Reason for Warning: This page, particularly the "Controversies" section, documents a subculture and music movement (Crunkcore) associated with allegations and documented instances of sexual abuse, grooming, and pedophilia (e.g., Blood on the Dance Floor, Mindless Self Indulgence). The associated music frequently features misogynistic, homophobic, and racial slurs. Reader discretion is advised.
Scene is a youth subculture that originated in the early 2000s from the U.S. emo and hardcore punk scenes, gaining widespread popularity among adolescents from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. Flourishing on the social media platform MySpace, Scene developed from Emo but distinguished itself by rejecting its predecessor's introspective angst in favor of a more colorful, playful, and fashion-conscious aesthetic centered on social life and internet fame. The subculture's aesthetic is characterized by brightly colored skinny jeans, band t-shirts, and an iconic hairstyle featuring heavily teased, layered, and straightened hair, often dyed with neon streaks or "raccoon tail" stripes and complemented by heavy eyeliner.
Musically, the Scene subculture was initially associated with hardcore-based genres like metalcore and deathcore. Bands such as Bring Me the Horizon, Asking Alexandria, and Pierce the Veil garnered significant commercial success in both the mainstream and the underground while remaining tied to the subculture. The sound later expanded to include the electronic fusion genre of crunkcore, which was pioneered by groups like Brokencyde, 3OH!3, and Hollywood Undead. Pop-oriented electronic acts like Metro Station also achieved large audiences within the scene.
Scene has experienced a revival in the early 2020s, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the "Rawring 20s." Furthermore, it also saw the development of Scenecore, a more exaggerated Gen Z interpretation of the subculture connected to hyperpop music.
History[]
Origins and Influences[]
Scene emerged from the emo subculture in the early 2000s in the United States. While emo in the early 2000s was often characterized by introspective themes and a subdued "Geek Chic" fashion with black hair, straightened bangs, band tees, skinny jeans, Buddy Holly glasses, buttoned-up shirts, cardigans, and sweater vests, scene began to develop a bolder, more flamboyant aesthetic.[1]
The term "scene queen" first appeared within the hardcore scene around 2002. It was initially a derogatory label for individuals, often conventionally preppy girls, who adopted alternative fashion to attract band members, seemingly prioritizing appearance over the music itself. However, this term later evolved to describe influential and popular figures within the burgeoning scene subculture, particularly on early social media platforms like MySpace.
Before scene's full development, "Fashioncore," an aesthetic pioneered by the Orange County metalcore band Eighteen Visions, significantly influenced its visual direction. Members of Eighteen Visions, some with backgrounds in cosmetology and fashion boutiques, deliberately crafted an image to contrast with the hypermasculinity prevalent in late 1990s hardcore. This included eyeliner, tight jeans, collared shirts, straightened hair, and white belts. The distinctive scene haircut, with its long, layered, side-swept bangs, may have been inspired by Eighteen Visions bassist Javier Van Huss, who reportedly conceived it after seeing a band Orgy poster. Madeline Pendleton, an early 2000s emo and designer, noted the rapid shift around 2002 from camouflage cargo shorts and hoodies to girl jeans, white belts, black collared shirts, and flat-ironed hair. The A-line haircut's emphasis on layering led to more extreme customization, with ultra-short tops and asymmetric bangs, often referred to as "razor haircuts" given in informal settings. While the term "scene queen" began as a pejorative, the style itself gained traction in the early 2000s through the popularity of bands like Eighteen Visions, Atreyu, and From Autumn to Ashes, who incorporated these stylistic choices.
Sasscore also notably influenced scene. Like fashioncore, sasscore challenged hardcore's hypermasculinity, with bands using overt homoeroticism and flamboyant presentation. The fashion of many sasscore musicians, particularly Johnny Whitney, lead vocalist for The Blood Brothers, proved influential, contributing to the bright, expressive, and rebellious nature of early scene fashion. The genre's characteristics included lisped vocals, homoerotic lyrics, and dance parts, with the white belt becoming so emblematic it led to the derisive term "white belt hardcore" from hardcore purists. The music video for the Swedish hardcore band Refused's 1998 song "New Noise" also played a role in popularizing the side-swept fringe, a key element in both emo and scene hairstyles.
The inclusion of electronic music was an unorthodox attribute for a subculture with punk roots. This was particularly evident in electronicore, which merged trance and rave elements into metalcore, and crunkcore, which combined screamed vocals with pop and crunk rap instrumentals. The band The Faint is often credited with introducing many emo kids to electroclash, blurring musical lines.
