Goth culture originally started out in the underground as death rock, frowned upon and even actively rejected by some – but no more. While goth culture’s spotlight moments in the 80s and 90s get further away day by day, its resurgence in the entertainment industry in recent years, from film and tv to music and gaming, might prove that it was never actually gone from the mainstream mentality.
A Recurring Theme in Entertainment
As digital entertainment, from mobile games to iGaming, become increasingly user-friendly and convenient, it becomes easier for people to come in contact with and relate to new social groups and cultural trends. As such, different branches of the entertainment industry are often credited with disseminating emerging cultural movements, and gaming in its different forms is a great example of this.
Take online gambling, for instance, a hugely popular form of entertainment in current times. Alongside other themes like Ancient Greece or Irish folklore, to name a couple, Goth-core is found in various online slots, contributing to its cultural comeback. Appealing promotions on websites such as MrQ allow you to find the best casino sign-up offers to play your new favorite goth-themed slots with zombie-like characters. The increase in this type of game and in goth characters in video games shows that players everywhere are starting to connect to this theme more and more.
Gen-Z Goth on Netflix
Film and TV are prominent sectors of the entertainment industry where the impact of goth culture is visible. The ultimate example of this is the popularity achieved by the American comedy horror show Wednesday, based on The Addams Family comics and films. As dark as a contemporary TV-14 Netflix production can be, this series saw unprecedented success, skyrocketing the main cast members to sudden A-list-celebrity-level fame.
Although not as Gothic as it gets, Wednesday (along with other similar-in-style streaming hits like The Haunting of Hill House) had a powerful impact on the resurrection of the spooky lifestyle for the younger generations, even reviving the so-called Addamscore, a home décor style inspired by the Addams Family aesthetic.
A New Twist on an Old Genre
Last but unquestionably not least, goth has its creative expression in music. Of course, we couldn’t mention gothic rock without alluding to death rock and post punk, the quintessentially goth musical genres that started it all. A handful of bands is credited with the origins of gothic rock – nothing like a bit of Siouxsie and The Banshees or The Sisters of Mercy to summon the zeitgeist of England in the 80s – a wave of new artists has since been accepted under the goth umbrella.
Potentially because gothic rock, at least in its purest form, always remained an underground culture and never fully regained the popularity it had in its outbreak, the term is arguably taking on a new meaning when it comes to music. Music that’s not gothic sonically, singers like Lorde or Phoebe Bridgers, have been generally considered current soft goth icons, possibly thanks to their gothic aesthetic, grimmer album themes, and overall style.
Given how easily movements born from the entertainment industry can permeate mainstream culture and way of living, it’s not a surprise that a new trend seems to come along every day – and mainstream goth is just one of them. But whether the mainstream embraces it or not, goth culture is a way of living that’s here to stay.
