steampunk
Gears and goggles
Steampunk is a genre of science fiction set in an alternate past—usually Victorian England or the American Wild West—where steam power remained dominant and technology evolved differently.
The aesthetic combines 19th-century industrial machinery with fantastical inventions: brass gears, copper pipes, airships, and clockwork automatons.
Her steampunk costume featured goggles and a corset with mechanical embellishments.
The term extends to fashion, art, and design that adopt this retrofuturistic look.
Copper-zinc metal mixture
- copperReddish-brown metallic element
- gearsToothed rotating machine parts
- clockworkSpring-driven gear system
- cogsProjections on a wheel
rivets · goggles · corsets · tophats · gaslight · sepia · patina · leather
Steerable lighter-than-atmosphere craft
- dirigibleSteerable lighter-than-air craft
- automatonSelf-moving mechanical device
- clockworkSpring-driven gear system
- pistonsForce-transferring engine cylinders
turbine · mechanism · escapement · flywheel · cogs · sprockets · contraption · gadgetry
Genre reimagining past outcomes
- retrofuturismNostalgia for bygone futures
- science fantasyFiction mixing technology and magic
- speculative fictionGenre of imagined realities
- clockpunkGear-based speculative aesthetic
Jules Verne · H.G. Wells · dystopia · utopia · anachronism · adventure · exploration · invention
Distort someone's reality
- corsetsBoned, laced bodice garments
- tophatsTall formal headwear
- crinolineStructural petticoat for volume
- bustleEnergetic noisy activity
parasol · petticoats · tailcoats · cobblestones · carriages · penny dreadfuls · drawing rooms · servants
Steerable lighter-than-atmosphere craft
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- voyageJourney by sea
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- questSeeking journey for something
odyssey · uncharted · discovery · treasure · swashbuckler · inventor · explorer · adventurer
Dressing as media characters
- conventionAgreed standard of behavior
- makerOne who produces
- DIYAmateur home projects
- LARPIn-person character embodiment game
fandom · roleplay · goth · alternative · counter-culture · craftsmanship · community · artisan
brass
Copper-zinc metal mixture
- copperReddish-brown metallic element
- gearsToothed rotating machine parts
- clockworkSpring-driven gear system
cogs · rivets · goggles · corsets · tophats · gaslight · sepia · patina · leather · filigree
airship
Steerable lighter-than-atmosphere craft
- dirigibleSteerable lighter-than-air craft
- automatonSelf-moving mechanical device
- clockworkSpring-driven gear system
pistons · turbine · mechanism · escapement · flywheel · cogs · sprockets · contraption · gadgetry · apparatus
alternate history
Genre reimagining past outcomes
- retrofuturismNostalgia for bygone futures
- science fantasyFiction mixing technology and magic
- speculative fictionGenre of imagined realities
clockpunk · Jules Verne · H.G. Wells · dystopia · utopia · anachronism · adventure · exploration · invention · alchemy
gaslight
Distort someone's reality
- corsetsBoned, laced bodice garments
- tophatsTall formal headwear
- crinolineStructural petticoat for volume
bustle · parasol · petticoats · tailcoats · cobblestones · carriages · penny dreadfuls · drawing rooms · servants · gentlemen
airship
Steerable lighter-than-atmosphere craft
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- voyageJourney by sea
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
quest · odyssey · uncharted · discovery · treasure · swashbuckler · inventor · explorer · adventurer · dirigible
cosplay
Dressing as media characters
- conventionAgreed standard of behavior
- makerOne who produces
- DIYAmateur home projects
LARP · fandom · roleplay · goth · alternative · counter-culture · craftsmanship · community · artisan · costume
- hybrid genresjazz fusion, rock opera, blues rock, folk rock, country rock
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- art stylesimpressionism, surrealism, cubism, realism, pop art
- film genreshorror, comedy, drama, action, romance
- Sci-Fi/Fantasywand, spell, potion, rune, incantation
steampunkcyberpunk
Dystopian tech-noir fiction
solarpunk · nanopunk · biopunk · hard science fiction · transhumanism
steampunkgrimdark
Cynical fantasy subgenre
post-apocalyptic · dystopian fiction · primitivism · techno-thriller
steampunkclean lines
Unadorned, distinct boundaries
wireless · smooth surfaces · synthetic materials · LED lighting
- steampunk aestheticVictorian-era industrial fantasy style
- steampunk artVictorian-industrial aesthetic imagery