Popularization and MySpace Era[]
This period marked scene's solidification as a distinct subculture, moving beyond its direct ties to hardcore. Scene became a subculture broadly adopted by many young people, irrespective of their primary music taste.
MySpace emerged as the central platform for scene kids to connect, share their looks, discover music, and craft online personas. Profile customization, including glittery stickers, eye-straining layouts, and flashy GIFs, became important for self-expression. The "top friends" lists and photo manipulation techniques were crucial in shaping online scene identity. The term "scene queen" transformed into a descriptor for influential trendsetters on MySpace, such as Audrey Kitching, Jeffree Star, Hanna Beth, and Kiki Kannibal. These individuals popularized specific fashion elements and makeup styles, including raccoon eyeliner, brightly colored hair with "coon tails" (horizontal stripes), teased and layered hairstyles, skinny jeans, tutus, band T-shirts, arm warmers, studded jewelry, and knee-high Converse sneakers. Themes like stripes, skulls, hearts, and checkerboard designs were common. Shopping at stores like Hot Topic was a common practice for obtaining scene fashion items.
Music associated with scene during this era expanded to include metalcore, crunkcore, neon pop-punk, and electropop. Bands like Attack Attack!, Asking Alexandria, Brokencyde, Hollywood Undead, 3OH!3, Millionaires, Metro Station, Cobra Starship, and Owl City gained popularity. These groups often had more optimistic or party-themed lyrics, contrasting with emo's introspective nature. The Warped Tour music festival also became a popular gathering place for scene members and hosted many associated bands.
Scene's influence extended globally, with similar subcultures appearing in other regions. In China, the Shamate emerged, while Argentina saw the Floggers, Brazil the Coloridos, and Chile the Pokemón. These groups shared visual similarities with their American counterparts, featuring brightly colored clothing, exaggerated hair, and eyeliner, and often identifying with emo pop, indie rock, hip hop, and EDM.
Decline and Revivals[]
Scene's mainstream popularity began to decline around 2014. However, the subculture continued to exert influence, particularly on platforms like Tumblr, which developed its own prominent figures akin to scene queens, such as Halsey. The annual Warped Tour held its last event in 2019. The late 2010s saw a growing interest in musicians who had started their careers in scene bands, including Lil Lotus, Blackbear, Post Malone, Mod Sun, and Lil Aaron. This period also saw the mainstream success of emo rap, a genre directly influenced by scene.
Starting around 2019, movements promoting a return of the subculture began to appear. Hashtags like #20ninescene (2019) and the "Rawring 20s" (2020s) gained traction on social media. MySpace-inspired social networks such as SpaceHey and FriendProject also saw renewed popularity among teenagers. Social media influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok began adopting scene fashion, contributing to a modern revival. The scene subculture also influenced the development of the e-boys and e-girls subculture and the emergence of hyperpop. The return of scene-associated events, such as the When We Were Young festival in 2022, further indicated a resurgence of interest in the subculture in the 2020s. On TikTok, a distinct style known as "Scenecore" emerged, characterized by an exaggerated interpretation of scene culture, influenced by scene electropop and SoundCloud digicore music, sharing visual similarities with the Kandi Raver style.[2][3]
Scene faced criticism from various groups. It was often accused of being a derivative of emo fashion. Members of the Metalhead subculture used pejorative terms like "myspace-core," "scenecore" (unrelated to its current, post-lockdown use), and "mallcore" to describe scene music and artists, mocking the "-core" suffix prevalent in related genres. Crunkcore, in particular, received poor reviews for its blend of screamo, crunk beats, and flamboyant emo fashion. Despite this, interest in scene fashion and music has persisted, finding new forms of expression and community in subsequent decades.
Fashion[]
Three scene kids pictured in 2008.
Scene fashion emerged from a blend of influences, notably from emo and other aesthetics associated with the Hardcore Punk scene, but developed its own distinctive visual identity in the mid-2000s. It was characterized by a deliberate contrast of solid black with limited colorful, often neon, accents. The style frequently embraced androgynous elements, with both boys and girls adopting similar clothing choices and hairstyles that challenged traditional gender norms.
A quintessential scene/emo haircut with its signature choppy layers and long, swooped fringe.
Hair was a central and highly recognizable component of emo and scene fashion. It typically featured asymmetric, choppy cuts with long, swooped fringes that often covered part of the face. Hair was commonly straightened and could be heavily teased or spiked for volume. Bright, unnatural hair dye colors such as blond, pink, red, green, or vivid blue were common, often applied as streaks or in a "raccoon tail" pattern using extensions. Make-up generally included thick black eyeliner, sometimes paired with black or neon eyeshadow, and tinted chapstick.
