Modern Social Science Research

The concept of "pain" has undergone semantic reconstruction among contemporary Chinese youth. Integrating traditional Chinese ethics regarding pain, visual expressions from Japanese otaku culture, and a globalized context, "pain" culture has evolved into an explicit form of emotional expression and identity marker. By creating linguistic forms such as "pain youth" and "emo pain," young people construct a "community of shared pain" on social media platforms. They achieve symbolic alleviation of real-world pressures through ritualized expression and self-mocking aesthetics. This "pain" culture functions both as an emotional strategy for youth coping with socio-structural pressures and as a practical method for identity construction and cultural critique. However, while providing psychological solace and fostering group identity, it simultaneously faces risks such as commercial appropriation, the dilution of its critical essence, and the potential exacerbation of real-world social alienation. This presents a complex duality of positive empowerment and negative predicaments.

Youth subculture; "Pain" culture; Identity construction