| Hyperpop | |
|---|---|
 100 gecs live at Rock am Ring 2022. The duo has been credited with popularizing hyperpop in the early 2020s. | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 2010s, United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Regional scenes | |
| São Paulo, Brazil (Hyper mandelão) | |
| Other topics | |
Hyperpop is anelectronic music movement and loosely definedmicrogenre that originated in the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated, ironic, ormaximalist take on 21st centurypopular music tropes. The genre is often associated withLGBTQ+ artists andqueer culture, and typically integratespop andavant-garde sensibilities while drawing on elements commonly found inelectronic,rock,hip hop, anddance music. The origins of hyperpop are primarily traced back to the output of English musicianA. G. Cook's record label and art collectivePC Music, with associated artistsSophie,GFOTY,Hannah Diamond andCharli XCX, helping to pioneer a musical style that was later known as "bubblegum bass".[2]
In 2019, the genre experienced a rise in popularity with the virality of the song "Money Machine" by100 gecs,[3] and was further proliferated bySpotify, whose employee Lizzy Szabo launched the influential "Hyperpop" playlist, after spotting the term "hyperpop" on the platform's metadata, which had previously been added by data analystGlenn McDonald in 2018. Following this, the style gained wider popularity amongGen Z throughsocial media platforms likeTikTok, particularly onAlt TikTok,[4][5] which boosted its exposure during theCOVID-19 lockdowns. At the time, several contemporaneous styles such asdigicore,glitchcore,robloxcore,dariacore and subgenres likehyperplugg andhyperfunk were also associated with the movement by the press.
After hyperpop entered the mainstream in the early 2020s, the label was rejected by artists originally associated with the scene, which led to an overall decline in emerging musicians.[6][7] Hyperpop's influence was endured in the development of online microgenres such assigilkore,jerk,rage,hexd, andkrushclub,[8] alongside the rise ofindie sleaze and therecession pop revival.[9][10] In 2025,Google displayed aGoogle Doodle forPride Month focused on LGBTQ+ artists who pioneered hyperpop.
According toVice journalist Eli Enis, hyperpop is not so much about following music rules, but "a shared ethos of transcending genre altogether, while still operating within the context of pop".[11] Artists embody an exaggerated, eclectic, andself-referential approach topop music and typically employ elements such as brashsynth melodies,Auto-Tuned "earworm" vocals, and excessivecompression anddistortion, as well assurrealist or nostalgic references to 2000s Internet culture and theWeb 2.0 era.[12] Common features include vocals that are heavilyprocessed; metallic, melodic percussion sounds;pitch-shifted synths; catchy choruses; short song lengths; and "shiny, cutesy aesthetics" juxtaposed with angst-ridden or ironic lyricism.[12][13] Hyperpop has been described as "post-internet".[14]
The movement is often associated with theLGBTQ+ community, drawing primary influences fromqueer culture.[12] Several key artists identify asgay,non-binary, ortransgender.[15] The microgenre's emphasis on vocal modulation has allowed artists to experiment withgender presentation andandrogyny in their voices,[12] as well as deal withgender dysphoria. Artists likeSophie and8485 explore themes ofgender fluidity in their lyrical content.[16]
The Wall Street Journal's Mark Richardson described hyperpop as turning the "artificial" parts of pop music up to an extreme level, creating a "cartoonish wall of noise" that is full of catchy tunes and memorable hooks. The music moves between beautiful and ugly, with shimmery melodies crashing into mangled instrumentals.[17] Joe Vitagliano, writing forAmerican Songwriter, said hyperpop is an "exciting, bombastic, andiconoclastic genre — if it can even be called a 'genre'" and has "saw synths, auto-tuned vocals,glitch-inspired percussion and a distinctivelate-capitalism-dystopia vibe".[18] Artists in this style mix theavant-garde andpop music, often balancing between being addictively fun and a bit too much, according toPitchfork's Kieran Press-Reynolds. He added that in 2024, hyperpop had become a "Frankensteinian macro-genre".[16]
The Atlantic said the genre "swirls together and speeds up Top 40 tricks of present and past: aJanet Jackson drum slam here, aDepeche Mode synth squeal there, the overblown pep of novelty jingles throughout," but also said "the genre's zest forpunk's brattiness,hip-hop's boastfulness, andmetal's noise".[15][11] Writer Sheldon Pearce ofNPR stated that hyperpop "[...] has been a controversial catch-all for a blown-out music of excess and kitsch, unafraid of the abjectly cybernated or "lowbrow," seeking the sound of the dissociated online self."[19]
