What Happened to Vaporwave?

Vaporwave Music, the music genre and aesthetic that exploded online in the early 2010s, hasn't disappeared—it’s evolved and fractured into new forms while leaving a lasting cultural impact. Vaporwave started as an ironic critique of consumerism, capitalism, and nostalgia. It featured slowed-down, pitch-shifted samples of '80s and '90s pop, elevator music, and smooth jazz, paired with surreal, lo-fi visuals like ancient statues, retro tech, neon grids, and tropical landscapes. Albums like Floral Shoppe by Macintosh Plus and Far Side Virtual by James Ferraro were central to the movement. It was equal parts parody and celebration, with its aesthetic rooted in a longing for a simpler, commercialized past.

Elements of Vaporwave’s aesthetic and sound made their way into mainstream culture. Corporations co-opted its visuals for marketing campaigns, and its nostalgic, retro-futuristic feel influenced pop artists like The Weeknd (After Hours) and Charli XCX (Crash). The themes of Vaporwave—nostalgia, consumerism, and surreal escapism—became ubiquitous in internet culture. TikTok, with its obsession with retro aesthetics and audio manipulation, is a kind of successor to Vaporwave in spirit, if not in name.

Much of Vaporwave’s appeal lay in its ironic critique of capitalism. As its popularity grew, it became harder to separate the critique from genuine nostalgia or commercialization. For some, this irony wore thin, making the genre less compelling.