90's is when I knew it was dying Lol!

Whaaaaa? I never saw Bieber shirts at my locations

Right?!! It's why I stopped going it's so expensive

The Hot Topic at my mall sells shirts for almost $40!

thats Why you gota steal em 🥰

It was always expensive lol.......and all my Tripp pants fell apart within a year or less.

@@matxalenc8410 right!? ugh its a huge reason why i gave up on it

I never forgot about him I’m new to the scene kid style so I haven’t really heard of him please don’t make fun of me

NEVER FORGET

@@mo2wheelz74 all the episodes are on hulu you are welcome young padawan lol

not me lmao

"I'm gonna sing the Doom Song now" 🤣

I thought it was just me that noticed. :)

I went into a Hot Topic and they where legit playing country music, not like Breaking Benjamin country esque stuff or the good pre 9 / 11 stuff but legit tractors, beer, my dog died, I hate women but I fucked my cousin country music. The guy working there was a brony and tipped his fedora at me. Also the band merch was a print on a normal shirt not a band shirt if that makes sense?

So sad

@@michellepatterson3573 F's in the chat boys

Lesson is, normies and weebs ruin everything

@@xx-yd5mm for 25 bucks what a bargin

MooseMan Checkout Company Man which has less snark and better facts.

Mister E I’ll be sure to check that out, McKenty has said some questionable & biased things in the past 🤦🏻‍♂️ still a cool guy though

MooseMan same.

Great video.

Sometimes I wonder. I was there in the 1990s and I don't remember everyone wearing wigger jeans and bondage pants. I enjoy the entertainment value around here and believe Finn is a good guy.... total revisionist history though.

Same I feel pushed out of my alternate culture a lil because they have mainstream artists rather than alternative artists.

Same for Chicago ravers and juggalos

Got Topic? Never been there...

Yes!!! He should get a hot topic CEO or manager or something on the podcast!!

"I'm here to take all of my MBA students on a tour of your facility"

Actually once the “Back Street Boys Reunion Tour” disappears a meet up state by state at a Hot Topic for all the Punk Rock MBA fans would be pretty chill

@@grungyperry7530 LOL OMG YOU TOTALLY GOT ME BRO!!!!!!!!!

Same tho 😅

Can attest, that is absolutely true

Some became ravers

Present 🙋...

Yeah definitely targeted me on that one

How does it feel to be living my dream 😩 (as a 19 year old girl lol)

Unfortunately, in that war... I feel like GameStop is gonna lose just given how horrible their financials are right now, whereas Hot Topic are still surprisingly thriving.

Except GameStop, unlike HT, never cared about their customers. The employees sure as hell did, and they were the only reason people kept coming back after digital sales started to tank GS, but the company never did, and every attempt to prove the contrary has been excruciatingly transparent. Actually they never cared about their employees, either. When the shit started to hit the fan, instead of finding some graceful way to move with the times, they just leaned on their employees really hard and lost a ton of personnel due to people just straight up quitting. Just a garbage company all around.

Metaldude X yet hot topic is still in business unlike game stop

You mean killing malls

And no one besides the biggest fans/people with more money than sense actually want that shit

That usually was the case with people like us; I remember travelling up to preppy-ass Delaware with my dad, step-mom, and step-sister after my dad and I went to Ozzfest; EVERYBODY at Ozzfest was chill as fuck but then you had the stuck-up assholes in preppy-ass Delaware.

DontTouchMeTherePlz we heard that from a ton of the naysayers or preppy kids that would stand outside the gates and laugh us people inside. We would coax them inside and show them a good time and so many people would comment on how nice our employees were and how disarming that was, how it was just not what they expected. Good times.

Right! The store is literally called Hot Topic. They sell whatever the fuck is popular at the moment. Right now it's Rick and Morty, Disney Properties, My Hero Academia and Funko. Rock music is out since Rap and Hip-Hop became king. A few years from now people will be saying, "maaaan remember when Hot Topic was the best place to get funko pops, they sold out???" Lol

i was always torn between an inclination to make fun of it and check out all the cool shirts etc

Yeaaaaah

@@megababy80 it's fun to window shop there. Most stuff is way to overpriced, sadly. Not about to spend $25+ on a shirt when walmart has character tees for $7.50. Usually I just pick up a pop or two but I've shopping there on and off for over 15 years.