Clothing choices included tight garments, especially skinny jeans in various colors, including bright or patterned designs like stripes and plaid. Band T-shirts were prevalent, often featuring groups associated with metalcore, crunkcore, or pop-punk. Other common items included studded belts, oversized or "nerdy" glasses, shutter shades, tiaras, and fingerless gloves. Footwear frequently consisted of sneakers from brands like Converse, Vans, DC, or Osiris. Accessories such as hair bows, plastic pearl necklaces, and various bracelets were also worn. While some individuals incorporated elements like kandi (colorful beaded bracelets, originating from rave culture), it was not a universally defining feature of the subculture. The aesthetic also drew from popular franchises and characters of the era, such as Gloomy Bear, Hello Kitty, and Invader Zim.
The fashion also saw influences from punk and raver styles. Eighteen Visions' "fashioncore" aesthetic, characterized by eyeliner, tight jeans, and straightened hair, notably contributed to the early visual foundations. Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship further defined aspects of scene fashion by drawing from rave and Harajuku street styles, integrating colorful elements like neon shell suits and snapbacks.
Music[]
Scene music changed through the years and it's the most diverse part of the culture, ranging from Neon pop punk and comfy oriented pop music such as Hellogoodbye, Owl City, The Ready Set and Nevershoutnever, to the more intense acts like BrokeNCYDE, Suicide Silence, and Falling in Reverse, and to more queer and feminine ones, most notably Jeffree Star, Millionaires and Geoffrey Paris. Scene bands take a lot of inspiration from screamo and second wave emo of the 90s. Bands like Orchid expanded on the more laid-back post-hardcore of the 70s and 80s with explosive instruments and vocals. In the early 2000s to around 2005, scene kids would listen to pop-punk and emo-pop. Acts like Fall Out Boy saw critical success in the early to mid-2000s under these genres. The success of releases from bands around the same time as Saosin who merged post-hardcore and metalcore skyrocketed the popularity of post-hardcore music, and from 2003 to 2007 scene kids listened to hardcore, metalcore, deathcore and post-hardcore. Crunkcore also increased in popularity, with acts such as JJ Bigga, Dot Dot Curve, and BrokeNCYDE.
Around this time, many metalcore, emo-pop and post-hardcore scene artists began incorporating electronic elements into their music and began popularizing electronicore and easycore, including bands like I See Stars, Sleeping with Sirens, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and Jamie's Elsewhere, among many others. Nintendocore and chiptune acts such as Shirobon, Karate High School, Sabrepulse and Horse the Band were also popular starting around 2007. Electro-industrial and synthpunk acts such as Mindless Self Indulgence and artists that were inspired by them such as Uncle Outrage, Raggedy Angry and Твоё нежное безумие, which mixed scene music with rivethead and cybergoth elements.
Progressive post-hardcore began to pick up steam near the 2010s with bands like Of Machines and Broadway incorporating trance and electronica into the emo-pop and post-hardcore compositions. In the early 2010s pop-punk and emo-pop had a small revival, and electronic post-hardcore became very popular with bands like Bring Me the Horizon seeing massive success. Scene music would see a gradual decline through the 2010s as it became less popular in the mainstream, but bands like Hands Like Houses still saw moderate success while expanding on the progressive post-hardcore sound.
In the late 2010s, notable figures like Jordan Sweeto and DAGames, who were part of the scene kid subculture, gained prominence in fandom spaces by creating music that blended elements of both nerdcore/fandom and typical scene music. Around 2019, there appeared hyperpop and indietronica, despise those not being scene music genres. Artists like 100 gecs and Underscores transformed the mid-2010s hyperpop into an abrasive internet aesthetic, influenced by older scene bands, in May of 2020, XO_Willow (aka h3artcrush, now known as Crucifyapril) combined elements of e-punk/incelcore music with Pop Punk, Chiptune and Scene elements in his debut album Winter Suicide, inspiring acts like Wujek, h4rtbrkr, and EDGEMASTER42. In 2021, a collaborative project called Big Money Cybergrind emerged, featuring a mix of old and new scene kids, combining various music genres that used to be popular among scene kids over the time.
Metalcore & Post-Hardcore[]
- A Day To Remember
- Alesana
- Asking Alexandria
- Attack Attack!
