
You don’t have to be a goth yourself to recognize the goth aesthetic when you see it. This iconic style stands out from the crowd no matter what the dominant trends of the year are. With their dark clothes, piercings, thick eyeliner, and gloomy vibe, there’s just no way you can miss a goth.
The intimidating persona of the goth aesthetic has its appeal and its detractors. For every goth who’s rocking the style, you get another ten who think it’s satanic or even ugly. The association mainly comes from the use of skulls, pentagrams, and other macabre symbols. That said, few people know that the goth aesthetic started out thanks to music.
What Is the Goth Aesthetic and Where Did It Come From?

Put your helmets and swords away. We’re not talking about that kind of goth. But then again, maybe we should.
The word ‘goth’ historically referred to a group of Germanic peoples consisting of the Ostogoth and Visigoth branches — or, as the ancient Romans would say, barbarians. The original goths, shield and sword and all, were warriors who conquered their way through Europe, which makes it weird that they share a name with a subculture that’s less known for conquests and war than it is for making alternative fashion choices.
But you’d be surprised by the connections between these goths and the goth aesthetic. Thanks to the O.G. goths’ conquering and pillaging, their people became known as destroyers of the Roman civilization. They symbolized debasement and vulgarity, a counterculture, if you will.
Later, Georgio Visari described a new architectural style characterized by large stained glass windows and ornate facades as “gothic.” The name would later be repurposed to describe a subgenre of Victorian romantic literature that was known for its darker themes. Think of Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
This gloomy Victorian aesthetic later inspired artists like The Cure, Bauhaus, and other late 70s and 80s British bands to present a more melancholic take on the post-punk music genre.
“They call themselves goths, cureheads, or psychobillies,” a reporter wrote of the first wearers of the then-emerging goth aesthetic. This interview from 1989 shows early goths already wearing most of the fundamentals of later goth aesthetic substyles.
Black is a popular color and you see the odd cross accessory here and there. One of the women interviewed describes herself as “gothic.” When pressed about what it means, she says, “It’s just a type of music we like and they way we dress. We’re called goths.”
It’s this strong association between the original goth subculture and goth music that separates goths from the goth aesthetic. As u/DeadDeathRocker over at r/Goth puts it, “It’s a fan or performer of goth music, just like a metalhead is a fan of metal and you definitely wouldn’t say that it’s an ‘opinion’ that metalheads like metal.”

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Today, goth music has become separated from the goth aesthetic. Many people who wear the goth style might not even listen to the associated music in the first place. Here’s a few of the goth aesthetic styles that have developed over the past four decades.
Substyles of the Goth Aesthetic
1. Traditional Goth

Traditional goth, also known as trad goth, was the original goth aesthetic dating back to the late 70s to 80s. Trad goth retains the same rugged vibe seen in the earlier punk subculture. They provided the building blocks of later goth aesthetics.
The style was, and still is, characterized by studded accessories, piercings, cross and pentagram motifs, ripped clothing items, and, since it’s a music-related subculture, band tees. Bonus points for ripped ones.
While the trad goth aesthetic remains iconic and recognizable today, it’s rarer to actually find it being worn in real life. It’s been outstripped by a newer, more palatable, at least to mainstream tastes, type of goth: pastel goth.
2. Pastel Goth

The pastel goth aesthetic gets a lot of flak from the goth community for one key reason: it isn’t really goth, at least, not in the truest sense of the word. Pastel goth is more of a fashion statement than it is part of the gothic subculture as most pastel goths don’t participate in goth events, like concerts, and aren’t active members of any goth band’s fanbase. As you can expect, there’s a bit of gatekeeping around the pastel goth aesthetic among trad goths. Some goths even describe pastel goth as a fad.
Despite this, the style still retains many of the key aspects of the trad goth style. It doesn’t look exactly alike but you’ll still notice black as the dominant color in many pastel goth outfits along with macabre accessories like skeleton hand hair clips and cross patterned stockings.
Melanie Martinez, the singer and song writer known for her two-color hair style, is a popular example of this style. Pastel goth borrows elements from Japanese Harajuku and visual kei street fashion. Since its emergence in the 2010s, pastel goth has gone on to influence newer aesthetics like the e-girl aesthetic.
3. Vampire Goth

