Dove Cameron Brings Back a 2000s Emo Girl Staple for Her New Music Video

For her new “Romeo” music video, the artist leaned into her dark feminine energy.

Dove Cameron attends the 2024 GQ Men Of The Year in Los Angeles, California, in November 2024. / Michael Tran/AFP/Getty Images

In Dove Cameron’s new music video for her latest release “Romeo,” she embraces her dark feminine energy by incorporating an iconic “emo” makeup staple from the early 2000s—and we’re beyond here for it.

In fact, she executed the throwback look so flawlessly, it wouldn't come as a surprise if a resurgence of alternative attire was on the way (or maybe the “emo girl” aesthetic never truly left!).

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The first hint of an alternative style in the video was her dark hair. This color made it easy for the singer to then add even more black to the ensemble, which could be seen in the way she seamlessly pulled off dark eyebrows and a dramatic fur coat. The second hint was her dark lip, as Cameron chose to go with an alluring scarlet shade—a choice that further boosted the dark feminine vibes.

Last but not least, a true emo look is not complete without messy red eyeshadow on the lids, as well as smudged under the eyes—think the makeup of My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way or Twenty One Pilots’s Josh Dun. Safe to say, Cameron has officially joined their coveted ranks with her own take on this classic look.

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And there’s a good chance the 29-year-old will continue rocking this aesthetic thanks to her hair color change, as she never truly felt like a blonde despite being one for most of her career. Regarding the drastic change, Cameron told NYLON earlier this month, “I just don’t feel like myself as a blonde. It was my whole life. Isn’t that such a funny thing, hair color and identity?”

She added that, before ultimately deciding on dark brunette for this era, she had a temporary hue that acted as a placeholder until she knew what she wanted to do next. And, while going back and forth with different colors was something she got to explore in her 20s, she will likely not do so as much in her 30s since her hair may not be able to keep up.

“I have the ‘nothing’ color. It’s not brown, it’s not blonde. It’s like that gray European [color]. It lifts so easily, but then when it goes platinum, it’s like string. I can’t keep it up. I’m not strong enough anymore. I really lost that in my 20s,” the Vengeance actress said.

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Along with switching up her hair, she’s also taking a rather different approach to the music she has on the way. She describes her upcoming as a mix of “love” songs and “f--k you” songs. By the sound of it, “Too Much”—the first single off her upcoming project—is a “f--k you” song, while “French Girls” is more of a “love” song. And Cameron follows the “love” song vibe once again with her latest single, the aforementioned “Romeo”.

Only time will tell which type of song Cameron has more of on her sophomore album, but this next chapter of her music career will be one where she takes things up a notch.

“My rule that I live by is the thing that you are the most afraid of, the place you are most afraid to go is the very place you need to go next in order to get to the next level,” Cameron concluded.

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