The earliest known use of the term "hyperpop" was made in October 1988 by writer Don Shewey in an article about the Scottishdream pop bandCocteau Twins, stating thatEngland in the 1980s had "nurtured the simultaneous phenomena of hyperpop and antipop".[20] In the late 2000s, the term "hyperpop" was sometimes used as a genre descriptor in thenightcore scene and later associated with the artists surrounding the London-basedPC Music record label and art collective in the early 2010s.[16][11]
In 2014, artistHolly Herndon used the term "hyper-pop" in an interview withRed Bull Music Academy, stating: "I thinkTokyo sounds insane. I’ve been walking around and there’s those bands that are advertising the clubs where you go and drink champagne with guys with crazy haircuts. They’re playing with some hyper-pop music."[21] By 2018,Spotify data analystGlenn McDonald, responsible for the genre databaseEvery Noise at Once, added the label "hyperpop" to the platform's metadata. McDonald stated that he first saw the term in 2014, in reference to PC Music, but he did not think of it as a "microgenre" until 2018.[11][22]
Subsequently, various artists acted as influential precursors to hyperpop, helping in shaping and developing the genre, as Will Pritchard ofthe Independent explains, "to some, the ground covered by hyperpop won't seem all that new".[12] He mentioned "outliers" from the 2000snu rave scene, likeTest Icicles, andPC Music contemporariesRustie andHudson Mohawke as pursuing similar approaches; of the latter two artists, he noted that their "fluoro, trance-edged smooshes of dance and hip-hop are reminiscent of a lot of hyperpop today". Ian Cohen fromPitchfork claimed the term "hyperpop" was originally used to describe the music ofSleigh Bells.[23][24] Followed by,AllMusic's Heather Phares claiming Sleigh Bells' music "foreshadowed hyperpop".[25] Other artists likeMeishi Smile and the record label,Maltine Records also contributed to shaping the style. Followed by Japanese DJ,Yasutaka Nakata.[26] Journalist Aliya Chaudhury believes3OH!3 "created the main blueprint for hyperpop" with their "ability to parody pop and take it to bewildering extremes," using "blown-out synths, and modulated vocals".[27]
Additionally, mainstream pop artists such asKesha were credited by writers like Eilish Gilligan fromJunkee as influential precursors, writing: "[Kesha's] grating, half-spoken vocal featured inBlow and all of her early work, in fact, feel reminiscent of a lot of the intense vocals in hyperpop today". This was followed by a mention ofBritney Spears, stating: "2011 dancefloor fillers 'Till The World Ends', 'Hold It Against Me' and 'I Wanna Go' all share the same pounding beats that populate modern hyperpop".[28]
Hyperpop initially emerged from the artists surrounding thePC Music record label and art collective in London, during the early 2010s, the original scene drew influences fromball culture, alongside 1990s and 2000s electronic music genres which were sometimes associated with early internet culture, such astrance music,Eurohouse,future bass,electropop,Euro-trance,UK bass,dubstep,nightcore,chiptune andbalearic beat as well asbloghouse-related music which includednu rave,electro house andelectroclash.[29][30] Other influences includedbubblegum pop[31] andemo,[11] alongsideheavy metal genres likecrunkcore,nu metal, andmetalcore.[27]
The genre later incorporated broader influences during its second wave in the late 2010s, drawing influence from contemporarymeme andinternet culture,[32] as well as production and musical styles lifted fromtraditional andcontemporaryhip-hop likeemo rap,cloud rap andlo-fi trap,[11] contemporaneous movements like digicore and glitchcore became primary influences, as both scenes were sometimes conflated with hyperpop due to overlapping artists.[12] Other influences includedJ-pop, andK-pop.[11]
Hyperpop originally emerged from thePC Music record label and art collective in the early 2010s.[26][22][33] Spotify editor Lizzy Szabo referred toA. G. Cook as the "godfather" of hyperpop.[11] According to Enis, PC Music "laid the groundwork for [the microgenre's] melodic exuberance and cartoonish production", with some of hyperpop's surrealist qualities also derived from 2010s hip hop.[11] She states that hyperpop built on the influence of PC Music, but also incorporated the sounds ofemo rap,cloud rap,trap,trance,dubstep andchiptune.[11] Among Cook's frequent collaborators,Variety andthe New York Times described the work of Sophie as pioneering the style,[34][35] whileCharli XCX was described as "queen" of the style byVice, her 2016 EPVroom Vroom[36][37] and 2017 mixtapePop 2 set a template for its sound, featuring "outré" production byAG Cook,Sophie, Umru, andEasyfun as well as "a titular mission to give pop – sonically, spiritually, aesthetically – a facelift for the modern age".[11]
