There are many subcultures prevailing in the world. A subculture is in which people belonging to one culture change their ways from ordinary to different ones and make another different culture.
Usually, subcultures are not accepted with an open heart in the society but being most healthy and diverse, Goth culture is flourishing in many parts of the world and among societies.
Table of Contents
What is Goth?
Goth is a subculture and people following it likes darker, spooky, and ghoulish looks. They, usually, tend to cover themselves with sad and dark hues of grey, black, and dusky purple etc.
But as it has diversity in them so Goths cannot be related to one color or same colors only. For ease, Goth subcultures always dress themselves and use makeup that appear more like sadness and death.
To understand this, here is what Andrew Fereday says on what is Goth?
“The specific manner by which the Goth subculture dresses itself and utilization makeup of death is an actual portrayal of the conviction that modern world has drained the life out of mankind. By showing up in this manner, Goth subculture followers try to make an overall representation as a reminder that they are at fault for making these them like walking deads.”
Now to the diverse types of Goth:
How Many Types of Goth Are There?
When taking about main branches, we find two varieties of Goth subculture. One relates to music while other relates to clothing, dressing, and makeup. Though both terms are interrelated in some ways.
Therefore, in accordance with more diversity in types, we find following 14 types of Goth:
Names, Explanation, and Pictures of Different Types of Goth:
Here we shall explain all the major types of Goths in order to help people, who wish to adopt them or who just want to clear their minds about the myths and stereotypes of Gothic culture.
We will talk about Victorian Goth, Fetish Goth, Cyber Goth, Industrial Goth, trad goth, romantic goth, death rocker, emo goth, etc. along with attire and style with information from a Goth culture specialist.
1. Trad or Traditional Goth:
In 80s when Gothic subculture started prevailing the first introduced type, now known as trad Goth. Trad is the short form of word traditional.
This Goth type was developed by getting highly influenced by 70s and 80s rock and punk style and you will clear traces for this in the trad Goth attires, jewelry, makeup, and hairstyles.
Common Features of trad Goths:
- Too pale skin
- Big Dark hair (usually black)
- Black Fishnets (usually ripped)
- Belts like grommet belt were used by trad Goths
- Leather boots
- Double helix piercing
- Smoky eye makeup
- Types of chains and bracelets in arms
- Metal necklaces
2. Victorian Goth:
As it is said Goth subculture is diverse and it is inspired from different cultures of the world so the second type, we are discussing here is Victorian Goth inspired from the Victorian era.
Victorian Goths are so elegant and royal in appearance and anyone adopting this subculture try to mimic wealthy and elite aristocrats of Victoria.
These Goths are so much deeply intrigued with the art and literature and often held parties with strong interest in poetry, literature, pastimes, and more.
Common Traits of Victorian Goths:
- They love wearing long ballgowns to create a wealthy look
- Corset belts around waste
- Hats to add mysteriousness in their Gothic looks
- They are influenced with elegant jewelry like choker necklaces,
Besides Victorian Goth has similar feature to traditional Goth such as pale sin, smoky eyes with soft lips makeup, and long hair.
3. Emo Goth:
Some people think emo a different subculture to Goths.
However, the most common thing between both cultures is the strong sense of emotions as emo name is taken from the word emotion or emotive.
Emo Goths were introduced in the late 90s and early 20s era and you can find plenty of teens with dresses, hair, makeup, and jewelry like emo Goths.
They love poetry, music, and literature.
Common Characteristics of emo Goths:
- Long hair with bangs covering their half or most part of face
- Hair painted in plenty of bright colors
- Skinny tight jeans
- Music t shirts
- Stud belts and bracelet
- Piercing in nose, brows, lips, ears
Along with this yellow skin is the common trait like all other Gothic types.
4. Deathrocker Goth:
Deathrock Gothic once again is a middle line between trad Goths and punk and their overall attire is influenced by not only ghoulish literature, undead comic characters, and punk rock music.
Deathrockers love to wear dark clothing and DIY it with deadly tattoos like of angel of death and other horror creatures.
Common Features of deathrock Goth:
Some common features are:
- Horror themed shirts
- Torn fishnets hosiery
- Darkest colored creepy eye makeup
- Combat doc marten boots
- Leggings, or skin fit jeans accompanied by a skirt sometimes
- Spiky teased mohawks hairstyles
They also have pale skin tone and to give it a creeper or horror resemblance, deathrock Goths spread white powder on their faces.
5. Romantic Goth:
Romantic Goth and Victorian Goths are sometimes regarded as same as both have royal looks and wealthy long ballgowns.
But they also like to wear flowy crowns made of types of materials like velvet or net etc.
Moreover, their dresses instead of being entirely black they also have touches of other hues like red, orange, green, or purple highlights.
