The Goth 90s: A Legacy of Style

In the 1990s, goths rose up from the underground and conquered the mainstream, appearing frequently in film, books, and television. Gothic motifs and goth characters in mainstream media showed the evolution of attitudes about the subculture as the decade progressed. One thing was for sure: the goth subculture wasn’t just a passing fad. This dark sensibility was here to stay.

Goth Fashion in the 90s

Fashion retailers like Hot Topic, VampireFreaks, and Tripp made goth clothes more accessible to the masses, and this led to a new wave of teens embracing black lace and nylon. Baby bats no longer had to claw through the racks at the local thrift store and rely on their DIY skills to create custom gothic outfits. These “mall goths” were sometimes derided as poseurs by those who had been there since the beginning. This commodification of goth culture is something goths are still grappling with to this day. 

As the decade wore on, the teased-out hair and big, androgynous shoulders of trad goth outfits gave way to slim silhouettes, in line with mainstream trends in 90s fashion. Slip dresses with spaghetti straps, black combat boots, and layered, grunge-inspired looks became the go-to. By the end of the 90s, low-rise leather flares, babydoll tees, and platform shoes were putting a gothic twist on Y2K fashion.

The 1990s saw a lot of rapid change in fashion trends, with the first few years being an 80s holdover, then the mid-90s move to grungy layers and edgy style with simple lines, and finally the kitschy futurism of the metallics and glitter of the late 90s. This was reflected in the goth fashion of the era, which followed the broader trends with some uniquely gothic elements.

Corset tops are a good example of a 90s goth fashion staple, as are tight black mesh shirts used for layering. Pleated miniskirts and platform shoes like mary janes also became popular, as preppy trends like kneesocks and school uniform-inspired styles were “gothified” (as seen in The Craft, for example).

90s Goth Hairstyles

Hairstyles in the 90s became sleek and simple as compared to the excesses of the 1980s, often involving center parts with gelled hair or slicked back ponytails, pigtails, and braids. Tendrils framing the face were popular, often with small braids. Updos involving tiny hair clips pinning twisted knots of hair in place became popular as the decade progressed, and barrettes were absolutely everywhere. Gothic hair accessories could include designs like bats or black bows.

Another popular updo was a messy, piled-on look achieved by pinning hair up with a claw clip or bobby pins. Spiked up ends could be accentuated with gel. For a fun twist on the updo, space buns–two symmetrical buns worn near the top of the head–were a playful mainstay of 90s style. 

Piercings and Jewelry

90s goth jewelry trends included:

90s Piercings

Facial piercings were somewhat less common in the 90s, though still certainly a big part of the goth scene. Some popular piercings of the 90s were:

90s Goth Makeup

In the 90s, even mainstream makeup looks incorporated bold, dark colors, especially lipstick. Deep browns and brick reds were everywhere, as was dark brown lip liner meant to contrast lighter lipstick shades. Goths would wear deep plum and dark red lips, as well as the ubiquitous black lipstick.

Dark jewel tones like green and purple were common for eyeshadow. Iridescent eyeshadow was popular towards the end of the decade. Stark black eyeliner was often paired with dark lipstick, as opposed to the blended smokey eye looks that took over in later decades. Eyebrows were thin, and goths sometimes shaved their eyebrows and drew them on with eyebrow pencil, occasionally adding embellishments like beauty marks. 

Pale, ghostly foundation looks were also prevalent in much of the decade, before the 2000s preference for bronzer took over. This was especially true of goth makeup, which sometimes incorporated white face paint.

Goth 90s Movies

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

This classic Tim Burton film about a scissor-wielding misfit dressed in a black bodysuit who finds himself in a suburban wonderland helped set the template for a lot of 90s industrial goth style. Its themes of embracing what makes you unique definitely resonated with those who dwell on the dark side. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

This is the ultimate goth kids’ movie, telling the story of the mayor of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, and his newfound obsession with all things Christmas. It’s endlessly charming and delightfully creepy, with beautiful, kinetic clay animation and a super catchy score by Danny Elfman.

