Originally Posted by Dragon Queen
Goth is a modern subculture that first became popular during the early 1980s within the gothic rock scene, a sub-genre of post punk. It is associated with characteristically "gothic" tastes in music and clothing. Styles of dress range from gothic horror, punk, Victorian, fetish, cybergoth, androgyny, some renaissance style clothes, a combination of the above, and/or lots of black.
By the late 1970s, there were a small number of post punk bands in Britain labeled "gothic." However, it was not until the early 1980s that gothic rock became its own subgenre within post-punk and that followers of these bands started to come together as a distinctly recognisable group or movement. The opening of the Batcave in London's Soho in July 1982 might be seen as marking the emergence of this scene (which had briefly been labeled positive punk by the New Musical Express). As one of the most famous meeting points for early goths, it lent its name to the term "Batcaver," used to describe old-school goths.
Independent of the British scene, the late 1970s and early 1980s saw death rock branch off from American punk. With similar themes and dress, goths and death rockers were sufficiently compatible to more or less merge.
After the demise of post punk, goth continued to evolve, both musically and visually. This caused variations in style ("types" of goth). Local scenes also contribute to this variation. By the 1990s, Victorian fashion saw a renewed popularity in the goth scene, with the mid-19th century gothic revival and the morbid outlook of the Victorians (partly owing to the state of national mourning which developed in response to Prince Albert's death, and partly to the Victorians' general obsession with Christian funeral practices). The 2003 Victoria and Albert Museum Gothic exhibition in London furthered a tenuous connection between modern goth and the medieval gothic period.
Some contemporary media popular among goths include Anne Rice's novels (The Vampire Chronicles), and notable movies such as The Crow and the movies of Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, etc.), as well as role-playing games like Ravenloft and Vampire The Masquerade. Cyberpunk, rave culture and anime have also influenced the goth scene, giving rise to cybergoth.
Over time, gothic culture has developed its own goth slang, with regional variations.
Since the late 1970s, the number of gothic or death rock bands were limited in number, and included bands such as The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Birthday Party, The Damned, and Joy Division. Many people credit Bauhaus' first single "Bela Lugosi's Dead", about the Hungarian actor who was famous for Dracula, with the start of the Gothic movement. By the mid-eighties, these bands began proliferating, including Sisters of Mercy, The Mission UK, Fields of the Nephilim, and This Mortal Coil. The nineties saw the further growth of eighties bands and emergence of many new bands, most of the North American examples being released by the Cleopatra label, such as Mephisto Waltz, Switchblade Symphony, London After Midnight, Christian Death, and Alien Sex Fiend. In the US, the subculture grew especially in New York and Los Angeles, with many nightclubs featuring gothic/industrial nights.
Since the mid-1990s, styles of music that can be heard in goth venues range from gothic music, industrial, EBM, synthpop, punk, metal, techno, 1980s dance music, and several others, although this does not represent a variety of music that is considered gothic mainstream, but rather a convention among DJ and nightclub owners to condense the number of nights devoted to any particular music venue.
Today, the scene is most active in Western Europe, especially Germany, with large festivals such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Zillo, M'era Luna and others drawing tens of thousands of fans from all over the world.
Bands such as Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, and Cradle of Filth are often considered to be gothic, though many goths refute the categorisation. The popularity of bands such as 4AD, music label artists This Mortal Coil, and Dead Can Dance resulted in the creation of a label called Projekt that produces what is colloquially termed Ethereal Goth or Darkwave. Bands which fall under the Darkwave category include Lycia, Project Pitchfork, Love Spirals Downwards, and Black Tape for a Blue Girl.
In recent years, the word "goth" has often been used to describe a wider group of social people, sometimes people who should not be described as such. These might include people with a tendency to wear black clothes or wear goth-style make up. Often, those labelled as goths lack many of the characteristics historically associated with the subculture, and are more correctly called mallgoths in the US, gogans in Australia, spooky kids in the UK, and moshers or emos in Ireland, where a surprisingly large population of gothically inspired youths reside. Emos exist in other places as well as Ireland, and are a very different group of people. Many times, scene kids are mistaken for goths due to their tendency to have dyed black hair and wear black clothing. Many goths dislike being incorrectly lumped into the same category as some of these people. If it seems to an older goth that a particular youth exhibits potential for growth into a "true" goth later on, the more positive term "baby bat" is often used. Melbourne playwright Sai Ho is particularly vicious in his hatred of what he terms baby goths.
The word "goth" or "gothic" is increasingly used as insult amongst certain social groups. This is mostly due to the general differences between gothic teenagers and their peers. This can also be used to insult one's sexual preference, as there is an untrue stereotype that most gothic teens are homosexual (all sexual preferences are present among goths). Gothic teenagers who have alcohol or drug addictions may also be treated with hostility, specifically because their appearance makes them stand out more among other teens with the same vices. The anti-religious image that gothic people are associated with (regardless of if it is true) can also create resentment among those with traditional religious beliefs, though there are many practicing Christian goths.
Beginning in the media, the label "goth" has been used to imply an unhealthy obsession with death, an association with Satanism, and other things which are often considered morbid. Another misconception is that the goth subculture as a whole represents a unified cult-like religion. Goths counter that these negative depictions of their subculture are generally untrue, and relate the accusations to those pointed at the punk scene and fans of metal. Many goths believe in open-mindedness and diversity, and aspire to "free" themselves from the limitations of traditional belief systems. There are goths who follow religions such as Satanism or Wicca (which are unrelated), and there are goths who would class themselves as Protestant, Catholic or as belonging to other such religions. Stereotypes cannot be broadly applied to goths with regard to religion.
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