im a little confused about the goth and grunge terms. isn't goth an aesthetic? what is "goth culture." like gothic?

“Goth” and “grunge” are two music-based cultures. Gothic isn’t the same thing- that’s a style of architecture and art that was part of the basis for what became “being a goth” later. Goth as a music genre comes from something called “post-punk,” which was the basis for what became a lot of different alternative cultures

Goth does have a common set of “looks” to it, but that’s not actually what makes someone a goth. It comes from people who listen to goth music and are members of that scene / culture! Some “goths” look absolutely nothing like what you might expect, because fashion isn’t always part of how someone engages with it- after all, they don’t have to! It’s like how not every “punk” who listens to punk music and engages in that culture necessarily looks like a “punk”

The Cure, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, and Cocteau Twins are good examples of goth music. There’s also goth metal, like Lacuna Coil, and there’s bands that are either proto-goth or adjacent but not quite the same, like The Smiths and Joy Division

Grunge is similar. It’s a music genre started in I thiiiink the later 80s, and a culture was formed around it. It also has its own common set of “looks” to it, but it’s not an actual necessity for being grunge yourself. You just gotta like the music and wanna be involved in the culture

Like, think about “emo.” What is an emo? You think of a look, but does every emo actually look like a stereotypical one? Nah. But someone with bleach blonde hair and The Most Not Emo outfit you can imagine is still an emo if they listen to like, Jimmy Eat World, Modern Baseball, or MCR, right? Goth, grunge, and punk are like that too! :3