Wikipedia

Scene (subculture)

This article is about the youth subculture. For the organized network of pirate groups, see Warez scene.
"Colorido" redirects here. Not to be confused with Colorado. For the Japanese animation studio, see Studio Colorido.
"Scene queen" redirects here. For the musician, see Scene Queen.

The scene subculture is a youth subculture that emerged during the early 2000s in the United States from the pre-existing emo subculture.[1] The subculture became popular with adolescents from the mid 2000s[2] to the early 2010s. Members of the scene subculture are referred to as scene kids, trendies, or scenesters.[3] Scene fashion consists of skinny jeans, bright-colored clothing, a signature hairstyle consisting of straight, flat hair with long fringes covering the forehead, and bright-colored hair dye.[4] Music genres associated with the scene subculture include metalcore, crunkcore, deathcore, electronic music, and pop punk.[5][6]

Members of the scene subculture in 2008

From the mid-2000s to early 2010s, scene fashion gained popularity among teens and the music associated with the subculture achieved commercial success in both the underground and the mainstream. Groups like Bring Me the Horizon, Asking Alexandria, Pierce the Veil, and Metro Station garnered mainstream attention and large audiences while still largely being tied to the scene subculture. In the mid-to-late 2010s, the scene subculture lost popularity; however, since 2019, there have been movements that have given it a revival.[7][8]

Fashion

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Example of scene fashion

Scene fashion includes bright-colored clothing, skinny jeans, stretched earlobes, sunglasses, piercings, large belt buckles, wristbands, fingerless gloves, eyeliner, hair extensions, and straight, androgynous flat hair with a long fringe covering the forehead and sometimes one or both eyes. Scene people dye their hair colors like blond, pink, red, green, or bright blue.[4][9][10][11] Members of the scene subculture often shop at Hot Topic.[12] According to The Guardian, a scene girl named Eve O'Brien described scene people as "happy emos".[11]

Music

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Scene people are associated with various styles of music including metalcore, deathcore, post-hardcore, crunkcore, electronic music, indie rock, emo pop, and pop punk. Artists commonly associated with the scene subculture include Cute Is What We Aim For, Asking Alexandria, Black Veil Brides, Attack Attack!, We Came As Romans, Bring Me the Horizon, Paramore, Mayday Parade, Suicide Silence, the Medic Droid, Breathe Carolina, Escape the Fate, Falling in Reverse, Hawthorne Heights, Lights, Taking Back Sunday, Prima Donna, and Design the Skyline.[9][13][14][15][16][17][18][11][19][20] Many bands associated with the scene subculture gained popularity through the social media website MySpace.[21]

Crunkcore

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Main article: Crunkcore

Crunkcore (also called crunk punk,[22] screamo-crunk and scrunk[23]) is a musical fusion genre that is popular among scene kids. Characterized by the combination of cultural and musical elements from crunk, screamo, pop, electronic and dance music,[24][25] the genre often features screamed vocals, hip hop beats, and sexually provocative lyrics.[24][25][26][27] Notable groups in the genre included Brokencyde, Hollywood Undead,[1] 3OH!3 and Millionaires.[24]

Neon pop-punk

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Main article: Neon pop-punk

Neon pop-punk emerged in the late 2000s as a style that blended elements of power pop and electronic music with the upbeat, catchy sound of pop-punk.[28] Bands in this genre embraced bright, glistening aesthetics and often featured neon colors in their merch and music videos. Notable groups from that era include All Time Low, the Maine, the Cab, Metro Station, We the Kings, Marianas Trench, Boys Like Girls, The Summer Set, Cobra Starship, Hey Monday, the Academy Is... and Forever the Sickest Kids. [29][30][1]

History

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Origins

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The Blood Brothers were influential on the development of scene fashion.

