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Grungegaze

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Not to be confused with dreamcore music.
Grungegaze
Cloakroom's Infinity (2013) was one of the earliest grungegaze releases
Other namesDreamo
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly to mid-2010s, United States and United Kingdom
Derivative forms
Other topics

Grungegaze (also known as dreamo) is a subgenre of soft grunge music that combines elements of shoegaze and grunge. It is characterized by the use of emo-inspired melodies and harmonies and dynamic songwriting, using both soft reverb-heavy guitars during verses and crescendos using fuzz for choruses. Soft grunge had been closely related to the hardcore scene's 2010s shoegaze revival, with both styles sharing musical characteristics and sometimes being conflated by fans and critics. Grungegaze developed during 2013, when soft grunge bands embraced the influence of shoegaze, with the debut releases by Cloakroom, Narrow Head and Nevermind Me. The genre was popularized around 2023 by American bands Narrow Head, Fleshwater and Glare, and British bands Oversize and Split Chain. By 2024, it was one of the most dominant sounds in shoegaze. It was widely influential upon shoegaze in the 2020s, helping to develop the genres nu-gaze and zoomergaze.

Etymology

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During the 2010s, Spotify had used the genre tag "dreamo" to describe the genre, which is a portmanteau of "emo" and "dream" (referencing its reverb-heavy guitars). "Grungegaze" was uncommon during this time. In 2021, Spotify began also tagging the genre as "grungegaze", which was the common name by 2023.[1] In 2013, Bearded Magazine had used the term for Nevermind Me,[2] while in 2017 Vice Media had used it to refer to Goon.[3]

Characteristics

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Grungegaze makes use of simple, heavy guitar riffs, thick guitar tones, hazey production and dynamics where verses are soft and choruses are loud. Clash writer Tom Morgan compared the genre's lyrics to "teenage bedroom poetry", noting them as "vague" and "undercooked".[4] Often, vocals are subdued in verses.[5] It is rooted in soft grunge music and fourth-wave emo, incorporating grunge, shoegaze and alternative metal, and making use of emo-influenced melodies and harmonies.[1] Songs emphasise crescendos,[6] incorporating grunge's energy, and shoegaze's use of effects units.[7]

Every Noise at Once writer Carlos Vélez-Cancel called it "grunge and shoegaze-influenced alt rock", noting it as caring more about "immersion".[8] Pittsburgh City Paper called it a fusion of "hardcore, metal, and alt-rock into a new idiom", calling it a "genre-agnostic landscape".[9] Trblezine writer Tom Morgan called it "a blend of grunge and shoegaze with emo and hardcore elements thrown in".[10]

Bands in the genre often use a visuals inspired by the Y2K aesthetic, particularly through VHS-inspired videography.[11]

History

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Precursors

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Swervedriver, an early band to merge grunge and shoegaze
See also: shoegaze § Developments in the hardcore scene

During the 1990s, some bands incorporated elements of both grunge and shogaze, including Swervedriver, Hum,[12] Catherine Wheel,[13] Failure, Smashing Pumpkins, Quicksand and Deftones.[14]

During the 2010s, a wave of musicians from the hardcore punk scene began to play shoegaze, including Nothing, Whirr, Deafheaven, King Woman, Oathbreaker[14] and Pity Sex.[15] Within this scene, many bands subtracted the more experimental elements of the original shoegaze sound, favoring a more mid-tempo metal-influenced rhythmic structure, simpler chords and favoring dynamics.[16] The most influential in this sound was Nothing,[17] with Whirr also being a pioneer.[18] Palermo expressed that with the release of Nothing's debut Guilty of Everything (2014), the band "felt awkward holding onto anything, like shoegaze or whatever", and that no separate tag was being applied to it. Patrick Lyons, the article's writer, discussed the style using the broad terms "heavy shoegaze" or "post-shoegaze".[14] At the same time, Pity Sex merged shoegaze with elements of emo, particularly its bouncy rhythms. Their debut album Feast of Love (2013) was influential. In a 2023 article, Sacher stated that "Feast of Love imitators continue to pop up today", calling "emogaze" a "now-crowded realm".[19] Soft grunge bands often performed alongside, signed to the same labels and had elements in common with the hardcore scene's shoegaze revival. Because of this, many critics and fans conflated soft grunge artists into shoegaze, despite its early practitioners not being influenced by the genre. In a 2026 interview with PopMatters, Balance and Composure vocalist Jon Simmons credited this to how "somewhere along the line, people started thinking if a band uses reverb then it is shoegaze".[1]

2013–2016: Origins

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Soft grunge pioneers, Superheaven's second album, Ours Is Chrome (2015), saw them shift their sound to grungegaze

In 2013, albums began to be released that featured soft grunge music but incorporated the influence of shoegaze. These included Narrow Head's Demonstration MMXIII (27 May 2013), Cloakroom's Infinity (16 June 2013) and Nevermind Me's Nevermind Me (9 September 2013). The following year, Leatherneck and Simmer established a grungegaze in Cheshire, England.[1] Nothing pivoted into the genre on their 2014 split album Whirr / Nothing, continued on their second album Tired of Tomorrow (2016), with the tracks "Vertigo Flowers" and "Curse of the Sun".[20]

