subgenre
Category within category
A subgenre is a category within a larger genre, distinguished by specific characteristics or conventions.
Horror has subgenres like slasher films and psychological horror.
Romance novels divide into historical romance, paranormal romance, and dozens more.
The term appears most often in discussions of music, film, and literature: Is shoegaze a subgenre of alternative rock or its own thing?
Extreme fear or disgust
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
- romanceLove and its excitement
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
comedy · drama · satire · tragedy · gothic · erotica · noir · cyberpunk
Coming into existence
- offshootDerivative outgrowth
- spinoffDerived work from original
- branchingSplitting into separate directions
- splinteringBreaking into sharp fragments
derivation · outgrowth · subdivision · fragmentation · diversification · proliferation · codification · crystallization
Below ground or countercultural
- indieProduced outside majors
- obscureUnknown to most
- microgenreHighly specific style category
- specializedAdapted for particular function
esoteric · boutique · narrowcast · subculture · fandom · devoted · overlooked · underrated
Joining into unity
- blendCombine into mixture
- crossoverGenre-blending work or transition
- mashupCombined creative fusion
- mixCombine different elements
composite · synthesis · hybridization · cross-pollination · splice · amalgam · intermingling · meld
horror
Extreme fear or disgust
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
- romanceLove and its excitement
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
mystery · comedy · drama · satire · tragedy · gothic · erotica · noir · cyberpunk · steampunk
emergence
Coming into existence
- offshootDerivative outgrowth
- spinoffDerived work from original
- branchingSplitting into separate directions
splintering · derivation · outgrowth · subdivision · fragmentation · diversification · proliferation · codification · crystallization · maturation
underground
Below ground or countercultural
- indieProduced outside majors
- obscureUnknown to most
- microgenreHighly specific style category
specialized · esoteric · boutique · narrowcast · subculture · fandom · devoted · overlooked · underrated · sleeper
fusion
Joining into unity
mix · composite · synthesis · hybridization · cross-pollination · splice · amalgam · intermingling · meld · combination
- classificationsclassified, hierarchical, class, unclassified, categorical
- genre modifiersneo, post, alt, proto, nu
- microgenresmicrogenre, chillwave, vaporwave, synthwave, shoegaze
- fictionfiction, novel, novels, novella, novellas
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- offshootsoffshoot, outgrowth, branch, spinoff, shoot