@@brookhaven86 yea, that's so for all retail brick n mortar stores--selection/deals on the Internet. plain and simple. I'm referring to an earlier era with punk rock elitism and hot topic being a mall store vs. the underground boutiques in hollywood etc. enjoy the window shopping while it lasts! Look at me, I've grown up

Lmao

Hahahaha

lifeisterrible they started to focus on denim? What do you mean?

They never gave me all that stuff. But I did work there in the late 90s so perhaps those perks were added on later.

lifeisterrible that’s cool that they would reimburse for a college class and especially tickets to shows! It makes sense when you think about it, like it’s good for a sports memorabilia store to have sports fans to work there. Same idea, I guess. I worked retail for a bunch of years, but none of them were so generous with the perks!

@Re Up While CDs and vinyl decreased in popularity across the board, they were still popular in the metal/rock scene. I feel like they pulled an apple and got rid of the headphone jack when they got rid of CDs

I honestly didnt know they offered all those perks for just working, that's super dope to know!

yeah coz its where you start unless you have an alternative older sibling. but some people stay in hot topic and others move deeper into subcultures

“It’s not a phase, mom. This is the REAL me”

Lmao there’s no hot topic here in Guam.. so no 😂😂

Shit I bought a Whitechapel and cannibal corpse shirt at hot topic back in the day

ya man we all, gen x, sold out to ties button downs dockers

It was supposed to be. They go with what is trending currently, why don’t people realize this? Emo was dominant in pop culture so they maximized it

Did their policies change?

You've GOT to be shitting me.......

in 2007 they did

Aren’t they trying to be “Instagram goth” now?

😮

Nothing in a hot topic is "underground". You listen to Mall Metal.

@@holstorrsceadus1990 There was plenty of relatively unknown bands that were on big record labels like bands on Sumerian (Make Me Famous, The Faceless). Bands like Memphis May Fire and Abandon All Ships were also bands that were just gaining momentum at that time but already had a presence at hot topic.

@@holstorrsceadus1990 😇

@@JuanDeag228 I believe the first thing I ever bought from Hot Topic was a From Autumn to Ashes t-shirt in a size, that even at the time, was probably too small for me to wear, haha. That was probably 2005 or 2006. 😅

Shit the first time I walked in that store in 2005 I walked out with Death, Meshuggah and Satyricon shirts

hell yes!

Yes! Might have been others too, there were definitely a few sections where the visual info didn't match what he was saying.

I noticed too!

The scene years he said was always 2004-2008 lmao

@@JinxMoody 10:26

Someone stayed up too late editing.

Crafty Fox yeah it’s so weird lol when I do walk in one I feel so out of place I just leave 🤷🏾‍♀️

i think they’re starting to bring that all back because last time i went i saw studded belts and weird accessories that i usually don’t see 😳✌️

I miss the days when you could go into a high school and find the scene kids with their fun styles. I was working at a high school last year and I remember how all the kids looked and dressed the same /:

@cactusnacks - Same. People are talking about five years ago as if it's an eternity. I know I'm old, but my HT years were 1999-2003. It was dark, grimy, and the only place to get goth/punk-ish clothing, music, and jewelry. The employees at my local store actually knew and loved the music they played in store. I remember the early 2000s, when the focus on music started to fade to be replaced by the cartoon focus -- SpongeBob and Invader Zim were taking over, and things were getting "happier." After I left for college, I never stepped foot in HT again. Looks like I'm not missing much. Those light-colored walls alone are terrifying.

omg you guys were fucking cool

Jared Genova Metropolis CDs were my jam! Expanded my exposure to music. Truly miss those times :(

I loved those goth compilation as a teen. It was a great way to learn about goth before spotify. And I have so many memories of picking out morbid threads items from the clearance rack. Those were really formative moments for baby teen me. Especially being one of the only people who was dark and alt at my school.