According toVice andthe Face, a second wave of hyperpop following the original PC Music scene, emerged in 2019, spearheaded by hyperpop duo100 gecs, whose viral hit "Money Machine" helped reinvent and popularize the genre. In May 2019, they released their debut album1000 gecs[38][39], which amassed millions of listens onstreaming services.The Independent described 100 gecs as taking hyperpop, "to its most extreme, and extremely catchy, conclusions: stadium-sizedtrap beats processed and distorted to near-destruction, overwrought emo vocals and cascades of raveyarpeggios".[12] In August 2019, Spotify launched the "Hyperpop" playlist, led by senior editor, Lizzy Szabo, which later featured guest curation from 100 Gecs and others in the scene, helping to further popularize the microgenre.[22] Other artists featured on the playlist includedAG Cook, Popstar Patch,Slayyyter,Gupi,Caroline Polachek,Hannah Diamond, andKim Petras.[40] Szabo and her colleagues landed on the name for the playlist after stumbling upon it on the platform's metadata, which drew from the siteEvery Noise at Once, ran by data analyst and Spotify employeeGlenn McDonald, who was credited with adding the term in 2018.[22][41] In November, Cook added non-hyperpop artists such asJ Dilla,Nicki Minaj,Lil Uzi Vert andKate Bush to the playlist, which caused controversy due to these additions pushing out smaller hyperpop artists who relied upon the playlist for their earnings.[22][42] In addition, David Turner, a former strategy manager atSoundCloud, noted a "spike in March and April 2020 from new creators," on the platform, many of which were making hyperpop-adjacent music.[43]
In 2020, the microgenre began to see a greater rise in popularity, which was linked to theCOVID-19 lockdowns,[16][44] albums like Charli XCX'show i'm feeling now (2020) and A.G. Cook'sApple (2020) appeared on critics' 2020 end-of-year lists,[12] while the movement saw a broader cultural influence amongstGen Z on social media platforms likeTikTok,[5][45] particularly "Alt TikTok", whichRolling Stone described as "one of the maincountercultures on the app".[4][46][5] On September 25, 2020,Pitchfork cited Alt TikTok as having an influence on wider music trends, stating: "Alt TikTok’s music is now a hot zone for major record labels, pushing it even further into the mainstream".[47] In July 2021, Hyperpop artistElyOtto's song "SugarCrash!" became one of the most popular songs in TikTok history, and was used in over 5 million videos on the platform.[20] In 2022,Ringtone Mag suggested that part of the reason the microgenre rose in popularity across the platform was due to its nature of favouring heavy beats to which creators could dance and make transitions to.[48]
During the pandemic,Los Angeles-based virtual "hyperpop raves", simply entitled "Subculture", gained prominence through six-hour long "Zoom parties", welcoming over 1,000 guests at its peak and later hosting raves in cities across the United States after the end of theCOVID-19 lockdowns. In 2023, the raves gained attention fromRolling Stone for its mix of PC Music artists and others under the hyperpop umbrella, including rap-influenced artists from SoundCloud, as well as its significant LGBTQ inclusion, with the raves operating as usefulnetworking events.[13] Subculture organisers Gannon Baxter and Tyler Shepherd expressed mixed feelings about their use of the term "hyperpop", but Shepherd stated that it was "just a tool to quickly convey what realm of music we’re talking about".[13]
_(54180172805)_(cropped).jpg)
In 2024,Charli XCX's albumBrat, released on June 7, peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200 and saw commercial success in theUS,UK, andAustralia,[49][50][51] while also earning the highest critical ratings of 2024 onMetacritic,[52][53][54] becoming the most commercially successful hyperpop album of all time, with strong chart performance and inspiring fashion and cultural trends like "Brat Summer".[55][56][57] The albums visual aesthetic and lyrical content were later reappropriated byVice PresidentKamala Harris during her2024 campaign.[58][59][60] The album was followed by aremix album featuring collaborators such asA. G. Cook,Troye Sivan,Addison Rae, andthe Dare.[61][62]
However, Kieran Press-Reynolds ofPitchfork remarked that other pioneering artists in the scene had not gained any commercial success since its initial rise. He credited this "dispersal" to several factors, including "conflicting visions of its practitioners, the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns, and the fact that some of its most promising musicians didn’t want fame and actively recoiled from it".[16]
Internationally, hyperpop gained notoriety inHispanic countries, such asArgentina,Chile,Mexico andSpain, particularly withSpanish-speaking artists and producers, as well as inSão Paulo, Brazil with the development of "hyperfunk", also known as "hyper mandelão".[63][64]Nylon's Ben Jolley citedPutochinomaricón as one of the "biggest names in the scene".[65]