- Black Veil Brides
- Blessthefall
- Bring Me the Horizon
- Chiodos
- Dance Gavin Dance
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Escape the Fate
- From First To Last
- I See Stars
- Motionless In White
- Of Mice & Men
- Pierce The Veil
- Sleeping With Sirens
- Underoath
- We Came As Romans
Crunkcore & Electronicore[]
- 3OH!3
- Abandon All Ships
- Blood On The Dance Floor
- Breathe Carolina
- Brokencyde
- Dot Dot Curve :)
- Family Force 5
- Hollywood Undead
- I Set My Friends on Fire
- Millionaires
Electropop & Synth-Pop[]
- Cobra Starship
- Aerodrone
- Hellogoodbye
- Jeffree Star
- Lights
- Metro Station
- Owl City
- The Ready Set
Other Associated Musicians[]
While not strictly fitting into the primary Scene genres, these artists were extremely popular within the Scene subculture due to overlapping fanbases, fashion styles, or their presence on the Warped Tour circuit.
- All Time Low
- Avril Lavigne
- Fall Out Boy
- Mindless Self Indulgence
- My Chemical Romance
- Panic! At The Disco
- Paramore
- S3RL
- Skrillex (specifically his early work as Sonny Moore in From First to Last)
- Taking Back Sunday
- The Used
Songs[]
- "Bree Bree" by Brokencyde
- "Crank It Up" by Hadouken!
- "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3
- "Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
- "Freakin' Freak" by Dot Dot Curve :)
- "Freaxxx" by Brokencyde
- "Hello Fascination" by Breathe Carolina
- "Hey John, What's Your Name Again?" by The Devil Wears Prada
- "King for a Day" by Pierce The Veil ft. Kellin Quinn
- "Knives and Pens" by Black Veil Brides
- "Little Kandi Raver" by S3RL
- "Never Wanted To Dance" by Mindless Self Indulgence
- "Sexting" by Blood on the Dance Floor
- "Shake It" by Metro Station
- "Things That Rhyme With Orange" by I Set My Friends on Fire
- "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City
Archives[]
- Myspace Music Archive
- The Myspace Metal And Alternative Archive Project (Internet Archive Project)
Media[]
This section is primarily about media that either directly influenced the Scene aesthetic's visual style or are strongly associated with its core themes.
Franchises[]
- Domo: A popular character frequently featured on clothing and accessories.
- Happy Bunny: The franchise's sarcastic, cartoonish humor and bright colors resonated with the aesthetic.
- Invader Zim: The dark, exaggerated, and often grotesque cartoon style had a direct impact on Scene fashion and art.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas: Much like Invader Zim, the movie's timeless popularity and prominent featuring among Hot Topic merchandise make it a mainstay of Scene fashion.
- Skelanimals: A brand featuring cartoon animals as skeletons, perfectly blending the "cute" and "dark" elements of the aesthetic.
- tokidoki: The Japanese-inspired, Superflat Pop style characters were a prominent motif.
- Gloomy Bear: A franchise featuring an aggressively pink teddy bear, an ironic take on cuteness that aligned with the subculture's humor.
Magazines[]
- Alternative Press: A key magazine for the music genres and artists associated with the Scene subculture.
- Kerrang!: Another influential publication that covered the metalcore and pop-punk bands popular with Scene Kids.
Influencers[]
The following are notable influencers, often referred to as scene "queens" and "kings," who popularized the aesthetic during its peak.
- Audrey Kitching
- Hanna Beth
- Kiki Kannibal
- Jeffree Star
- Melissa Marie (of the band Millionaires)
- Chris Dakota
- Johnnie Guilbert
Slang & Naming Conventions[]
The following list contains slang terms (known as "scene lingo") that were popular with people in the Scene subculture, and sometimes crosses over with 1337 (leet) speak.
- Abbreviations derived from internet lingo (eg: LOL, STFU, IDGAF, OMG, and WTF)
- BR00T4L (Brutal but the u and a are replaced with 0 and 4)
- Betch (Misspelling of "b*tch")
- Eff yuu (Supposed to sound like "f**k you")
- Emoticons (such as XD, :3, :D etc)
- hXc (Hardcore)
- Rad and Fly (Both are slang terms for "cool")
- Rawr (sometimes said as "'Rawr' means 'I love you" in dinosaur")
- sXe (Straightedge)
- the sx! (Sexy)
Band/Artist Names[]
- Names with no spaces (BrokeNCYDE, Nevershoutnever, Hellogoodbye to name a few)
- The use of an exclamation mark ("!") (HeyHiHello!, Dot Dot Curve! :), Attack Attack!)