On their second album Ours Is Chrome, soft grunge band Superheaven transitioned into the genre.[21] BrooklynVegan editor Andrew Sacher called them "grungegaze trailblazers".[22] In 2015, Ox-Fanzine writer, Tim Masson called the album "one of the most important alternative rock—or, if you prefer, emo-grunge-rock—albums of recent times", noting that they "progressed... to the point where they themselves can be considered a benchmark for others".[23]

Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision merged soft grunge with elements of dream pop[24] and shoegaze.[25] The album reached number 14 on the Billboard independent albums chart[26] and was widely influential, Movements vocalist Patrick Miranda stated in a 2025 interview that "Every band wanted to sound like Title Fight Floral Green. Every local band... until Turnover put out Peripheral Vision and then it was like the whole scene flipped".[27] Title Fight's third album Hyperview pushed their soft grunge sound more atmosopheric, in a way that bordered on shoegaze.[1] In a 2025 retrospective article, former Revolver editor Eli Enis stated "Hyperview was dubbed a shoegaze record mostly by people who didn't know what shoegaze was beyond Nothing, Whirr, Pity Sex, and Deafheaven... but had such a marked influence on a genre it doesn't even belong to".[28] The success of Title Fight, as well as Deafheaven and Nothing, caused shoegaze to become a trend in the hardcore scene.[14]

2016–present: Popularization

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Fleshwater helped to popularize grungegaze in the 2020s

During the late 2010s, Teenage Wrist, Modern Color, Oversize, Endless Heights and Soul Blind began to make grungaze. One of the most prominent scenes at this time was Texas, which housed Narrow Head, Glare, Trauma Ray, DA/ZE and Rain Check.[1] In an interview with NoEcho, DA/ZE vocalist Nikki Isabelle credited the popularity of grungegaze in Texas to festivals Dreamgaze in Austin and Starshine Fest in northern Texas.[29] Enis noted these Texas bands as being particularly "bottom-heavy".[30]

In the early 2020s, Spotify began recommending music that was similar to shoegaze to many users, this coincided with the release of Fleshwater's debut demo demo2020, who reaped its benefits. Fleshwater and Narrow Head were forefront in the popularization of grungegaze, which began around 2023.[1] In 2025, Clash listed "the contemporary grungegaze canon" as Narrow Head, Glare, Modern Color, Soul Blind, Trauma Ray and Leaving Time, alongside British bands Oversize and Split Chain. At this time, Fleshwater, ASkySoBlack and Bleed were pushing the genre in a heavier direction.[4]

Flood magazine called 2024 "a momentous year for the revivals of grunge and shoegaze" when discussing grungegaze band Nara’s Room.[11] By December 2024, grungegaze was one of the most prominent sounds in shoegaze, with its most dominant sound being what Stereogum writer Eli Enis called "boneless Deftones clones". He also noted traditional-style shoegaze bands as moving towards the sound, particularly Glixen, who he called "one of the most popular – and polarizing – shoegaze bands of the last couple years".[31] In a separate article from that year, Enis critiqued the genre as being unvaried and oversaturated.[32] By the next year, Sacher had called it "a trend to the point of oversaturation".[21] In December 2025, Pitchfork published its list of the 100 Best Songs of 2025, stating that Turnstile's opening title track from their 2025 album Never Enough "erupts into a triumphant grungegaze anthem that you can easily imagine usurping the Foo Fighters' 'My Hero' as the soundtrack of choice for NFL playoffs bumper montages."[33]

In New York City and New Jersey bands based around Douglas Dulgarian's record label Julia's War Records including MX Lonley, Shower Surtain, High and Glaring Orchid built upon the grungegaze sound but pushed the vocals rawer and more aggressive than were common in the genre.[34][35]

Legacy

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In 2021, Bleed released their debut EP Somebody's Closer, which merged grungegaze with nu metal, pioneering the genre nu-gaze. The members' other band Narrow Head too began to incorporate these elements on their third album Moments of Clarity. On their 2025 albums, Fleshwater and Oversize similarly pivoted.[1] Kerrang! writer Jake Richardson credited Split Chain as "pioneers of a raucous brand of nu-gaze". Grungegaze was also influential upon some artists in the zoomergaze genre, such as Wisp and Quannnic.[1][36]

Hundredth noted influences from grungegaze on their 2025 Faded Splendor.[37]