In August 2021, Charli XCX, made a post onTwitter, asking "rip hyperpop? discuss".[39][66][32][67] Following this,Dazed noted that since 2019, the term 'hyperpop' "had become a catch-all phrase for any and all forms of extreme pop music," and that "sonically, you'd be hard pressed to find any internet-born music made in the last decade that hasn't been retroactively brandished as hyperpop", also stating that "almost all of those given the label have grown disillusioned with the term, or grown irritated by its constraints".[68] That same year, prominent hyperpop musician,Glaive stated that he andEricdoa were "working on killing" the movement,[38] though three months later stated that it "will never die".[69]Underscores, another significant contributor to the microgenre, stated that it was "officially dead".[70] Other sources citedonline streaming algorithms, as pigeon-holing the genre into conventions that led to a decline in further developments and innovation.[43] In June 2023, PC Music announced that the label would no longer be releasing any new music, instead focusing on archival projects and special reissues.[71]
On September 17, 2024Google displayed aGoogle Doodle, as a tribute to hyperpop pioneer,SOPHIE on her birthday.[72] Following this, on June 1, 2025, in celebration ofPride Month, their Google Doodle focused onLGBTQ+ artists who pioneered hyperpop.[73][74]
Bubblegum bass (also known asPC Music) is an experimental style ofelectronic music associated with the BritishPC Music record label and art collective founded byA. G. Cook in London in 2013. The style draws influences from 1990s and 2000s electronic music scenes, the early internet, andbloghouse-related genres.[27][29] It has been credited as hyperpop's first "era" byPitchfork, as well as establishing the sound that would later "morph into hyperpop".[2] Notable artists includeHannah Diamond,GFOTY and A. G. Cook, who made releases on the PC Music label.[16][75]
Digicore (originally known asdraincore) is a microgenre that developed alongside hyperpop (sometimes characterised as a subgenre) during the late 2010s to early 2020s.[76] The term was adopted in 2019 by an online community of teenage musicians, communicating throughDiscord, to distinguish themselves from the preexisting hyperpop scene.[32] The microgenre saw a rise in popularity during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[16] It differs from hyperpop mainly by addingtrap-based influences but there remains a degree of crossover between the scenes, characterised by heavyautotune, high-pitched vocals, sharp808s, and frequenthi-hats.[32]
Digicore artist Billy Bugara wrote that his colleagues "pull from genres as wide-reaching asmidwestern emo,trance, and evenChicago drill".[77] The beginnings of digicore are rooted in internet culture and many popular producers from the microgenre are between the ages of 15 and 18.[77] In 2020,TikTok, particularlyAlt TikTok, played a key role in popularising digicore, through video edits to two viral songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by David Shawty and Yungster Jack.[78] Collectives like NOVAGANG and helix tears have been considered influential.[76][79]
Glitchcore is a microgenre that originally developed alongside hyperpop[80] and digicore (sometimes characterised as a subgenre of both styles), is often characterised by the heavy use of audio effects such asautotune andpitch shifters, as well as rapidlychopped vocals designed to resembleaudio glitches. Originally pioneered by Yungster Jack and David Shawty. As Kyann-Sian Williams ofNME stated, "glitchcore is hyperpop on steroids",[81] referring to the exaggerated vocals, distortions, glitch noises, and other pop elements present within glitchcore. Artists such as 100 gecs, Bladee and his collective Drain Gang played a key role in the development of the genre.[82]
Stef, a producer of the popular hyperpop and glitchcore collective Helix Tears stated that there certainly is a difference between the two microgenres, saying, "Hyperpop is more melodic and poppy whereas glitchcore is indescribable".[81] Glitchcore is typically made up of artists that share stylistic similarities to 100 gecs, rather than the musicians signed to PC Music.[78]
TikTok, particularlyAlt TikTok, played a key role in popularising glitchcore, through video edits to two viral glitchcore songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by David Shawty and Yungster Jack.[78] Additionally, glitchcore also developed a distinctinternet visual aesthetic with videos featuring glitchy, fast-paced, and cluttered edits, often colorful and occasionally marked withflash warnings. This visual style frequently made use of anediting technique known as "datamoshing."[78] Digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like theedits", rather than an actual music genre.[83]
Robloxcore is a microgenre offshoot of digicore. The style was pioneered in late 2020 by artists such as lungskull and lieu, both of whom began by uploading and "bypassing" music into the popular online gameRoblox, with their songs “Foreign” and “Threat” gaining wider popularity online. The scene's popularity was attributed toTikTok as well as Roblox audiomaker games like DigitalAngels and CriminalViolence, with tracks like Yameii Online's “Baby My Phone,” peaking at No. 2 on the Spotify Viral 50 in March 2021.[84][85][86]
Hyperfunk (also known ashyper mandelão),[63][64] is a fusion offunk mandelão, a subgenre offunk carioca andslap house, with hyperpop. Notable artists include DJ Mu540, DJ Ramemes[87] andPabllo Vittar.
