Gen Z is embracing the doom and gloom
THEY ARE famously gloomy, but goths have had plenty to smile about of late. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, a sequel to a hit fantasy-horror film of 1988, arrived in cinemas in September. The macabre visions of its director, Tim Burton, are the subject of a travelling exhibition which just opened at the Design Museum in London. And on November 1st The Cure releases a new album, “Songs of a Lost World”, its first record in 16 years. (The band’s melancholic songs are unlikely to cure a bad mood.)
Goth culture—typified by a doomy romanticism, a fascination with the ghoulish and a strong sense of outsider status—is having a moment. Models have moped down catwalks in black veils, crucifixes and lace gloves. Fashion influencers have been spotted wearing “Matrix”-style leather trench coats. (Earlier this year Warner Bros confirmed that work on a fifth film in the franchise is under way.)
Goth fashion brands, such as Killstar, BlackCraft Cult and Dolls Kill, are in the black. In America the goth fashion industry was valued at $1.4bn in 2022; it is expected to be worth $2.3bn by 2032. For those seeking a particular shade of inky lipstick, there are even goth makeup companies with such ominous names as Curst and Necromancy.
Billie Eilish, a singer, and Jenna Ortega, an actor, have emerged as the poster girls for goth in the 21st century. (Ms Ortega stars in a lot of Mr Burton’s work, including “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Wednesday”, the biggest English-language show on Netflix.) Born in 2001 and 2002 respectively, they represent the key to goth’s resilience: its continuing appeal to the young.
Many subcultures age with their adherents, but goth consistently draws new blood. On TikTok, where 36% of users are under 25, there are 4.6m videos tagged as #goth—twice as many as its nearest contemporary, #punk, and nearly three times more than #grunge.
Many of these videos are tributes to goth fashion, but TikTokers are also celebrating long-standing goth music acts. Users compile #gothmusicrecommendations, suggesting the likes of Bauhaus (formed in 1978), The Sisters of Mercy (1980) and Fields of the Nephilim (1984). On a visit to Slimelight in London, a club night which has been running since 1987, you are likely to meet people who attended the opening party as well as Gen Z goths who have only just passed the age of admission.
John Robb, the author of “The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth”, attributes goth’s appeal in part to its adaptability. He notes that goth has a way of infiltrating other subcultures and spreading gloom. Goth music initially grew out of punk rock, but has since found a home in dance, electronica, folk, metal and rap.
Particularly important is goth’s delight in the morbid. As Mr Robb puts it: “Everyone likes a walk on the dark side.” When the geopolitical mood is ominous—as it was at goth’s creation, almost 50 years ago, and is today—goth culture embraces fear and oblivion rather than ignores it. As The Cure once sang, “It doesn’t matter if we all die...We die one after the other/Over and over.”
Goth, however, endures. Is it any surprise that a subculture fascinated with the undead has proved so difficult to kill off?
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Back to black” (Oct 31st 2024)
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