vaporwave
/ˈveɪ.pər.weɪv/
CommonA retro-futurist aesthetic and music genre built around nostalgia for the 1980s-90s, consumer culture critique, and slowed, chopped R&B and smooth jazz.
Started as a music genre with a specific political undercurrent (critique of consumer capitalism), then became primarily aesthetic. The original intent is often lost in mainstream use.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | this mall in the 90s had full vaporwave energy before vaporwave was a thing. | The visual environment retroactively matches the aesthetic perfectly. | reddit, 2023 |
| 02 | put on a vaporwave playlist at work and my coworker thought i was having a breakdown. no i am fine this is just the genre. | The slow, chopped music sounds strange to someone unfamiliar with the genre. | x, 2022 |
| 03 | macintosh plus - floral shoppe changed what music could mean to me at 16 and i will die on this hill. | One of the defining vaporwave albums had a significant personal impact. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | my apartment lighting setup is very much vaporwave. pink neon, no overhead lights, plant in the corner. | The room's aesthetics match the visual palette of the genre. | instagram, 2022 |
Use it when
- Describing the specific pink-purple-sunset-bust visual aesthetic.
- Referring to the music genre of slowed, chopped 80s-90s samples.
- Something has that retro-futurist, dreamy, consumer-nostalgia quality.
Do not use it when
- You just mean something is retro or 80s-influenced.
- You mean synthwave, which is different.Use “synthwave” instead.
Variations and related forms
Vaporwave vs synthwave
vaporwave
Vaporwave samples and slows existing music, has a dreamlike quality, and is tied to consumerism critique.
synthwave
Synthwave uses synthesizers to create original 80s-influenced music with a more energetic, cinematic feel.
Origin and context
Emerged as a music genre in 2010-2011 on SoundCloud and YouTube, pioneered by artists like James Ferraro, Chuck Person, and Macintosh Plus. The visual aesthetic developed alongside the music through Tumblr.
- First seen
- 2011
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/vaporwave