Even males cab be romantic Goths too and they wear velvet coats in maroon or red or blue with big collars and roughly done hairstyles.
Rest of the features of a romantic Goth resemble Victorian Goth.
6. Hippie Goth:
Hippy Goths are a combo between hippie fashion and Gothic subculture. Hippie Goths are mainly identified by their ecofriendly and animal friendly nature.
They often adopt vegan lifestyle and due to their love with animals.
Common Traits of Hippie Goth:
- they follow hippie fashion clothing with splashes of dark
- their wear dark makeup
- bandanas in black color
- big rings
Besides this, they also have pale skin and hair painted in color similar to black like dark maroon.
As we have reached the middle of the article, here’s a quick suggestion: adopt these Halloween styles and startle your loved ones with these horrifying appearances.
Not only this, but you can also get decorative items like DIYed ghostly wreaths or hanging ghosts as a present for them too.
7. Vampire Goths:
As there are many myths available that vampires do exist in the bodies of bats or humans. So, a small portion of Goths actually believes that they are vampires.
For this, they try to mimic their entire getup with vampires, especially the teeth. Yes, they like to sharpen their real teeth and make them appear like a vampire.
Common Characteristics of Vampire Goth:
- They wear dark eye makeup
- Curly rough dark spooky hairstyle
- Ghoulish teeth
- Long nails with pointy shape
- And mysterious metal jewelry
Their color often remains white to yellowish pale yet they also do make up of bloodstains on their dresses or face, specially during vampire Gothic parties.
8. Bubble or Pastel Goth:
Where all other types of Goth are darker, mysterious, and spooky the pastel or bubble Goth is though spooky and mysterious but with a white or soft touch.
A singer introduced this style where she wanted to make a bridge between spooky and beautiful. Bubble Goths take light and dark and put them in a same cover.
Common Features Of Pastel Goth:
Common features of pastel Goth are:
- They like to play with Pastel pink, blue, white, and silver colors
- They give beautiful touch to the dark aesthetics
- They often appear wearing gasmasks
- They prefer to wear short skirts with top
- Even their hair is in white silver or soft pink hue
They are softer looking fairy like Goth with skin more in the tone of pink than yellow.
9. Gothic Lolita:
A Japanese musician introduced this Gothic style. These types of Goth do not wear only black clothes but also experiment with types of colors.
They wear Lolita shoes and hence known as Gothic lolitas.
10. Casual or Soft Goth:
Casual Goths or soft Gothic people do not turn themselves entirely into a trad or romantic Goth by wearing fashionable dresses.
They prefer wearing black color more than other colors but do not follow any special Gothic subculture attire. Their casual clothing like even a jeans and top can be in black.
Besides the like wearing mysterious jewelry pieces in their hands, arms, nose, ears, and around their necks.
Along with this, they wear dark lipsticks but avoid heavy eye makeup.
Common Traits Of Casual Goth:
- Casual black clothing
- No heavy makeup but use black lipsticks
- Long straighten hair
- Mysterious jewelry pieces
Also, see fashion items to elevate your casual look
It is said, we all have a causal Goth in ourselves.
11. CyberGoth:
CyberGoths are modern version of Goths and their most prominent feature is instead of black they prefer to add neon colors to their overall persona and attire.
As they are modern and futuristic so you can call them an entirely opposite type of trad Goths. They like electronic music and technology.
Common Traits of Cyber Goths:
- Neon colored hair
- Gasmasks
- Rave goggles
- they have high energy
- they love to have and conduct dance parties
- they like electronic music and musical instrument
CyberGoths are modern than other Gothic styles however you don’t find so many people following cyberGothic fashion.
12. Nu Goths:
Nu Goths are also modern in their ideologies and fashion however they are not cyberGoths.
Nu Goths love to listen to Gothic music and have more interest in learning humans through occult psychology and philosophy.
Common features of nu Goth:
- Cross necklaces
- Round sunglasses
- Crop tops
- High waist shorts
- Leggings
- Black lipstick
- Stars
These Goths also prefer yellowish skin.
13. Tribal Goth:
Goths when they take interest in belly dancing a completely new type of Goth came into being that we call tribal Goth.
Tribal Goths follow nearly similar attire to hippy Goths and they love to enjoy different varieties of music.
They are also called belly dancer Goths.
14. Mopey Goth:
Mopey Goth are so stereotypical in their characteristics and traits. They feel themselves as a misfit in the society as they think nobody can understand them.
They strictly wear only black color and rarely go with wearing any other color of dress.
They hate racism, sexism, or bigotry yet love supernatural phenomenon, the mysteries, romanticism, culture, and mythology.
Bottom Line:
These are 14 out of 36 types of Goths. We will cover rest of the types as well from time to time, till then if you have any other suggestions, let us know in the comments below.