Scene originated from the emo subculture in the early-2000s across the United States. The name began being used around 2002, through the term "scene queen", a derogatory term describing attractive, popular women perceived by older hardcore musicians as only being involved in hardcore for the subculture.[1]

"Fashioncore" was an aesthetic originated by Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions that helped to originate the scene subculture. Originating as a way of purposely being confrontational to the hypermasculinity of hardcore, it used many aspects that would come to define scene fashion, such as eyeliner, tight jeans, collared shirts, straightened hair and white belts.[1] According to MetalSucks writer Finn McKenty, the quintessential scene haircut was invented by Eighteen Visions bassist Javier Van Huss. Huss, himself, had been inspired to create the haircut from seeing a poster of the band Orgy.[31] in Louder Than Hell by Katherine Turman and John Wiederhorn, Ryan Downey states "Javier [Van Huss] really led the charge with crazy hairstyles and pink and blond and blue chunks in their hair".[32] Though the term began as pejorative against fashionable people in the hardcore scene, the style was eventually popularized in the early-2000s through the success of Eighteen Visions, Atreyu and From Autumn to Ashes.[33]

Sass music was also a notable origin of scene. Like fashioncore, sass was also a deliberate confrontation to hardcore's hyper masculinity, with sass bands doing so through their use of overt homoeroticism. The fashion of many sass musicians, notably Johnny Whitney, lead vocalist for the Blood Brothers, were influential upon the development of scene.[1]

Mainstream success

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Gabe Saporta helped to define scene fashion by taking influence from rave and Harajuku street fashion.

Scene entered popular culture following the mainstream exposure of the emo subculture, indie pop, pop punk, and hip hop in the mid 2000s.[34][35] The scene subculture is considered by some to have developed directly from the emo subculture and thus the two are often compared.[36] During the mid 2000s, members of the British and American scene subculture took inspiration from the deathcore music scene. In a 2005 article by Phoenix New Times, writer Chelsea Mueller described the appearance of the band Job for a Cowboy (a band that was deathcore at the time) by writing that the band "may look like scenesters with shaggy emo haircuts and tight pants, and may mock metal greats, but this death-metal band is for real."[37] Mueller described Job for a Cowboy as "five guys in girls' jeans and tight band tee shirts".[37] Another early deathcore group popular among members of the scene subculture is Bring Me the Horizon.[15]

In the following years, the spectrum of scene fashion broadened to include a number of sub-styles taking influence from a wide range of fashion styles. According to PopMatters writer Ethan Stewart, "the most renowned [sub-style of scene] was those who merged the subculture with brightly coloured party fashion", a style he attributed the beginnings of to Cobra Starship vocalist Gabe Saporta and his influence from rave and Harajuku street fashion. He also noted those who took influence from 1980s glam metal fashion, such as the members of Black Veil Brides, Escape the Fate and Falling in Reverse. He attributed the origin of this style to Blessed by a Broken Heart.[1]

Members of the subculture quickly began using MySpace. As the popularity of MySpace grew, the website began to develop some of the earliest internet celebrities, referred to as "scene queens".[38] Notable MySpace scene queens include Audrey Kitching, Jeffree Star and the members of the Millionaires.[39][40]

The music festival Warped Tour became popular with members of the scene subculture during the 2000s. Artists associated with the subculture would often play at the festival.[5] Bands influenced by crunkcore, electropop and electronic dance music gained popularity among scene kids during the mid to late 2000s, including Cobra Starship and 3OH!3. Blood on the Dance Floor became especially popular, after Jayy Von Monroe joined as lead singer in 2009.[41][42]

During the late 2000s, similar subcultures emerged in Asia and Latin America, including the Shamate in China,[43] the Floggers in Argentina, the Coloridos of Brazil, and the Pokemón in Chile. Like their American counterparts, these scene kids wore brightly colored clothing, androgynous big hair and eyeliner, and identified with the emo pop, indie rock, hip hop, and EDM scene.[44]

Decline and revival

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By around 2014 the subculture had seen a decline in popularity,[2] while also being influential on the fashion and culture of Tumblr,[45] a website which would eventually develop a number of its own scene queens, such as Halsey.[46] Warped Tour had its last show in 2019 after running annually since 1995.