@@Sirenasenlaluna Funny enough last weekend I was going through old boxes at my mom's out of state and found my hard copies of Metropolis '03, '04, '05', and '06. '04 and '05 had a lot of rad songs and remixes on them you can't find on Spotify or Bandcamp, or anywhere anymore. Not sure if you have given them a listen but after the Metropolis compilations I got hooked on the Endzeit Bunkertracks compilations. There are a few on Spotify or you can find playlists from them still on KZfaq if you're still interested in EBM/industrial/aggro tech

@@MW-nc8dp Do you remember the Morbid brand makeup? Mostly eye shadow and nail polish from my memory? I'm sure they're hot garbage compared to the much better makeup that's easily accessible today but booooy was that ever a moment lol

SAMEZZ =^w^=

Oh gawd you were so cringy or at least the ones I knew were cringy asf but I'm totally still an anime nerd

Dorian Camp I’m now getting into anime and I LOVE Jojos Bizarre adventure, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Haikyuu, and Mob Psycho 100! I’m not too much of a metal head but more of Classic Rock :>

Also I got a JJBA shirt from hot topic with the quality not what I thought it would be, it felt cheap, but I’m going to add a bit more to the shirt cuz it is a little boring, n fix up sum stuff 🤧

I was an emo kid and a comic nerd 😂

You mean juggernauts?!

Youth culture just got really lame. I'm not just saying that as an old 36 year old. Youth culture was cool before I was born. It's recently got REALLY lame. Like, 60's-2000's was pretty fucking awesome. What the hell happened?

Bruh some people are still emo

@sk3l3t0nz So Manson fans were basically the goth version of all the middle school girls in the early 2000s that wore ties, fishnets, and multiple wristbands on their arms just because Avril Lavigne did, she even called them out for slavishly copying her style 🤣

Mean girls

I understand that reference.

Mearlen Manson made me want to be goth when I old even if he was under confict I had like that he was not afried to be him self

One of my favret songs was the dope show because my doctor miss diagnosed me

@Mason Watkins Both are. Or were, at least.

@Mason Watkins that's not the point tho, it is cool but dbz merch shouldn't be sold at a punk shop,and neither should rap merch

@@thechief8754 Hot Topic was counter culture stuff. In the early to mid 2000s anime and comic merch was as niche as heavy metal was. Today, that's not the case and such stuff is mainstream.

@Mason Watkins I like some rap. Some people just cant extend their taste

😂😂😂

I actually bought some shirts of this wrestling stable called Bullet Club from Hot Topic

Mmmm....depends. Harry Potter isn't exactly in the mainstream anymore. It's almost like a nostalgic niche thing. Most younger kids I talk to about it are like "I've never even seen any of the movies. Seems stupid."

Granted, Harry Potter is still my shit👀💀

@Morgue Idk if you know this, but the first HP book was released in June 1997, aka 23 years ago. The first movie was released in November of 2001, almost 20 years ago. I was one of those kids that went to see the premiere with my mom because we had read the books as bedtime stories, and I'm in my mid twenties. Harry Potter IS nostalgic to most of the world, and therefore the current hardcore fans are considered alternative. The main craze is over, but the nostalgic love still remains. You have to remember that people can visit the HP World for other reasons than HP being relevant and mainstream popular today.

There is nothing alternative about fucking Riverdale palettes 😭😭😭

BIG FACTS

Agreed.

Hell, I am 40 and I still love going to Hot Topic.

Well said.

@@Thymeburns ummm can I have your ig?

God tier record.

Kelly Cook That's awesome! I hope there's another Youth Crew/Emo Hardcore revival

Hell yes. I had a similar experience in my Hot Topic back in the late 2000s who recommended The Mongoloids to me. Never been so thankful for that.

That Shinedown record was fire

@Luke Hunker Also check out Have Heart, Go It Alone, and Sinking Ships if you dig Verse!

Pretty sure that in the beginning the name was meant to be ironic because it was a store for alternative kids

Good thinking

It's called "Hot Topic" because it sold items too taboo for conversation. Literally the exact opposite reason you believe.

The name was a joke lol it meant the oposite

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