What happens when you turn Victorian vampire literature into a fashion style? The vampire goth aesthetic is the bloody answer to that. Vampire goth can be described as a romantic gothic style but with fangs. Vampire goths use many elements associated with Victorian era fashion to evoke an old world charm and sophistication that’s as gloomy as it is ethereal.
The vampire goth aesthetic makes use of roses, deep purples and reds, lace chokers, and even bone corsets. Pale, almost deathly white makeup with bright red lips and heavy eyeliner are popular because they bring to mind the “undead” quality that vampires in fiction have. Some fans of the vampire goth aesthetic might wear dental prosthetics that make them look like they have real fangs.
4. Cyber Goth

Remember that rave party video filmed under a bridge that went viral a decade ago? Those are cyber goths.
The cyber goth aesthetic draws from the traditional goth subculture as well as raver and cyberpunk subcultures. Like the three previous groups, cybergoths are a community centered around a musical subgenre, specifically cyber goth, of course.
That said, cyber goths are more often lumped with the industrial subculture also known as rivetheads. Why? Because apparently gatekeeping is a major issue within the goth subculture to the point that many flavors of goth don’t count unless they’re traditional goths.
Cyber goths mix goth aesthetic with more cyberpunk-ish elements which is why you’ll see cyber goths wearing fluorescent colors and synthetic materials like vinyl, pvc, and rubber in addition to the more commonly accepted metal used in the original goth aesthetic style. Other more “out there” accessories include LED circuit boards which add to the futuristic feel of the style.
5. Victorian Goth

Big hair, big hats, big dresses. That’s one way of summing up the Victorian goth aesthetic. This substyle of gothic fashion is more explicit in drawing inspiration from 19th century fashion plates. If trad goths have music, Victorian goths have Gothic literature.
Goths who love to dress in this style are often fans of Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Lord Byron, and other popular 19th century writers associated with Romanticism. Just change the makeup on many of outfits worn for this goth aesthetic and it wouldn’t look out of place in a production of Dracula. These classy goths love ballgowns, top hats, corsets, and full length gloves.
Many Victorian goths participate in activities associated with Victorian era England ranging from tea parties to writing horror poetry. It’s a very elegant aesthetic that bears similarities to vampire goths but minus the fangs.
The Victorian goth aesthetic isn’t the only goth substyle to be directly inspired by the Victorian era. Halfway across the world, the Japanese street fashion scene developed a substyle that resembles a cuter take on Victorian goth.
6. Gothic Lolita

When Japanese musician Mana first introduced the goth aesthetic to the Japanese fashion scene, it resembled trad goth more than it does now. Given time, however, it mixed with the growing Otome fashion and Natural-kei styles that also existed in the 70s and 80s. As time went on, gothic lolita became a dominant style on the streets of Harajuku during the 90s.
Gothic lolita is similar to the Victorian goth aesthetic in its use of Victorian era inspired elements. Hoopskirts aren’t uncommon in the substyle and capelets, as well as gloves, feature prominently as accessories.
Gothic lolita has a more polished look to it, though. The style values cute as much as it does gothic and ragged, torn fabrics are off the table unlike the traditional goth style.
Another massive difference? Gothic lolita is the only goth aesthetic where dramatic makeup isn’t welcome. Gothic lolitas prefer natural shades of pink, red, and brown that give their faces a softer and more feminine look. Think of it this way: the goal of gothic lolita is to look like a bisque doll.
The style also trades in platform boots for Mary Janes and Tea Party shoes that only have low to mid-height heels. While it’s a massive departure from the trad goth aesthetic, gothic lolita remains one of the most easily recognizable substyles. This goth aesthetic is often seen in anime and other Japanese media.
Gothic lolita’s cuteness might give you the wrong impression that it’s conventional. But in Japanese society, it couldn’t be more subversive. Find out what makes this goth aesthetic style so revolutionary over at Angelcore: The Internet’s New Femme (and Feminist) Aesthetic.
Hi a nice piece .I have always been around the changing Goth culture and find it a shame its largely disappeared especially the Cyber Goths . Shame they were fun . One still can meet up at festivals such as Whitby in the UK or Leipzig and Mera Luna in Germany .The inspired fashions are still popular under different names E girls Emos and others but these are not goth. But on the plus side the original gatekeepers of Goth are no longer there and festivals are more fun and friendly . Goth has lately re emerged as an on line culture
The dated image of Goth culture as Satanic evil people can not be further from the truth as it is one of the most accepting groups accepting all the LGBT ,colours ,nationalities as well as people with disabilities .
Yet this will be reason enough for some people to hate us
Hi Eddy! Thanks for reading, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Always been a fan of the goth subculture, even if it’s not my cup of tea (aside from Goth lolita). It’s a shame that a lot of the “out there” subcultures and styles are disappearing since, like cyber goth, Visual Kei seems to be on a decline in real life.