Draft:Simpsonwave

Simpsonwave (also known as Simpsonswave) is an internet aesthetic and microgenre of vaporwave music. The style originally emerged in 2015 after a viral Vine video uploaded by user Spicster featuring a clip from the American animated television series The Simpsons to the song "Resonance" by HOME. The video became known as "That Simpsons Vine" online, which sparked a trend of scenes from The Simpsons paired with various vaporwave tracks, mainly popularized by users Midge and Lucien Hughes.

The style contributed to a resurgence of vaporwave aesthetics during the mid-2010s,^[1][2] with vaporwave shifting from being associated with Millennials to Gen Z after the initial movement declined following a surge in online memes. By the late 2010s, Simpsonwave gave rise to the "Sad Bart" aesthetic, which became linked to and helped popularize the Soundcloud and emo rap movement.^[3]

Characteristics

often edited out of context with VHS-style distortion effects and surreal visuals, creating a "hallucinatory and transportive" atmosphere.^[4][5][6]

History

On October 27, 2015, the user Spicster uploaded a clip of the The Simpsons episode "Bart on the Road", the 20th episode of season 7, originally released on March 31, 1996, set to the song "Resonance" by HOME on Vine.^[7] The video went viral and became known as "That Simpsons Vine" online, which sparked a trend of scenes from The Simpsons paired with various vaporwave tracks.^[7][8][9] In 2016, users Midge and Lucien Hughes further popularized the movement.

^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

The Simpsonwave phenomena led to discussions on why the iconography of the Simpsons became such a strong aesthetic hallmark for Millennials and Gen Z.^[15][16]

See also

• Vaporwave
• Synthwave
• Chillwave
• Internet aesthetics

References

1. "Why Won't Vaporwave Die?". FORMAT. 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
2. Cartledge, L. (2020). "All That Is Solid Melts into Air: 10 Years of Vaporwave". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
3. O, Safiyah (2017-11-15). ""What the F*** is Vaporwave?!" Part 2 | Simpsonwave, Sad Posting, Etc". Bearded Gentlemen Music. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
4. "What Is Simpsonwave? A Brief Introduction Via Scene Staple, Lucien Hughes". Paper Magazine (via Internet Archive). 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
5. "We spoke to the creator of Simpsonwave, and it's about to end". The Tab. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
6. "What Is Simpsonwave? A Brief Introduction Via Scene Staple, Lucien Hughes". Paper Magazine (via Internet Archive). 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
7. Beech, I. (2016). "An Ode to That Simpsons Vine". Vice. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
8. Lozano, Kevin (June 14, 2016). "What the Hell Is Simpsonwave?". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
9. Minor, Jordan (June 3, 2016). "Drown yourself beneath the vaporwave". Geek.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
10. "We spoke to the creator of Simpsonwave, and it's about to end". The Tab. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
11. "Simpsonwave". LeftLion. 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
12. O’Kane, S. (2 June 2016). "Simpsonwave is the chill summer soundtrack you didn't know you needed". The Verge. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
13. Hewitt, B. (3 June 2016). "Simpsonwave is the new trippy genre that will take over your life". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
14. Williams, T. (2016). "Meet Simpsonwave, The New Sub-Genre Mixing 'Simpsons' Nostalgia With Super-Chill Tunes". Music Feeds. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
15. "Why is our generation refusing to let go of The Simpsons?". Huck. 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
16. "Simpsonwave: Nostalgia and sentiment in dystopia". libcom.org. Retrieved 15 July 2024.