Soft Grunge

Soft Grunge or Pale Grunge is an aesthetic based on simple photos with a color palette primarily consisting of white, grey, black, green, and blue. The aesthetic is believed to have appeared on Tumblr between 2013 and 2015. Some photos are intended to be sad looking, often of someone suffering for love or with a '90s vibe, for example.

Despite calling themselves grunge, followers of the aesthetic were fairly popular in the mainstream and connected to the rise of the Alternative, emo, pop, and indie music and fashion trends of the time, such as galaxy prints, black and white grids, and fandom merchandise. Because of their close-knit community on Tumblr, they developed a "not-like-other-girls" attitude, especially in contrast with the "hipsters" (which is more accurately described as an early version of VSCO). The type of media they consumed was also incredibly specific, with fangirl culture and this aesthetic often overlapping. This style later declined, yet has gained short-term popularity in 2020 due to a desire to escape to the past.^[1]

Visuals[]

This aesthetic can be described as very fresh or a clean variation of the grunge style. Enthusiasts of this aesthetic focus on taking pictures that contain:

Band posters, cover art, and merchandise
Black and white edits of movies and TV shows
Cigarettes
Concrete edifications
Faceless photos
Glass
Greek statues
Guitars
Japanese kanji
Lyrics and quotes in simple fonts over solid or gridded backgrounds
Outfits
Old TVs
Plants
Polaroids
Silver objects
Simple drawings
Storefronts
Succulents and cacti
Technology such as iPhones and headphones
Vaporwave GIFs done in black and white
White rooms
Water bottles
Writing and quotes

Fashion[]

The style associated with 2014-era Tumblr has a very defined color palette in that it is typically monochrome or pastel, depending on personal preference. Japanese fashion, early 2000s emo, and more authentic grunge influenced the style, which has outfits that were incredibly specific, almost formulaic. Unlike grunge or the DIY ethos of other alternative fashions, these pieces were typically bought brand new at mall stores such as American Apparel and Hot Topic. Despite the term "Tumblr girl" being the most popular term, men can wear the aesthetic too. Soft grunge outfits are now often associated with bisexual people and LGBT fashion. Typical fashion pieces include:

Band and fandom printed t-shirts
T-shirts printed with patterns popular at that time, such as galaxy, horizontal stripes, and black and white grids
Plain black and white t-shirts
Flannels
Denim jackets
Cuffed jeans
Ripped jeans
Black skinny jeans (typically associated with the Hot Topic emo fans)
Pleated tennis skirts
Fishnet tights
Knee socks
Converse sneakers
Creepers
Combat boots
Vans shoes, often the black and white checks
Black plastic chokers and bracelets
Beanies
Flower crowns

Websites & Stores[]

American apparel — The main store of the aesthetic

Stores that are popular among members of the Soft Grunge community include:

Adidas
All Star
American Apparel
BLK Water
Boxed Water
Crosley Cruiser
Evian Water
Fiji Water
Nike
Voss
Zara

Hair[]

Spacebuns — Space buns are two high buns.

Coloured or faded hair is great for this aesthetic, but natural hair also fits very well. Also hairstyles and haircuts like:

Bangs
Space buns
Messy buns
Long bob
Long hair
Short hair
Pigtails
Microbangs

Decoration[]

To decorate your living space in the Soft Grunge way, here are some quick tips to achieve this aesthetic quickly.

Plants are essential when it comes to decorating in this aesthetic. Plants such as succulents, ferns, and cacti should not be missed and rooms with white walls and simple decoration.
White sheets and pillowcases or with grid, stripes or plaid prints
Polaroids, pictures of album covers, drawings or photos of famous people stuck on the wall.
Write quotes on the walls.
Put vinyl records on the walls.
Add a vinyl record player.
Marble patterns are key.
The intention of a Soft Grunge room is not to look minimal, but simple.