retrowave
Neon-soaked synth music
Retrowave is electronic music that evokes 1980s synthesizer sounds and aesthetics—driving beats, analog synth textures, and atmospheric melodies reminiscent of vintage action movies and video games.
The term overlaps with synthwave, though retrowave sometimes emphasizes nostalgic visual culture alongside the music: neon grids, sunset gradients, sports cars, VHS artifacts.
The retrowave soundtrack perfectly captured that Blade Runner vibe.
Ironic eighties nostalgia genre
- cyberpunkDystopian tech-noir fiction
- synthpopElectronic keyboard-based music genre
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
- sci-fiFuturistic fiction, abbreviated
dystopia · futurism · online community · Bandcamp · SoundCloud · YouTube · playlist · compilation
Eighties-inspired electronic genre
- synthElectronic tone generator
- synthesizerElectronic sound-generating instrument
- MoogAnalog synthesizer brand
- arpeggioSuccessive chord tones
drum machine · reverb · electronic · sequencer · bassline · vocoder · analog · chillwave
Inert illuminating element
- gridFramework of intersecting lines
- sunsetDay yielding to darkness
- palm treesTropical plants with fronds
- chromeReflective metal coating
purple · pink · cyan · magenta · gradient · wireframe · VHS · scanlines
Fourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- ReaganAmerican presidential surname
- MTVYouth-oriented video network
- arcadeArched passageway or gaming hall
VCR · cassette · Walkman · boombox · CRT · analog · yuppie · mall
Images built from visible squares
- vectorQuantity with direction
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- halftoneDot-based image reproduction
- posterizedVictim of spectacular slam
airbrush · Trapper Keeper · album cover · movie poster · typography · Helvetica · silhouette · mountain range
vaporwave
Ironic eighties nostalgia genre
- cyberpunkDystopian tech-noir fiction
- synthpopElectronic keyboard-based music genre
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
sci-fi · dystopia · futurism · online community · Bandcamp · SoundCloud · YouTube · playlist · compilation · lo-fi
synthwave
Eighties-inspired electronic genre
- synthElectronic tone generator
- synthesizerElectronic sound-generating instrument
- MoogAnalog synthesizer brand
arpeggio · drum machine · reverb · electronic · sequencer · bassline · vocoder · analog · chillwave · outrun
neon
Inert illuminating element
- gridFramework of intersecting lines
- sunsetDay yielding to darkness
- palm treesTropical plants with fronds
chrome · purple · pink · cyan · magenta · gradient · wireframe · VHS · scanlines · glitch
1980s
Fourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
arcade · VCR · cassette · Walkman · boombox · CRT · analog · yuppie · mall · roller rink
pixel art
Images built from visible squares
- vectorQuantity with direction
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- halftoneDot-based image reproduction
posterized · airbrush · Trapper Keeper · album cover · movie poster · typography · Helvetica · silhouette · mountain range · starfield
- microgenresmicrogenre, subgenre, chillwave, vaporwave, synthwave
- aestheticsaesthetics, aesthetic, beauty, beautiful, ugly
- visual stylespixel art, low poly, flat design, minimalist, photorealism
retrowavefuturism
Study of tomorrow's possibilities
forward-looking · hyperpop · cutting-edge · avant-garde · vaporwave
retrowavenoise music
Cacophony as composition
musique concrète · glitch · acoustic · organic · unplugged