goth rock

Frequently misunderstood and misapplied as a term, goth rock is an offshoot of post-punk that existed primarily during the early to mid 80s. Its reputation as the darkest and gloomiest form of underground rock is largely deserved, though today that reputation stems more from the visual style of its bands and black-clad followers. Sonically, goth rock took the cold synthesizers and processed guitars of post-punk and used them to construct sorrowful and often epic soundscapes. Early on, its lyrics were usually introspective and intensely personal, but its poetic sensibilities soon led to a taste for literary romanticism, morbidityor things like religious symbolism. Goth rock was generally not a critically acclaimed style, given its penchant for relentlessly mournful dirges, and melodramatic excess. However, it spawned a devoted, still-thriving subculture that kept its aesthetics alive long after the music's initial heyday had passed. The godfathers of goth-rock were British post-punkers Joy Division, whose bleak, remote, obsessively introspective music and lyrics laid the initial foundation for goth. But for all intents and purposes, the true birth of goth rock was "Bela Lugosi's Dead," the 1979 debut single by Bauhaus. Already chilly post-punk outfits like the Cure and Siouxsie & the Banshees became full-on goth bands around the same time, and their heavy, menacing makeup and dark clothes became an important part of their fans' expression. As goth rock's popularity spread among a certain segment of sensitive, alienated youth (first in the U.K., where most of its bands came from, then in the U.S.), its fashion sense grew more and more outlandish, and the original sound evolved somewhat.
The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and the Mission UK incorporated more pop and alternative elements in their music, while the Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and the American band Christian Death took a heavier, sometimes metal-influenced approach. By the end of the '80s, the original goth-rock movement had ceased to exist, but the music mutated into new forms and continued to influence many of rock's darker subgenres. During the '90s, the goth sound began to cross-pollinate with industrial music, producing hybrids that appealed to both sides, as well as the darkwave subgenre The latter half of the '90s also saw goth rock's influence cropping up all over heavy metal; a new breed of progressive black metal bands drew heavily from goth's sound and style, while some alternative metal bands also borrowed from goth rock's visual imagery (including Marilyn Manson, who - despite countless news reports to the contrary - is not a goth-rock artist).

goth rock bands: The Cure, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Fields of Nephilim, H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty) and many others....

by Deathbyspoons August 9, 2004

goth1ck

A feminist who uses the platform “Tiktok” to try to create equality between men and women.

“Do you know goth1ck?” “ Oh yeah I follow her on Tiktok!”

by penusinfection June 6, 2020

wannabe goth

A young person (usually between the ages of 12-17) who thinks they are goth, but they really have no idea what the Gothic Subculture is about. Symptoms of a "wannabe goth" usually include: way too much eyeliner, too much ugly black lipstick, a wardrobe consisting of all black clothes, stupid looking chains and/or spike collars, and a CD collection consisting mostly of Marilyn Manson, Korn, NIN, Orgy, and the like. If you are a parent and you fear that your child is a wannabe goth, have no fear, this is just a passing phase. Once your child's friends decide that it's no longer "cool" to be goth, or when they feel they have adequately pissed you off, they'll get over it.

My friends and I loath the wannabe goths at school who listen to horrible metal music and talk about suicide all day.

by ~*Kassandra*~ December 21, 2004

Bella Goth

is one of the premade Sims shipped with The Sims game, in which she lives with her husband, Mortimer Goth, and her daughter, Cassandra Goth. Between The Sims and The Sims 2, Bella and Mortimer had one more child, Alexander Goth. She also has an elder brother who is named Michael Bachelor

Have you've seen her?

who?

you know, Bella Goth!!!

by LeBron's Headband July 1, 2009

Gothic

1)Art of the middle-ages. Dark art.

2)Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in northern France and spreading through western Europe from the middle of the 12th century to the early 16th century that is characterized by the converging of weights and strains at isolated points upon slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by pointed arches and vaulting

3)Referal to the middle-ages.

4)Literature style mostly using dark, remote settings.

5)A genre of music steming from punk rock and became popular in the mid 1980's. Korn, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and Tool are not gothic bands.

6)The language of the Goths.

Note: people cannot be gothic, gothic is not a state of mind, it is not a life style, it is not clothing.

That 1230 A.D. gothic painting has such dark colours.

That church down town has gothic architecture.

Stephen King writes gothic fiction.

No, damn it, slipknot is not a damn gothic band.

by Jesus January 3, 2004

Mexi-Goth

Mexican American college kids and grads from Los Angeles and Orange County that dress a hybrid of classic goth black with a Mexican twist and slightly mod. Girls especially in this category will have barrettes in their Sad Girl hair even when they are 40. Mexi-Goths listen to both their mothers and Morrissey and almost always can't speak Spanish.

The Mexi-goth listening to an old Smiths song on her iPod stared down at her feet and tried to remain invisible to the advancing group of white jocks walking towards her.

by writerchickmama May 13, 2005

Goth

A great bunch of people once you get to know. They aren't pathetic and stereotypical like the ones criticising them.

- Ohh look there is a Goth
- Yeah, she's fucking ugly!
- Damn Straight
- Hey, let's go cornhole each other!
- Great idea

by Totenkopf October 4, 2005