Dariacore (also known ashyperflip) is amicrogenre related to hyperpop.[76] It was coined byJane Remover following their 2021 albumDariacore and its three sequels,Dariacore 2: Enter Here, Hell to the Left,Dariacore 3... At Least I Think That's What It's Called?, andGrave Robbing. The microgenre gained popularity onSoundCloud in 2021 and 2022. Dariacore is characterized by sped up and pitch-shifted samples from pop music and other popular media, primarily drawing influences frombreakbeats andJersey club.[88] The genre was described by Raphael Helfand ofthe Fader as "an entire genre in and of itself, taking hyperpop's silliest tendencies to their logical conclusions".[89]
By the mid-2020s, Dariacore had gained a cult following in Japan through thenetlabel Lost Frog Productions. Founder Haruo Ishihara attributes the style's popularity in Japan partly to the country's established song remix and OtoMAD meme culture, as well as the frequent sampling of familiar anime and J-pop hits.[90]
Sigilkore is a microgenre and electronic music style that started onSoundCloud in the late 2010s and combines aspects ofcloud rap andtrap music, contrary to its sound, partially derived from hyperpop.[91] Digital stereo effects and incredibly intricate DJ mixing, frequently applied in-post over recorded vocals, are often its defining characteristics. Lyrical themes in the genre revolve around dark themes,[92] includingoccultism,[93] blood and vampires.[92]
Hyper-rock is afusion genre that fuses rock music and hyperpop. It is characterized by a guitar-centric foundation combined with processed vocals, glitchy textures, andexperimental sound design, resulting in a sound that differs fromfolktronica,indietronica, ordigital hardcore.[94] The termhyper-rock was coined byStereogum journalist James Rettig. He introduced the term in a "tongue-in-cheek parenthetical" while reviewingFeeble Little Horse's album,Girl with Fish.[94][95]
Hyper-rock, as a distinct musical style, is considered to have emerged in the late 2010s and early 2020s, although its foundational elements and experimental precursors date back further. Early sonic experiments in the 2000s laid the groundwork for the genre. Known forerunners includeSweet Trip'sVelocity : Design : Comfort (2003) is considered a significant record for the genre, blendingIDM,glitch, and shoegaze. Tracks such as "Fruitcake and Cookies" and "To All the Dancers of the World, a Round Form of Fantasy" illustrate the progression from fragmented electronic textures to euphoric, guitar-driven soundscapes, elements later associated with hyper-rock.[94]
Hyper-rock is primarily built around rock guitars, which may range from dense,reverb-soaked layers reminiscent ofshoegaze to harsher, evolving riffs influenced byblack metal. Vocals are often heavily processed, employing techniques such aspitch shifting and the use ofAuto-Tune. The style also incorporates glitched-out production and electronic elements, including programmed drums, synth textures, and fragmented soundscapes. The genre reflects a fusion of influences from a wide array of musical styles. Shoegaze contributes atmospheric textures and layered guitar sounds, while hyperpop informs its high-energy, glitch-oriented approach and vocal processing. IDM, glitch, anddigicore provide jittery electronic elements and fragmented sound design. Some artists integrate aspects ofheavy metal,trance,EDM,vaporwave, andpop.[94]