The late 2010s saw the growing popularity of musicians who had begun their careers as members of scene bands, most notably Lil Lotus, Blackbear, Post Malone, Mod Sun and Lil Aaron. Within this movement came the mainstream success of emo rap, itself influenced by scene.[1]

Beginning in 2019, there were several movements promoting the return of the subculture, such as #20ninescene (2019)[47] and the "Rawring 20s" (2020s).[48] Websites like SpaceHey and FriendProject,[49] which retain Myspace's early design, have gained popularity among teenagers,[50][51] and social media influencers on Instagram and TikTok have begun adopting scene fashion.[52] Around this time, the subculture was also influential on the development of the e-girls and e-boys subculture,[53] and the development of hyperpop.[1] Scene festivals also returned in 2022 with the When We Were Young festival.

Criticisms

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Brokencyde was a popular scene band that received widespread criticism for their sound and fashion.

According to a 2008 article by The Sydney Morning Herald, the scene subculture has been criticized for its perceived derivativeness of emo fashion.[10] The scene subculture has also been the subject of criticism from members of the heavy metal subculture. Pejorative terms such as "myspace-core", "scenecore" and "mallcore" have been used to describe scene music and artists.[21] These terms mock the use of the suffix "-core" which has been used to describe genres related to the scene subculture such as metalcore, crunkcore, and deathcore.[54]

