The goth subculture has largely become an enigma to the common person. Nowadays, it’s widely misattributed to numerous things: primarily, emo, punk, or “baddie” culture. It has been blamed for numerous school shootings, such as Columbine, and goths have been the victims of violence in the past; in the case of Sophia Lancaster and Robert Maltby, the pair were attacked and murdered in 2007 by a group of teenagers for identifying with the goth subculture.
Let’s get one thing straight: goths aren’t evil. Goths aren’t satanic. Not all goths engage in self-harm, smoking, or drug use. Likely, all of the stereotypes you’ve been taught about goths are wrong; in actuality, the goth subculture has a long and rich history, full of moody music and people with fishnets and wild hair. In honor of the spooky season passing by, let me—a baby bat, or newer goth for clarification—lead you into a deep dive through the comprehensive history of the goth subculture, going all the way back to where it started up until now.
Intro to Gothic Horror (1700s-1900s)
The gothic horror genre is the first traceable aspect of goth culture. It is categorized by incredibly gloomy and dark elements, ranging from despair and decay to witchcraft. Many gothic horror novels play with the supernatural and death.
While the first novel that was widely considered to be “gothic horror” was written in 1764, the genre can be traced back even further; many early gothic writers were inspired by elements of William Shakespeare’s work, with many of his most notable tragedies—such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet—containing ghosts, supernatural occurrences, witchcraft, and revenge. John Milton’s Paradise Lost, written in 1667, also proved to be an early baseline for Gothic writers, particularly taking note of Milton’s depiction of the anti-hero Satan. This character would serve as a model for many Gothic villains and Byronic heroes. Poetry also proved to be a line of inspiration, beginning with Alexander Pope’s 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard, containing a tale of star-crossed lovers with religious terror and melancholic imagery. This poem’s influence can be observed through Horace Walpole’s work, along with many other 18th-century Gothic literature artists. The Graveyard Poets—pre-Romantic poets categorized by their depictions of mortality—also laid the early foundations of common gothic imagery, crafting the depictions of skulls, graveyards, and bones that became staples of the gothic genre.
Many early Gothic works were set in castles or other medieval settings. In the 1700s, England in particular had an obsession with reclaiming a shared past; works set in medieval times became more prominent and widely accepted, even before the first widely regarded Gothic novel. Even as the gothic horror genre expanded outside the confines of Europe, medieval settings still remained commonplace, later being observed in works by Edgar Allan Poe and other American authors.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole is largely regarded as the first Gothic horror novel, and included the subtitle of A Gothic Story in later editions. It was generally unpopular upon its release; many felt that a modern author should not be writing about the supernatural in a “rational” age. In spite of this, the story inspired many imitations, such as Clara Reeve’s The Old English Baron (1778) and Sophia Lee’s The Recess (1783-85). The gothic novel’s popularity was at its height in the 1790s, synonymous with Ann Radcliffe’s strides into the genre. Her 1794 novel The Mystery of Udolpho was a bestseller, critical in setting off the craze.
As gothic literature began to grow in popularity, it gave birth to a new formation of the genre: the Female Gothic. The subgenre was guided by writers such as Radcliffe and Mary Shelley, and provided an outlet for the sexual and societal desires of women to be stated. Many common narratives of the female Gothic were an absent mother and fleeing from a villainous father, alongside the emergence of the ghost story, which permitted women to write about something other than the common marriage narrative. Other authors, such as Mary Robinson, opted to abolish the damsel-in-distress and instead feature sexually assertive heroines, transgressing traditional gender conventions of the female Gothic.
Another form of Gothic was the Gothic bluebooks and chapbooks, which were shorter and cheaper versions of Gothic literature. Many of these pieces were plagiarized from preexisting Gothic novels, with Matthew Lewis’s The Monk becoming a particularly strong target. This saturation of Gothic literature was met with much criticism and made the Gothic genre a subject of many satirical pieces and parodies. This satire was most prominent from the 1790s to the 1820s, eventually outnumbering actual Gothic pieces in 1800. Jane Austen, most known for her work Pride and Prejudice, also dipped her toes into satirical Gothic literature with her 1818 novel Northanger Abbey.
