Vaporwave is an early 2010s microgenre of electronic music that is defined, at least originally, by slowed, chopped, and screwed 1980s and 1990s pop and easy-listening Muzak.
The name is derivative of the term "Vaporware," which describes commercial software which is announced but never released, never being more than just an idea, like smoke dissapating through the air. Ephemeral.
The connection goes even deeper, playing on ambiguous and ironic themes of consumer capitalism in combination with themes of early computer culture, which can be found throughout the genre both thematically and visually. In particular, the Dot Com bubble of the late 1990s, in which an unprecedented level of internet adoption resulted in vast quantities of tech startups that never came to fruition or stumbled out the gate and eventually fizzled out to be little more than a memory.
In the 10+ years since the genre’s inception, Vaporwave has diversified into a wide range of sonic profiles, including several distinct subgenres with their own sound and energies.
Explore the following sections to learn more about the history of Vaporwave and its various subgenres.