Crunkcore has received criticism and the genre has been poorly received by music reviewers. The Boston Phoenix has mentioned criticism of the style, saying that "the idea that a handful of kids would remix lowest-common-denominator screamo with crunk beats, misappropriated gangsterisms, and the extreme garishness of emo fashion was sure to incite hate-filled diatribes".[24] Deathcore has been criticized by members of the heavy metal community for its use of breakdowns.[55][56][57][58][59]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scene (subculture).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Stewart, Ethan (25 May 2021). "From Hardcore to Harajuku: the Origins of Scene Subculture". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The cringe things you'll remember if you were a scene kid in the mid-2000s". UK. July 5, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "Voices on being scene even when you're not a kid". thekindland.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-11.
  4. ^ a b "12 things all former scene kids know to be true". Alternative Press. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "A Final Pilgrimage To Warped Tour, As Told By A Former Scene Kid". August 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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  7. ^ "Dig out your studded belts and hairspray, it's the RAWRing 20s xD". Metro. 2020-01-02. Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  8. ^ "Scene Subculture Is Back To Embrace A Different Look". Ask & Embla. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b Palmer, Bobby (July 5, 2017). "The cringe things you'll remember if you were a scene kid in the mid-2000s". The Tab. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Marcus, Caroline (March 30, 2008). "Inside the clash of the teen subcultures". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Rogers, Jude (February 25, 2010). "From mod to emo: why pop tribes are still making a scene". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  12. ^ "2009: The Year That Broke The Scene". Vinyl Me Please. March 6, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  13. ^ D, Sergeant (January 4, 2012). "2012 State of the Scene Address: It's Cool to Be Tr00". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
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  15. ^ a b Rauf, Raziq (November 6, 2006). "Bring Me The Horizon: "It's just party music"". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
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  18. ^ Shotwell, James (August 17, 2011). "Review: Design The Skyline – Nevaeh". Under the Gun Review. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  19. ^ Castillo, Arielle (February 29, 2012). "Download: Lights – "Toes (Woodhands Remix)"; Culture Room Show March 11". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Shotwell, James (July 15, 2011). "Review: Falling In Reverse – The Drug In Me Is You". Under the Gun Review. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Irizarry, Katy. "16 Bands Who Got Their Start on MySpace". Loudwire. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
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  23. ^ McDonnell, John (July 22, 2008). "Screamo meets crunk? Welcome to Scrunk!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c d Gail, Leor (14 July 2009). "Scrunk happen: man kids seem to like it". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  25. ^ a b Cooper, Ryan. "Crunkcore". About.com. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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  27. ^ Lampiris, Steve (April 14, 2009). "Latest music genre unlikely to get many listeners 'crunk'". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  28. ^ Shoemaker, Whitney (June 18, 2020). "10 NEON-POP BANDS WHO NEED TO MAKE A COMEBACK". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  29. ^ Hall, Mackenzie (September 7, 2016). "10 NEON POP-PUNK SONGS YOU CAN HEADBANG TO". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  30. ^ "20 NEON POP-PUNK SONGS YOU PROBABLY FORGOT". Alternative Press. September 9, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
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  32. ^ "HOW EIGHTEEN VISIONS BECAME THE OC METAL BAND KNOWN FOR INVENTING "FASHIONCORE"". OC Weekly. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  33. ^ Haenfler, Ross. Straight Edge: Hardcore Punk, Clean Living Youth, and Social Change. p. 17.
  34. ^ Marcus, Caroline (March 30, 2008). "Inside the clash of the teen subcultures". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  35. ^ "New Haights: Scene kids ought to receive a crash course on their group - Blogs - The Easterner - Eastern Washington University". 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  36. ^ "11 Ways Emo & Scene Styles Were Different". Bustle. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  37. ^ a b Mueller, Chelsea (December 1, 2005). "Molten Rock". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  38. ^ MCCARTHY, LAUREN (16 November 2020). "AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE MID-2000S SCENE QUEENS". Nylon. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  39. ^ Rex, Hatti (31 July 2016). "11 Mid '00s Scene Queens You Loved". Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  40. ^ Jones, Fionnuala. "Where are your favourite Myspace scene queens now?". Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  41. ^ Inked Mag Staff (9 November 2017). "You Won't Believe What This Blood on the Dance Floor Singer Does Today!". Tattoo Ideas, Artists and Models. Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
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  43. ^ "Meet Shamate, China's Most Hated Subculture". BuzzFeed News. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  44. ^ Sousa, Pedro Mesquita de; Ferreira, Adriana; Martins, Alissan; Gubert, Fabiane; Scopacasa, Ligia; Mesquita, Jaislâny; Filho, Francisco Sampaio; Paula, Paulo Henrique de; Vieira, Neiva; Pinheiro, Patricia (November 11, 2011). "Adolescência, cultura Emo e saúde: o olhar de adolescentes em Fortaleza-CE". Adolescencia e Saude. 8 (2): 11–17. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013 – via www.adolescenciaesaude.com.
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  46. ^ Serra, Maria (12 February 2021). "10 DRUM PERFORMANCES THAT PROVE JOSH DUN CAN REALLY PLAY ANYTHING". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  47. ^ "People are Bringing Back Scene for 2019". PAPER. 2019-01-07. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  48. ^ "Welcome to the RAWRing 20s xD". PAPER. 2020-01-03. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  49. ^ "FriendProject.net | Make New Friends, Create Custom Profiles, Photos, Chat". www.friendproject.net. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
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  52. ^ "Emo Tik Tok Influencers Champion Scene Hair – the New Need to Know Trend Revival". Mane Addicts. 2020-03-26. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  53. ^ Bassil, Ryan (26 July 2019). "Introducing: The E-Boy". Vice Media. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  54. ^ Wilson, Scott A. (2015-05-26). Music at the Extremes: Essays on Sounds Outside the Mainstream. McFarland. ISBN 9780786494507. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  55. ^ Wilson, Scott A. (2015). Music at the Extremes: Essays on Sounds Outside the Mainstream. McFarland. pp. 20–21. ISBN 9780786494507.
  56. ^ "A Deathcore Extravaganza". Review the World. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  57. ^ "Leave The Pig Squeals on The Farm". American Aftermath. September 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-05-24.
  58. ^ "Why Do Metal Nerds Like All These Deathcore Bands????". Sergeant D from MetalSucks. May 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2019. I like this band OK, but I think it's really funny how when they first came out everybody was like "WTF this band sucks they are posers/not real death metal!!!" Then they put out their second album, which was basically generic late-90s death metal like any of the 8962323 jillion bands who ripped off Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation at the time, and then everybody was all "I guess they are OK this record is pretty sweet."
  59. ^ "Deathcore... and how hard it is to find good bands???". David Dawson. October 15, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013.
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