View source for Shoegaze

{{Short description|Genre of alternative rock music}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Shoegaze
| other_names       = Shoegazing (early)
| image             = Pleasure Centre.jpg
| caption           = A photograph of a typical shoegaze musician's [[guitar pedals]].
| stylistic_origins = *[[Indie rock]]<ref name="all_music"/>
*[[alternative rock]]<ref name="ReynoldsNYT"/>
*[[neo-psychedelia]]<ref name="xlr8r"/>
*[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]<ref name="xlr8r"/>
*[[noise pop]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602055716/http://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2012|title=Noise Pop : Significant Albums, Artists and Songs, Most Viewed: AllMusic|website=[[AllMusic]] |date=2 June 2012}}</ref>
*[[noise rock]]
*[[dream pop]]<ref name="xlr8r"/>
*[[punk rock]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Lyons |first=Patrick |date=August 11, 2021 |title=The Heavy Music To Shoegaze Pipeline |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2156923/nothing-deafheaven-heavy-music-to-shoegaze-pipeline/columns/sounding-board/ |website=[[Stereogum]] |access-date=31 December 2024 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128201612/https://www.stereogum.com/2156923/nothing-deafheaven-heavy-music-to-shoegaze-pipeline/columns/sounding-board/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[post-punk]]<ref name="The A.V. Club">{{cite news|title=Where to start with the enigmatic music known as shoegaze |last=Heller |first=Jason|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/where-to-start-with-the-enigmatic-music-known-as-s-84889|access-date=9 August 2016|archive-date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030024131/http://www.avclub.com/article/where-to-start-with-the-enigmatic-music-known-as-s-84889|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[gothic rock]]
*[[ethereal wave]]<ref>Olivier Bernard: ''Anthologie de l'ambient'', Camion Blanc, 2013, {{ISBN|2-357-794151}}<br/>« L'ethereal wave (et notamment les Cocteau Twins) a grandement influencé le shoegaze et la dream pop. »</ref>
*[[garage rock]]<ref name="xlr8r"/>
*[[space rock]]<ref name="space rock">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|title=Space Rock : Allmusic|website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 March 2019|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329215305/https://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|url-status=live}}</ref>
| fusiongenres      = [[Blackgaze]]
| local_scenes      = 
| other_topics      = * [[ambient music|Ambient]]
* [[post-rock]]
* [[post-metal]]
* [[grunge]]
* [[Britpop]]
* [[chillwave]]
| cultural_origins  = Late 1980s, United Kingdom
| derivatives       = * [[witch house (genre)|witch house]]<ref name="lindsaycam">{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |title=The Translator - Witch House |last=Lindsay |first=Cam |publisher=Exclaim.ca |date=31 January 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |archive-date=22 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422085813/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[shitgaze]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Lesuer |first=Mike |title=I Miss Shitgaze, Man |website=FLOOD Magazine |date=2023-08-22 |url=https://floodmagazine.com/141620/i-miss-shitgaze-man/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |quote="shitgaze": a rough take on shoegaze where rather than 90 percent of the track being swallowed up by dense reverb, that percentage was instead reserved for ear-splitting lo-fi noise, tape hiss, and, occasionally, campy vocals shouting things like "welcome to hell, puker corpse!"}}</ref>
}}

'''Shoegaze''' (originally known as '''shoegazing''') is a [[subgenre]] of [[indie rock|indie]] and [[alternative rock]] characterised by its ethereal soundscapes, use of obscured vocals, heavy [[guitar effects]], and [[distortion (music)|distortion]], often producing an immersive "[[wall of sound]]". Shoegaze originated in the [[United Kingdom]] during the late 1980s among [[Neo-psychedelia|neo-psychedelic]] groups, who drew influence from [[post-punk]] and [[dream pop]].  The term was coined by the British music press to describe bands who usually stood motionless and stared down at their [[guitar pedals]] during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state.  