The second generation of Gothic horror was spurred on by the works of Lord Byron and provided the foundation for the Byronic hero. Lord Byron was a particularly prominent figure in Gothic history, having hosted a ghost-story competition on the banks of Lake Geneva in 1816. From this competition, two notable pieces of Gothic literature spawned: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and John William Polidori’s short story “The Vampyre” (1819). Both pieces were incredibly influential, with “The Vampyre” creating a vampire craze and Frankenstein starting the science fiction genre alongside Jane C. Loudon’s The Mummy! (1827).
During the second generation, Gothic began to spread to other countries. Countries such as Germany, Spain, and Russia began honing Gothic novels, with many drawing on societal folklore and religion. Consequently, it began to fizzle out as the dominant genre in England as the Victorian era began, being replaced by the newly formed historical fiction. Gothic short stories remained popular, however, in the form of chapbooks called penny dreadfuls. One of the most influential penny dreadfuls is Varney the Vampire, released anonymously in 1847, which introduced the trope of vampires possessing sharp teeth/fangs.
The most influential Gothic writer of the Victorian era was Edgar Allan Poe, an American who reinterpreted many Gothic tropes. Widely, he is considered the master of the American Gothic, and many of his stories and poems have gone on to influence many other Gothic writers. He is known for works such as his poems “The Raven”, “Annabel Lee”, and “The Bells”, alongside his short stories The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Black Cat.
Many novels were also known to draw from Gothic ideals, such as Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), which included a Byronic hero and supernatural occurrences. Famous author Charles Dickens was also heavily influenced by the Gothic genre, having read many Gothic novels in his childhood. Many of his pieces, including Oliver Twist (1837-1838) and Great Expectations (1860-1861), include gloomier elements common with Gothic literature, such as a dark atmosphere and engendering melancholic feelings. Gothic also created religious connections, with many Irish Catholic and Anglo-Irish writers beginning to write within the genre.
The 1880s saw the revival of Gothic under the subgenre Urban Gothic, fictionalizing the fin de siecle (end of century) fear of ethical degeneration and questioning particular social structures at the time. Popular works underneath this subgenre include Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1888), Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and Richard Marsh’s The Beetle (1897). Irish writers also produced arguably some of the most influential Gothic pieces of all time, with Sheridan Le Fanu’s In a Glass Darkly (1872) introducing the vampiress Carmilla and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) creating the most famous Gothic villain, Count Dracula.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Gothic literature became intertwined with the rise of Modernism. James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses transforms the living into ghosts, pointing to the historical Irish context in a way that keeps the haunting elements of traditional Gothic novels while simultaneously revoking the supernatural elements present in nineteenth-century Gothic fiction. Pulp magazines reprinted classic Gothic literature by authors such as Poe, while simultaneously printing new authors incorporating both new and old Gothic elements. The most significant author was H.P. Lovecraft, who developed the Cthulhu Mythos, something that would influence Gothic writers and contemporary horror. The turn of the century would also cause the development of other Gothic subgenres, such as the Southern Gothic and the Romantic Gothic. Contemporary Gothic would also later be developed by writers such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Anne Rice, and remains the most popular form of Gothic literature in the modern day.
Gothic horror continued to be popular throughout the 1900s, spawning many movie remakes of classic Gothic novels—such as the 1931 Dracula movie, starring Bela Lugosi—and many writers imitating the classic Gothic style. Soon, however, Gothic horror would give rise to a new form of Gothic, this time spawning in the world of popular culture and music.
Proto-Goth and Post-Punk (1900s-1980s)
Proto-goth, or literally “original goth”, is considered the precursor to what would later become Gothic rock. Psychedelic rock, rock and roll, and proto-metal are among the genres encompassed in the proto-goth title, with some rather unorthodox influences being named when discussing proto-goth influences.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is one of the first instances of proto-goth. A pioneer of “shock rock,” Hawkins frequently employed gothic elements in his performances, including rising out of coffins and brandishing a walking stick decorated with a skull. His most famous song, “I Put A Spell On You,” is a blues-style horror ballad, complete with grunting and moaning alongside chilling instrumentals. True to his name, Hawkins also employed screaming in many of his tracks, proving himself as a precursor to the metal genre as well.
