pop-culture
Mainstream media trends
Pop culture—short for popular culture—refers to entertainment, ideas, and trends that dominate mainstream society at a given moment: music, movies, television, fashion, memes, celebrities.
The term often implies contrast with high culture or niche interests.
Pop-culture references fill casual conversation, comedy, and advertising.
Something described as very pop-culture is steeped in current mainstream tastes.
Widely recognized public figure
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
- blockbusterEnormously successful entertainment property
- viralSpreading quickly online
- trendingCurrently gaining widespread attention
mainstream · Hollywood · influencer · meme · streaming · binge-watch · franchise · fangirl
Lacking intellectual depth
- mass mediaLarge-scale communication channels
- consumerismPreoccupation with acquiring goods
- commercializationProfit-driven market introduction
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
escapism · spectacle · kitsch · camp · trash · guilty pleasure · middlebrow · mainstream
Longing for the past
- retroEvoking recent past
- throwbackReturn to ancestral type
- callbackFollow-up audition invitation
- parodySatirical imitation
homage · allusion · quote · catchphrase · inside joke · Easter egg · trivia · reboot
celebrity
Widely recognized public figure
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
- blockbusterEnormously successful entertainment property
- viralSpreading quickly online
trending · mainstream · Hollywood · influencer · meme · streaming · binge-watch · franchise · fangirl · stan
lowbrow
Lacking intellectual depth
- mass mediaLarge-scale communication channels
- consumerismPreoccupation with acquiring goods
- commercializationProfit-driven market introduction
commodification · escapism · spectacle · kitsch · camp · trash · guilty pleasure · middlebrow · mainstream · sellout
nostalgia
Longing for the past
parody · homage · allusion · quote · catchphrase · inside joke · Easter egg · trivia · reboot · remake
zeitgeist
Era's dominant mentality
phenomenon · movement · wave · moment · buzz · hype cycle · flash mob · challenge · hashtag · ship
chart-topper
Song at position one
MTV · Billboard · bubblegum · catchy · radio hit · one-hit wonder · playlist · remix · cover · mashup
pop-culturehigh culture
Society's esteemed artistic traditions
elite culture · fine art · classical music · literary fiction · avant-garde
pop-culturetraditional culture
Established customs of a people
folk culture · heritage · classical tradition · ancient culture · folklore
pop-culturelocal culture
Customs of a place
regional culture · subculture · indigenous culture · counterculture · underground culture
pop, culture, popular, popularity, popularly, unpopular, cultural, culturally, cultured