Goth Music Genres Explained: Darkwave, Deathrock & More

Ask three goths what "goth music" is and you'll get three playlists. That's because goth music genres are a big, tangled family tree, from scratchy 1980 post-punk singles to pounding club EBM and fog-machine darkwave. It's a lot, but it's also a lot of fun to explore.

Here's a friendly map of the main branches, with what each one sounds like and the bands to start with.

Post-punk: where it all began

When punk exploded in the late 1970s, a wave of bands kept its energy but got more experimental, moody and arty. That's post-punk, and it's the root of everything goth.

Sound: prominent basslines, angular guitars, cold or chilly production, often minimal.
Start with: Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Killing Joke, early The Cure, Magazine, Wire.

Post-punk is still huge, with a constant stream of new bands. Our guide to post-punk bands goes much deeper.

Gothic rock: the classic sound

Gothic rock is post-punk turned darker and more dramatic. It's what most people picture when they think "goth band."

Sound: chorus-and-reverb-soaked guitars, booming basslines, deep and theatrical vocals, often a drum machine.
Mood: romantic, mysterious, sometimes epic.
Start with: Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, The March Violets, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.

In the UK in the early 1980s, London's Batcave club was the center of the scene, and the music press briefly called the movement "positive punk" before "goth" stuck. Our list of the best goth bands covers the whole history.

Deathrock: goth's punk cousin

Deathrock took shape in Los Angeles around 1980. It's rawer and punkier than British goth rock, with a big love for horror movies and B-movie camp.

Sound: punk energy, tribal drums, spidery guitars, wailing or snarling vocals.
Look: big teased hair, ripped fishnets, skulls, lots of black and white makeup.
Start with: Christian Death, 45 Grave, Super Heroines, Kommunity FK.

Deathrock has a lively modern scene too, with DIY bands and club nights that keep the spooky-punk spirit going.

Darkwave: synths in the shadows

Darkwave is the electronic side of goth. It grew out of new wave and synthpop in the 1980s, especially in Europe, where "Dark Wave" became a catch-all name for the whole dark music scene in Germany.

Sound: synths and drum machines up front, deep vocals, cold melodies, danceable beats.
Start with (classic): Clan of Xymox, Xmal Deutschland, Kirlian Camera.
Start with (modern): Lebanon Hanover, She Past Away, Boy Harsher, Drab Majesty, Molchat Doma.

Today, darkwave is one of the most popular goth styles, especially with younger fans who found it online. See our list of darkwave artists for many more.

Coldwave: the French connection

Coldwave (from "cold wave") came out of France and Belgium in the late 1970s and 1980s. It's a minimal, chilly, often synth-driven sibling of post-punk.

Sound: sparse, cold, melancholy but cool, sometimes with French vocals.
Start with: Marquis de Sade, Trisomie 21, Asylum Party.

Coldwave and minimal synth had a big revival in the 2000s and 2010s, when labels began reissuing rare tapes and a new generation of bands picked up the sound.

Ethereal wave: goth goes dreamy

Ethereal wave (or "ethereal goth") is the softest, most atmospheric branch. Think echoing vocals, shimmering guitars and the feeling of floating through a misty cathedral.

Sound: layered vocals, reverb everywhere, slow and beautiful.
Start with: Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downwards.

The British label 4AD was home to many of these artists. If you love this side of things, you'll probably love shoegaze too.

Neue Deutsche Todeskunst

This mouthful means "New German Death Art," a German-language goth style from the late 1980s and 1990s. It's theatrical, poetic and often classical in feel.

Sound: dramatic German vocals, piano, strings, electronics.
Start with: Das Ich, Goethes Erben, early Lacrimosa.

EBM, industrial and aggrotech: the dance floor

Go to almost any goth club and you'll hear a block of hard electronic music. That side of the scene includes:

Industrial: the experimental, noisy root of it all, starting with Throbbing Gristle in the 1970s, later Skinny Puppy and Ministry. Our industrial music guide covers this.
EBM (electronic body music): tight, pounding, made for stomping. Start with Front 242, DAF, Nitzer Ebb and Front Line Assembly.
Aggrotech: harsher and more distorted, with growled vocals. Start with Hocico, Suicide Commando and Combichrist.
Futurepop: catchy, trance-tinged and anthemic. Start with VNV Nation, Covenant and Apoptygma Berzerk.

Gothic metal: goth meets guitars

In the early 1990s, metal bands started borrowing goth's romance and gloom. The result is gothic metal.

Sound: heavy guitars, slow tempos, keyboards, often male-and-female vocals.
Start with: Paradise Lost (Gothic, 1991), Type O Negative, Tiamat, Theatre of Tragedy, Lacuna Coil, Moonspell.

Finland's HIM took it in a poppier "love metal" direction, which brought plenty of new fans into the goth world.

Witch house: the strange newcomer

Around 2009 and 2010, a wave of artists online started mixing slowed-down hip-hop beats, dark synths and spooky samples. People called it witch house, a name that started half as a joke.

Sound: slow, heavy, hazy, eerie, with chopped and distorted vocals.
Start with: Salem, oOoOO and Balam Acab.

Our full guide to witch house music explains why this odd genre keeps finding new fans.

Goth-adjacent favorites

Some music isn't strictly goth, but you'll hear it at every goth night:

Synthpop: Depeche Mode is practically goth royalty.
Shoegaze and dream pop: hazy and loud, loved by ethereal fans.
Post-punk revival: newer bands bringing back that wiry, dark sound.
Dark folk and dark cabaret: theatrical, acoustic and spooky.

How to explore without getting lost

Pick one genre a week and listen to three bands from it.
Follow goth DJs and club night playlists. They're great at mixing old and new.
Ask other goths. Everyone has a niche they'll happily explain for hours.

On Alt Chat, music is a big part of every profile. People set a profile song called an Anthem, so you can discover new darkwave, deathrock or EBM just by browsing. It's a fun way to find someone who loves the same obscure coldwave band as you.

FAQ

What genre is goth music?

Goth music started as a branch of post-punk in the late 1970s and early 1980s, usually called gothic rock. Since then it has grown into a whole family of genres, including deathrock, darkwave, coldwave, ethereal wave, EBM and gothic metal.

What's the difference between darkwave and post-punk?

Post-punk is mostly guitar, bass and drums, with a raw band sound. Darkwave leans on synths and drum machines and sounds colder and more electronic, though many bands mix the two.

What is deathrock?

Deathrock is a punk-rooted, horror-loving style of goth that took shape in Los Angeles around 1980, with bands like Christian Death and 45 Grave. It's rawer and punkier than British gothic rock, with a spooky, campy streak.

Is industrial music goth?

Industrial is its own genre, but it has been woven into goth clubs since the 1980s. EBM, aggrotech and industrial rock are played at most goth nights, so the scenes overlap a lot.