The bar name is a reference to Hot Topic, the retail store favored among Avril Lavigne wannabes and skater boi types, and pays homage to the emo rock wave of the late '90s and early 2000s.

Though Bennett, Hudson and others say Emo's East is bigger and better, it's about two miles away from the downtown bar scene. They say they're not worried for a number of reasons. The club has ...