In the same vein lies Alice Cooper, considered the “Godfather of Shock Rock” by many due to his theatrical performances combining horror movie elements with live music. His performances were also deeply rooted in a darker hilarity, being cited by journalist Simon Reynolds as an influence due to his “theatrics and black humor”.
When citing gothic influences, most opt to point to the Velvet Underground & Nico. Their darker, experimental sounds alongside the cold tones of Nico’s vocals set them apart from many other ’60s and 70s bands, with Nico’s 1969 album, “The Marble Index”, occasionally being considered the first goth album. Nico is widely debated as the “first-ever goth girl,” and her voice is praised for its melancholic, icy tone, marking her and the Velvet Underground as staples for the gothic genre. Even following Nico’s departure from the band, the Velvet Underground continued perpetuating gothic sounds, setting them in stone as one of the most influential rock bands in history alongside their gothic label.
By far, however, one of the most prominent examples of proto-goth is the Doors. A psychedelic rock band from the 60s, the Doors stood out due to their moody sounds and poetic lyrics, courtesy of lead singer Jim Morrison. The Doors were the first band to ever be labeled with the gothic rock genre, even as far back as 1967, following the band’s debut. Indirectly, the gothic rock pipeline can be traced back to them, casting aside the fact that they were the first ones to be considered the genre in the first place. In October of 1967, at the University of Michigan, the Doors performed a rather disastrous set, resulting in much of the Homecoming crowd being angry. Their sound was terrible due to a haphazardly put-together sound system, and Jim Morrison was angrily and drunkenly shouting back at the crowd. This show was attended by a young James Newell Osterberg Jr., who was captivated by the performance and felt he had no excuse not to engender the same feelings with his own band. He went on to develop the stage name Iggy Pop and formed the Stooges, considered to be the first ever punk band.
Punk rock quickly rose throughout the 1970s as a predominant response to the failure of the hippie movement of the 60s. Punk music was characterized by its angry sounds and political lyrics, while punk culture was characterized by anarchy, mohawks, and spikes. It was widely considered to be a much heavier response to the failures of the hippie movement. In the midst of the 70s, however, brought a harsher viewpoint of the punk genre, with many punks believing that punk rock had become a sterile genre, giving in to corporate interests while failing to follow through with the same ideals that formed punk to begin with.
In the wake of this shift in 1977 came the post-punk genre, which was used to describe bands that departed from the harsher sounds of traditional punk rock and experimented with non-goth influences and sounds. Many post-punk bands experimented with funk, jazz, and electronic music, seeking a wider medium for their work. The first post-punk band is considered to be Siouxsie and the Banshees, being claimed to be the first group to make the transition from punk to post-punk by music journalist David Stubbs. Public Image Ltd is another widely recognized pioneer of the post-punk genre, having been formed by former Sex Pistols lead singer John Lydon, who disbanded Sex Pistols due to feeling that punk music had become too commercialized and predictable. The band Wire’s shift in musical direction also marked a crucial starting point for post-punk, alongside the formation of bands such as Magazine, Cabaret Voltaire, and Gang of Four. Later post-punk bands would include the Cure, the Damned, Joy Division, and the Raincoats.
By the late 70s, post-punk was still a thriving genre and would continue to be such until suffering a decline in the 1990s. From post-punk came several new musical genres, including avant-garde funk, new wave, and gothic rock. The gothic scene had its foundation laid during the post-punk craze, with many post-punk bands later being considered the mothers and fathers of gothic rock. However, gothic rock truly did not get its start until the band Bauhaus released their debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, in 1979, thus birthing the gothic subculture.
