| Digicore | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 2010s to early 2020s; United States |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Robloxcore | |
| Other topics | |
Digicore (originally known asdraincore) is amicrogenre ofhip-hop andelectronic music that developed alongsidehyperpop in the late 2010s to early 2020s. The genre is typically made up of artists that share stylistic similarities toBladee and100 gecs, rather than the "bubblegum bass" musicians signed to the labelPC Music.
Notable acts includeJane Remover,d0llywood1,Whethan,aldn,quinn,glaive,ericdoa,quannnic,midwxst,Lucy Bedroque andbrakence.
The term "digicore" is a portmanteau of "digital" and "-core" (derived fromhardcore), and originally appeared in the 2000s as a shortening for the genre "digital hardcore". In the late 2010s, an online community of teenage musicians, communicating throughDiscord, coined the modern usage of the term "digicore" to distinguish themselves from the preexistinghyperpop scene.[2][3] The style was originally seen as a subgenre of hyperpop, though later described as developing alongside the movement.[4]
Digicore draws influences from artists such asBladee and his collectiveDrain Gang consisting ofEcco2K,Thaiboy Digital and producerWhitearmor, who inspired a form ofonline rap music called "draincore".[4][5] In late 2019, artist lonelee coined the modern usage of the term “digicore” to replace draincore, withQuinn being the first artist to be associated with the label. By 2021, “digicore” was further popularized by Billie Bugara's SoundCloud playlist of the same name.[4][6]
Pioneering artists were typically between the ages of 15 to 18 at the microgenre's inception.[7] Digicore differs from hyperpop mainly by its primary focus ontrap-based influences but there remains a degree of crossover between the scenes. The genre is characterised by heavyautotune, layeredpluggnb melodies,high-pitched,[8] breathy vocals,sing-rapping, sharp808s, and frequenthi-hats.[2][6] Artists tend to use autotune as a separate instrument as influenced by artists such asDuwap Kaine and Bladee.[9]
Writer Kieran Press-Reynolds described digicore as "[...] shaped by the world ofDiscord servers,Minecraft, and the type of musical intuition that could only have been nurtured through years spent consumingYouTube beat tutorials and a cracked copy ofFL Studio", as well as "capturing the angst of coming of age during apandemic".[10][7] Digicore artistd0llywood1 summarized the scene as "We're all digital kids who met each other on the internet and so make music that sounds like shit we found on the internet."[7]
Writer Billie Bugara describes that artists of the scene "pull from genres as wide-reaching asmidwestern emo,trance, and evenChicago drill".[7] Bugara defined digicore as simply "not Hyperpop and not Glitchcore".[11][4] Artists also draw from genres such asJersey club andBrazilian funk, as well asMySpace-era genres such ascrunkcore.[11][9] Other influences include the work of Duwap Kaine, Sybyr andCharli XCX.[9]
Alongside, stylistic and aesthetic influences frominternet memes andculture,internet aesthetics,old internetnostalgia, and onlineshort-form content, with lyrics usually being introspective, depressive or ironic.[7]
Similar to hyperpop, the digicore scene is often associated with theLGBTQ community, drawing primary influences fromqueer culture.[12] Several key artists identify asgay,non-binary, ortransgender.[13] The microgenre's emphasis on vocal modulation has allowed artists to experiment withgender presentation andandrogyny in their voices.[12]
Online rap collectives such as NOVAGANG and helix tears have been considered influential.[3][14]
In 2018, Dalton, a figure in the digicore scene, started aMinecraft andDiscord server called "Loser's Club" that became a haven for several of the most popular artists within the digicore scene such asQuinn, Kmoe,[11]Glaive,Ericdoa[15] andMidwxst.[7][16][17] These artists drew primary influence from Bladee and his collective Drain Gang, which inspired a microgenre known as "draincore".[4] By 2019, the influence of the hyperpop duo100 gecs, led the genre to be renamed "digicore", as a way to distinguish itself from the emerging hyperpop scene.[18][19] Other notable artists include oaf1, dreamcache, valentine, capoxxo, twikipedia, lei, kurtains, i9bonsai, kmoe,brakence,d0llywood1, dante red, angelus, fortuneswan, funeral, blxty, tropes,Lucy Bedroque, andquannnic.[20][21][11][10]
In 2020, the microgenre saw a rise in popularity during theCOVID-19 pandemic, with teenage artists who were out of school primarily making music during thelockdowns.[20] Around that time,TikTok, particularlyAlt TikTok,[22] played a key role in popularising the scene, through video edits to two viral songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by Yungster Jack and David Shawty.[23][24][25] In 2021, the digicore albumFrailty[26] byJane Remover (who previously pioneered thedariacore microgenre) received praise on mainstream music sitesPitchfork[27] andPaste,[28] withthe Fader stating the album established Jane Remover as "the face of digicore".[29][30]
Digicore would influence the development of severalmicrogenres such assigilkore,jerk andhexd.[31]
The influence of the genre extended to other artists such as New York rapperXaviersobased, who has been described as emerging out of the digicore scene through his early work.[32] Additionally, rapper2hollis draws influences from artists associated with digicore, but has since rejected the label.[11] In 2022, he released adiss track on the genre entitled "Fuck digicore ass shit".[11]
After the mainstream success of hyperpop in the early 2020s, many artists shifted toward digicore, either to avoid being categorized as hyperpop or because they felt the term better described their music.[10] By 2024 and 2025, the digicore scene had further evolved, incorporating influences fromrage music artists likePlayboi Carti andYeat.[11]Revengeseekerz, the third studio album by Jane Remover was released in April 2025 and described as a cross-between rage and digicore.[33][34] Additionally, rage artists such asChe[35] andPrettifun have been described as drawing influence from digicore.[36]
| Glitchcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 2010s to early 2020s; United States |
| Typical instruments | |
| Other topics | |
Glitchcore is a microgenre that originally developed alongside hyperpop[37] and digicore. Althoughglitchcore first appeared as a term in thebreakcore scene, it later came to describe a style of music associated with the digicore scene. This style was pioneered in the late 2010s by artists such as Yungster Jack and David Shawty, and is characterized byplugg-based instrumentation, heavy use of audio effects such asautotune andpitch shifters, as well as rapidlychopped vocals designed to resembleaudio glitches.[11]
As Kyann-Sian Williams ofNME stated, "glitchcore is hyperpop on steroids",[38] referring to the exaggerated vocals, distortions, glitch noises, and other pop elements present within glitchcore. Artists such as 100 gecs and the collective Drain Gang played a key role in the development of the genre.[18][38][23]
Glitchcore is sometimes referred to as a subgenre of hyperpop and digicore, with writer Sheldon Pearce ofNPR stating "glitchcore and digicore — terms often used interchangeably, only furthering confusion about what any of these words actually mean — and split into factions that in turn have bucked media narratives about what belongs where."[11]
Stef, a producer of the popular digicore and glitchcore collective Helix Tears stated that there certainly is a difference between hyperpop and glitchcore, saying, "Hyperpop is more melodic and poppy whereas glitchcore is indescribable".[38]
Additionally, glitchcore also developed a distinctinternet visual aesthetic, that drew primary influence fromglitch art, with videos featuring fast-paced, and cluttered edits, often colorful and occasionally marked withflash warnings. This visual style frequently made use of anediting technique known as "datamoshing."[23] Digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like theedits", rather than an actual music genre.[39] Alt TikTok, played a key role in popularising glitchcore, through video edits to two viral glitchcore/digicore songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by David Shawty and Yungster Jack.[23]
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.[40][41][42]