Space Grunge – You What?

The 80s had Goth, we had Space Grunge. So what is ‘Space Grunge‘ then? Space Grunge is in essence an amalgamation of modern flamboyance and original 90s trends following a space-agey base. Think modern acid house. Popularised in the Tumblr age, Space Grunge was at its peak in the early to mid 2010s. Whilst still having a presence within alternative and club kid communities, as Tumblr died, so did this trend. With its heavy aesthetic-led objective, there are many notable features of this style including; holographic accents, pastel furs, neon colour-stories, tie dye graphics and the running alien theme – hence the name.

The Space Grunge niche holds a lot of similarities to Cyber Grunge, Cyber Punk and late 90s/early y2k retro futurism. It is often closely associated with other social media born sub-genres like Vaporwave, Sea Punk, Pastel Goth and Soft Grunge.

Space Grunge does indeed vary slightly from Cyber Grunge. Whilst Cyber Grunge is specifically holographic and futuristic based, Space Grunge is not. The foundation of Space Grunge is anything relating to the universe, extraterrestrial beings, non-earthly dimensions and UFOs. Grunge is a term that is loosely thrown around in this day n age, however you can note authentic 90s fashion and rave culture influences.

Space Grunge is not for everyone. It’s bold, it’s peculiar, it’s youthful but most importantly – it’s daring. A middle finger up to mainstream culture, its objective is to raise brows. If interested in adopting this style, Dollskill would’ve been the first point of call, however with their endless scandals and consumers boycotting, there are many replacements. Jaded London, UNIF, O-Mighty, Collusion Studios at ASOS, Echo Clubhouse and any Depop festival designers are good places to start. For more affordable options, high-street retailers are always recycling retro trends. If you want to support small independent businesses, there are an abundance of artists trading on marketplaces like Etsy, Storeenvy and Bigcartel. And of course, for all 90s fashion, online and in-store thrifting is the best option.

words by charis crawford corri

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