Bauhaus and the Birth of Goth (1980s)
The emergence of gothic nightclubs, such as the F Club in the late 70s and 80s, set the stage for the gothic rock genre to formulate. While many post-punk bands had begun receiving the gothic rock label, the birth of goth is understood to lie with Bauhaus. They released the single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in 1979, stating it was a “tongue-in-cheek” song. It was widely taken seriously, however, and from then on, many post-punk bands began incorporating gothic elements into their music. Siouxsie and the Banshees’s fourth album, Juju, lyrically and sonically included a darker aesthetic, a fact attributed by bassist Steven Severin to the influence of rock band the Cramps. The Cure followed suit, releasing a trio of albums—Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981), and Pornography (1982)—that solidified them into the genre. Quickly, the Cure became the most successful gothic rock band, both in terms of commercial success and influence. Their style became known as “withdrawn”, conflicting with many of their contemporaries at the time. Nick Cave’s band, the Birthday Party, became known for drawing on violent Old Testament imagery, with their song “Release the Bats” in 1981 becoming particularly influential for the early goth scene.
Goth further continued to expand in 1981 as bands became more attuned to gothic music. UK Decay frontman Steve Abbott used the term “punk gothique” to describe his band’s music, a term that would later be used in a Sounds article to speculate on the future comings of the genre. Writer Cathi Unsworth considers Abbott to be the first to attribute the gothic label to music and culture. In spite of bands’ positive reception towards the label, the general public was still rather hostile towards the subculture until 1982, when the nightclub the Batcave opened. The Batcave became an important part of gothic culture, with many emerging gothic rock bands—such as Specimen—performing there regularly. Also in 1982 came the publication of Propaganda Magazine, a catch-all gothic-centric magazine that pushed the genre further into the international mainstream. The term “positive punk” was formulated in 1983 to describe the scene, being attributed to bands like Bauhaus, UK Decay, Alien Sex Fiend, and other staple gothic rock bands at the time. Myriad Goth also emerged this year.
A shift in gothic culture became evident with the formation of the Sisters of Mercy, a gothic rock band from Leeds. According to journalist Jennifer Park, “The original blueprint for gothic rock had mutated significantly. Doom and gloom was no longer confined to its characteristic atmospherics, but as the Sisters demonstrated, it could really rock.” The band created a harder sound for gothic rock, inspiring many more mutations of the gothic genre, including a more ethereal version presented in bands such as Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins. Later stages emerged in the late 80s and 90s, with many bands emerging from dissolved gothic rock bands (such as Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy).
The United States also received its fair share of gothic rock culture. Californian bands such as 45 Grave and Christian Death emerged with a new subculture called deathrock, which was a more punk-rock-inspired take on gothic rock, utilizing glam rock and horror movie visuals. Many American punk bands were credited with being influential to the genre and considered pioneers of other goth-adjacent genres such as “gothabilly” and “horror punk”.
For the remainder of the 1980s, gothic rock and deathrock seemed to mellow out, turning more underground for a brief moment. By the time the 1990s came around, however, the gothic rock genre saw its “third wave”, effectively reviving and transforming the genre.
A Gothic Evolution (1990s-present)
The 1990s brought on a different and unique version of gothic music, courtesy of crossovers from the industrial music, electronic, and metal scenes. Gothic rock became rather repetitive and techno, and it largely took over the original gothic rock scene, with many first-generation gothic rock songs and deathrock songs getting taken off of club setlists. This resulted in the goth movement largely turning underground, breaking into even more subgenres, including cyber goth, shock rock, and gothic metal.
Gothic metal was widely praised for blending gothic elements with heavier metal sounds. The most prominent artist of the genre was Marilyn Manson, being considered a “goth-shock icon” and pioneering much of gothic metal. Other pioneers include Type O Negative, My Dying Bride, and Anathema, all from varying parts of the world. The gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, in particular, pioneered the “beauty and the beast” vocal style, combining feminine vocals with hard, masculine vocals. Symphonic metal was formed from gothic metal as well, developed by artists such as Nightwish and Within Temptation.
Despite the gothic genre’s turn into the underground, it was far from inactive; gothic elements were still widely observed in popular music, being included in music by bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails. The gothic rock and deathrock club night Release the Bats in Halloween 1998 furthered the resurgence; it became the longest-running club night in Long Beach and was Southern California’s most frequented goth night. Its success led to many more deathrock club nights being created, and this—alongside the rise of music piracy giving people access to older deathrock bands—led to the first revival of deathrock. New deathrock bands began to formulate, and many merged elements of deathrock with no wave and synthpunk. Many groups also began to utilize the style popularized by the Batcave, giving rise to the aesthetic that goth is most commonly associated with today.