The Crow (1994)

The accidental on-set death of star Brandon Lee hung over The Crow’s release in 1994, lending it an aura of tragedy. Even without that context, it’s a stylish film about a brooding vigilante who haunts a cityscape at night, and its influence on goth men’s fashion cannot be overstated.

The Craft (1996)

This movie about four teenage witches causing mayhem in southern California has style to burn. With endless outfit inspiration for edgy goth looks and dark preppy fashion alike, its aesthetic says “we’re the weirdos, mister.”

Practical Magic (1998)

This movie is basically patient zero for the 90s whimsigoth aesthetic. Amazing dresses and maxi skirts, embroidered silk, and flickering candles set the stage for a quirky tale of magic and murder starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two sisters with a gift for enchantment.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

If you favor a Victorian goth aesthetic, Sleepy Hollow is well worth watching for its incredible costumes alone. Fashion aside, this is one of Tim Burton’s best–and scariest–movies, and the legend of the headless horseman is bound to haunt you for nights to come.

Goth TV Shows of the 90s

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The most iconic supernatural heroine of 90s TV was the Slayer herself, Buffy Summers. While Buffy herself doesn’t have a goth bone in her body, her friend Willow and other characters on the show all have their dark sides. Witty and full of action, this show wasn’t afraid to get spooky.

The X-Files

The X-Files had a dark, gloomy aesthetic that was perfect for delving into unsolved mysteries with Mulder and Scully. Multiple episodes also featured goth characters and storylines inspired by the subculture–such as Season 3’s vampire-themed “3.”

Twin Peaks

This show about the darkness lurking beneath the surface of an idyllic small town was loaded with gothic themes, even if its visual aesthetic leaned towards cherry pie Americana. Full of humor, heart, and horror, Twin Peaks is a snowglobe world you’ll never want to leave.

90s Cultural Attitudes toward Goths

As the goth subculture became more visible, it became an object of curiosity in the mainstream media for those who hadn’t previously been aware of it. Throughout the 1990s, it was common to see goth teens dragged onto daytime talk shows to be shamed and gawked at. It was frequently implied that being goth was linked to violent tendencies and mental illness–when in fact, goths were much more likely to be the victims of assault and bullying than the perpetrators.

Goths were viewed with suspicion by concerned parents’ groups, who associated the subculture with satanism thanks to the satanic panic that was still very much alive in the 90s. The Columbine shooters were also erroneously identified as goths, leading to even more anti-goth sentiment. Whenever there was a new moral panic about role-playing games, explicit music, or violent video games in the 90s, you could be sure goths would be caught in the crosshairs.

At the same time, goth style had achieved unprecedented popularity as fashion runways began to incorporate its dark color palette, bold makeup looks, and lacy textures. The 90s saw this subversive subculture slowly but surely become incorporated into the very mainstream it tried so hard to rebel against. 

90s Goth Music

In the early years of the decade, trad goth acts like Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees were still going strong and releasing popular records. As the music landscape shifted, harsher, more intense and dissonant industrial rock became a large part of goth culture with the rise of bands like Nine Inch Nails. MTV provocateur Marilyn Manson became the face of this tendency in alternative music in the late 90s. 

The genre that would be known as shoegaze also rose to fame with My Bloody Valentine’s influential 1991 album Loveless. This dreamy, experimental sound popularized by post punk bands like Cocteau Twins would influence a lot of alternative music in the decade that followed, as major bands like the Smashing Pumpkins adopted this hazy, fuzzed-out sonic aesthetic.

New bands also expanded on the template of crooning vocals and trancelike drums set by the original goths of the 80s. Faith and the Muse, London After Midnight, Rosetta Stone, and Corpus Delicti are some popular goth bands of the 90s.

The 90s saw momentous changes in fashion and pop culture, but gothic style remained. Even though goths faced a lot of adversity, the pull of darkness kept the subculture vibrant as a new millennium dawned. This was the decade that proved goth was more than a fleeting trend–and that’s something to celebrate.