Controversies[]
While the Scene subculture in itself was not highly controversial, the associated music, particularly crunkcore, faced considerable criticism, sometimes being labelled as "the worst music genre" by its critics. The lyrical content of many crunkcore songs was overtly sexual and frequently described women in derogatory terms such as "sluts" or "whores." This caused controversy not only for its perceived misogyny but also because the genre's primary audience consisted of young teenage girls, a fact of which many artists were aware. Furthermore, some crunkcore and other scene-affiliated artists used homophobic and racial slurs in their lyrics, as seen in the song "No. 5" by Hollywood Undead and multiple tracks by Mindless Self Indulgence.[4] While these issues received less attention at the time, they have since been re-evaluated as highly problematic and are cited as a reason for crunkcore's decline.
The most significant controversies arose from allegations of sexual abuse directed at prominent artists within the scene. Dahvie Vanity, a member of the popular crunkcore band Blood on the Dance Floor, was publicly accused of grooming and sexually assaulting numerous women, many of whom were reportedly underage at the time of the alleged incidents. These accusations, alongside the band's misogynistic song titles like "Revenge Porn," led to their music being removed from Spotify.[5]
Mindless Self Indulgence, another highly influential band in the scene, has also faced severe criticism. The band's frontman, Jimmy Urine, has been criticized for using racial slurs in his music and for lyrics that appear to sexualize minors, such as in the song "Panty Shot." In addition to this, Urine has been the subject of an anonymous allegation of grooming and sexual abuse.
Misconceptions[]
The renewed interest in the Scene subculture, especially through TikTok, has led to several common misconceptions that distinguish the original 2000s movement from its modern interpretations. A frequent misunderstanding is that Scene fashion was dominated by bright neon colors and Kandi beaded jewelry; while colorful elements were present, the original aesthetic was more directly rooted in emo and punk styles, with Kandi being more specific to rave culture. Modern aesthetics like Glitchcore and Scenecore are also often conflated with original Scene, but they are distinct phenomena with different musical foundations (such as hyperpop) and cultural contexts.
Another common misconception is that Scene music "does not exist" because there is no single music genre called "scene." However, "Scene music" serves as a valid shorthand for the specific cluster of metalcore, crunkcore, and electronic bands that were central to the subculture's identity.
Finally, the criticism that Scene was a "poser subculture" overlooks the fact that, while social status was important, genuine participation typically involved an authentic engagement with the associated music and culture, not just an adoption of the fashion.
Inspired & Related Subcultures[]
Subcultures around the globe who were inspired, or share a lot of similarities to Scene.
Asia[]
Latin America[]
Europe[]
- Truzzo (Italy)
- Partille Johnny (Sweden)
- Fruittari (Finland)
- Spicers (Ireland)
Resources[]
External links to help get a better understanding of this vast subculture.
Tropes[]
Communities[]
- MySpace (formerly)
- Spacehey (revival of former one, above)
- Big Money Cybergrind
- Piranha Party (formerly)
- Discord servers
- TikTok
Artists[]
- Jhonen Vasquez
- Aaron Alexovich
- xxdeadb4idiedxx
- everlush1ight
- killvetica
- chainsaw.izzie
- xxzombified.luvv
- xx_dead.jhonny_xx
- herexliesxlei
- zwambi_dj
- kjelliottart
- raverraccoon
- ohjgff
- spookscene
- Zeffdakilla
- kenjixpp
YouTubers[]
- The Cozy Representative (MySpace history)
- Jordan Sweeto
- Mayj Pereyra
- Clawed_Beauty101 (Also found on TikTok, Instagram and Twitch)
- acidmilk
- MAD Molly
- Maya Malice
- P1XY_ST1X
- Xx_dan13ld3ztruxt10n_Xx
- GravelyGothicKayla
Vendors[]
- Akumu Ink
- Babycakes
- Claire's
- Cupcake Cult
- David and Goliath
- Glamour Kills
- Hot Topic
- New Breed Girl
- Osiris Shoes
- GetPwnedPoser
- Silent Scream Clothing
- Tokidoki
- Sourpuss Clothing
- Spencer's
- Whatever 21
- Iron Fist
- Bullet69
- DC
Events[]
Others[]
- Scene Kids by REXICUTION
- Scene
- Crunk on Every Noise At Once
- Screamo on Every Noise At Once
- Deathcore on Every Noise At Once
- Pop Punk on Every Noise At Once
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "From Hardcore to Harajuku: The Origins of Scene Subculture" on popmatters.com
- ↑ The Definitive Scene-Era Music Compilation (2002 - 2015)
- ↑ Scenecore - Last FM
- ↑ https://youtu.be/TbMzkMFwGjY
- ↑ "Spotify Removes Blood On The Dance Floor’s Songs For “Prohibited Content” After Singer Accused Of Rape" on genius.com (Note: Source contains sensitive content)
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