The gothic subculture was put into question following the 1999 Columbine shooting. Media reports portrayed the two gunmen as members of a gothic cult, furthering suspicions of the gothic subculture. Unfortunately, school shootings would become a common association with goth; following the 2006 Dawson College shooting, the shooter was known to have been interested in the gothic subculture, thus furthering a connection between the two. Much of this has led to stereotyping and rumors that all goths are “satanic” or “evil” in some way, portraying all of them as violent, despite most goths believing firmly in nonviolence. This has resulted in prejudice, bullying, and violence being perpetuated against goths.
In the 2000s, gothic metal reemerged in Europe, becoming mainstream. Bands such as HIM, the 69 Eyes, and Lullacry had breakout success, releasing chart-topping albums or singles. United States gothic metal bands had less luck; only a few had commercial success, including Type O Negative and Evanescence. Meanwhile, deathrock continued to spread, taking advantage of the fairly new internet space. Many websites, such as MySpace and LiveJournal, were prominent during this time for deathrock and gothic rock bands. Deathrock also implemented broader sounds, including psychobilly and futurepop.
The 2010s and 2020s have largely brought a new appreciation for the gothic subculture as a new generation ushers in. New gothic cultures have been formulated, including that of mall goth and emo goth. While many of the “classic” gothic rock bands have broken up, many still remain, including the Cure. A newer wave of gothic rock music has also become prominent, seen in bands such as Lebanon Hanover, The Kentucky Vampires, and Nox Novacula. The classic goth bands are still largely appreciated, now considered “trad goth” by most. The goth scene also inhabits much more of a diverse presence compared to its nearly all-white starting point; bands such as She Wants Revenge, The Ire, and Light Asylum contain people of color, with some entirely consisting of people of color. More locally, Scary Black is a solo gothic musician from Louisville, KY, said to be “redefining goth”, according to afrogoth.com. The AfroGothic culture is an incredibly unique one, and Gothic cannot be Gothic without the presence of AfroGothic. Leila Taylor’s book Darkly: Black History and America’s Gothic Soul is an excellent book that explores AfroGothic history in a way I cannot.
The State of Goth
So, where does this leave goth today?
While the gothic subculture is still alive and well, a bit of toxicity has crept in through the cracks. Goths on TikTok, in particular, state that the gothic subculture has become a rather hostile environment towards baby bats (newer goths, as a reminder), with many people gatekeeping goth bands and being disrespectful towards those who have not familiarized themselves with the subculture yet. The existence of things such as “clean goth” has attempted to make a mockery of the gothic subculture, while debates around mall goth exist as to whether or not it’s a valid form of goth. Goths are still widely mocked and misrepresented, though violence against them has subsided in recent years, thankfully.
Whether or not you “look” goth doesn’t matter; it’s the music and politics that count. As long as you listen to gothic rock music and believe in leftist ideology, you are free to call yourself goth. Even if you dress in a more cutesy style, more emo, or more casual, you can still be goth. Anyone can be goth, and it is not a subculture that can be gatekept or hidden. Goth is goth. Goth will always be goth, no matter what shape its style or music may take.
If you find yourself interested in goth music after reading this article—or you’re already interested in it and want to find more artists—there are numerous playlists on all streaming platforms containing tons of goth songs. If you’re just starting out with goth music, I’d recommend starting with the big three: Bauhaus, the Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. From there, you can branch out wherever, or you can just skip the big three altogether and go on your own path. There are numerous subgenres of goth to choose from, not just classic/trad goth, and no matter what your taste is, you’ll most likely find a band or two that you like. If you want to dress up in the goth style, go for it! Dress however you’d like. The whole point of goth is being innovative and creative, so design your own style; you don’t have to fit the status quo of “trad goth”, “vampire goth”, “mall goth”, or any other type of goth if you don’t want to. If you do want to, however, then go ahead!
Goth is a beautiful subculture, and even if you don’t enjoy the music, I’d highly recommend looking into it just to appreciate its history and everything else about it. At the very least, all we goths ask is that you respect us as people—and stop confusing us with emos. We’re supposed to hate those guys, according to South Park.