Eli Enis credited Julie and Western Haikus as two bands subverting grungegaze's dominance in the 2020s.[38][39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Stewart, Ethan (10 March 2026). "Why Grungegaze Dominates 2026's Music Underground » PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  2. ^ Day, Larry. "Introducing… Nevermind Me". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  3. ^ Domanick, Andrea (18 October 2017). "Goon's Grungy "Chaka" Is Here to Get You Lifted". Vice Media. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b Morgan, Tom (2025-07-28). "Stuck In A Loop: The Rise Of 'Grungegaze' | Features". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  5. ^ Angelini, Manuele. "30 gradi, primo singolo della band gaze/grunge emiliana Noday". www.mescalina.it (in Italian). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  6. ^ Enis, Eli (3 January 2025). "Chasing Fridays: Whirr, Jane Remover, Tex Patrello, more". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  7. ^ Broscheid, James. "Glimmer: Defining the New Grungegaze Synthesis". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  8. ^ Vélez-Cancel, Carlos (23 May 2024). "ENTROPY Kick It Back to the 90s with a Grungegaze Into the Now on "Papered Over Some"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  9. ^ Enis, Eli (24 May 2024). "Grunge? Hardcore? Shoegaze? These up-and-coming Pittsburgh acts catch 'em all". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  10. ^ Morgan, Tom (13 February 2023). "Narrow Head : Moments of Clarity". Treble. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  11. ^ a b LESUER, MIKE. "Nara's Room Meditate on Alienation with New Singles "Holden" and "Waiting for the z"". FLOOD. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Narrow Head Are a Different Kind of Heavy Band". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  13. ^ Nguyen, My. "Siilk - Siilk". Pitch Perfect. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  14. ^ a b c d Nelson, Michael (11 August 2021). "The Heavy Music To Shoegaze Pipeline". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  15. ^ Sacher, Andrew. "Grey Zine sign to The Native Sound, released a compilation of demos, planning new material (streams)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  16. ^ Enis, Eli (22 December 2022). "The New Wave Of American Shoegaze". stereogum.com. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  17. ^ Enis, Eli. "11 great shoegaze albums for metalheads". Revolver. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  18. ^ Pearis, Bill. "Whirr, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swervedriver & more playing Nothing's Slide Away fests". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  19. ^ Sacher, Andrew. "25 Classic Emo & Post-Hardcore Albums Turning 10 in 2023". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Nothing - 'Tired Of Tomorrow' Review". The Alternative. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  21. ^ a b Sacher, Andrew. "10 Crucial Emo Albums Turning 10 in 2025". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  22. ^ Sacher, Andrew. "Superheaven share second new song "Numb To What Is Real," releasing album in 2025". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  23. ^ Deutschland, Ox Fanzine, Solingen. "Review". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ King, Ely (21 September 2025). "LIVE FROM THE PIT: Turnover, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal and Glixen". Out Of Rage. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Track Attack: Turnover — 'Bonnie (Rhythm & Melody)'". The Alternative. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  26. ^ "Turnover". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  27. ^ Patrick Miranda (October 14, 2025). Title Fight Changed Emo Forever with This Album. CD Burners (Podcast). Event occurs at 36m. Retrieved 2026-01-04. Every band wanted to sound like Title Fight Floral Green. Every local band, every like every band in the scene was trying to do the Title Fight thing and it was just like every new band that was popping up was like, "Oh, what do they what do they sound like?" Oh, yeah. They sound like Title Fight. Cool. All right, got it. And it was like I feel like it was constant until Turnover put out Peripheral Vision and then it was like the whole scene flipped. Yeah. And then it was like, "Oh, every band's trying to be Turnover Peripheral Vision now."
  28. ^ Enis, Eli (5 February 2025). "Title Fight's 'Hyperview' is 2015's most important overrated album". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  29. ^ Boudreaux, Devin (16 May 2022). "DA/ZE: Checking In With the Houston Shoegaze Group's Vocalist/Guitarist Nikki Isabelle | Features". NoEcho. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  30. ^ Enis, Eli (19 July 2024). "Chasing Fridays: Julie, Militarie Gun, Webbed Wing, more". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  31. ^ Enis, Eli (17 December 2024). "The Best Shoegaze Songs Of 2024". Stereogum. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  32. ^ Enis, Eli (22 November 2024). "Chasing Fridays: Leaving Time, The Hellp, Slow Pulp live, and more". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  33. ^ Pitchfork (2025-12-01). "The 100 Best Songs of 2025". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  34. ^ Enis, Eli (14 November 2025). "Chasing Fridays: I Promised the World, Voyeur, Taraneh Q&A, more". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  35. ^ Midnight, Chip. "Interview: Rae Haas & Jake Harms (MX Lonely)". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  36. ^ Richardson, Jake (28 January 2025). "10 reasons why you need Split Chain in your life". Kerrang!. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  37. ^ Bosch, Glenn van den (13 May 2025). "INTERVIEW: Hundredths Chadwick On New Album & Creative Trust". Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  38. ^ Enis, Eli (19 July 2024). "Chasing Fridays: Julie, Militarie Gun, Webbed Wing, more". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  39. ^ Enis, Eli (2 May 2025). "Chasing Fridays: Slide Away 2025 recap + Parquet Courts". Chasing Sundays. Retrieved 14 March 2026.