A loose label given to the shoegaze bands and other affiliated artists in [[London]] during the early 1990s was "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". Early shoegaze groups drew from [[Cocteau Twins]] and [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]], alongside the template set by [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] on their albums ''[[Isn't Anything]]'' and ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]''. 

The genre reached its peak in the early 1990s, particularly in the UK's underground [[rock music|rock]] scene, but was soon sidelined by American [[grunge]] and early [[Britpop]] acts, leading many bands to break up or reinvent their sound. By the 2000s and 2010s, shoegaze experienced a revival known as "[[nu gaze]]".  The original scene also led to the emergence of [[Fusion genre|fusion genres]] such as [[blackgaze]], and influenced several internet [[microgenres]] such as [[shitgaze]] and [[Witch house (genre)|witch house]]. By the 2020s, a new shoegaze revival would be spearheaded by [[Generation Z]] artists, known as "[[zoomergaze]]".{{toclimit}}

==Characteristics==
{{listen|
 |filename    = Soon.ogg
 |title       = "Soon"
 |description = "Soon", from the 1991 album ''[[Loveless (My Bloody Valentine album)|Loveless]]'' by [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]], features a dance-oriented beat behind three tracks of [[Kevin Shields]]' "[[glide guitar]]".}}

Shoegaze combines ethereal, swirling vocals with layers of [[guitar distortion|distorted]], bent, or [[flanging|flanged]] guitars to create a wash of sound where no instrument is distinguishable from the other.<ref name="xlr8r">{{cite web  |last=Sisson |first=Patrick |title=Vapour Trails: Revisiting Shoegaze |url=https://xlr8r.com/features/vapour-trails-revisiting-shoegaze/ |website=XLR8R |date=2009-01-06 |access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref><ref name="all_music">{{cite web |title=Shoegaze |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004454 |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> The sound of the genre is typically characterised by overwhelming volume, long, droning [[riff]]s, heavy use of distortion and [[feedback]], and subdued vocal delivery, with melodies often fading into the mix.<ref name="all_music" /> 

According to ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', "emotionally, shoegaze turns its focus inward. The extreme noise eliminates the possibility of socializing while the music is playing, leaving each member of the audience alone with their thoughts. It's music for dreaming".<ref name="50best">{{Cite web |last= |date=2016-10-24 |title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080929/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is sometimes conflated with [[dream pop]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rothman |first=Joshua |title=T. S. Eliot Would Have Liked Beach House |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/t-s-eliot-would-have-liked-beach-house |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=16 June 2021 |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305065517/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/t-s-eliot-would-have-liked-beach-house |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2020-12-17 |title=Shoegaze / Dream Pop |url=https://www.muzplay.net/playlists/88917/shoegaze-dream-pop?language=en |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=MuzPlay |quote=In a brief and simple way, shoegaze presents a harsher sound, in which the ethereal vocals are buried under layers of guitars, creating nebulous songs. In dream pop, there is more clarity in vocals and melodies, with soft sonorous textures that evoke dreams.}}</ref> Early UK shoegaze was influenced by American bands such as [[Dinosaur Jr.]], [[Hüsker Dü]] and [[Sonic Youth]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Earles |first=Andrew |title=Gimme Indie Rock |publisher=Voyager Press |year=2014 |pages=189}}</ref>

A defining characteristic of shoegaze is its use of heavily processed [[Electric guitar|electric guitars]]. Guitarists often employ a wide range of effects such as [[Reverberation|reverb]], delay, chorus, [[tremolo]], and distortion to produce a layered and immersive wall of sound.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Zac |date=2017-07-03 |title=The Role of Phonesthemes in Shoegaze Naming Conventions |url=http://ans-names.pitt.edu/ans/article/view/2124 |journal=Names |volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=143–153 |doi=10.1080/00277738.2017.1304105 |issn=1756-2279 |doi-access=free |archive-date=8 July 2025 |access-date=8 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708043026/https://ans-names.pitt.edu/ans/article/view/2124 |url-status=live }}</ref> A notable technique within the genre is the use of the "[[glide guitar]]", developed by the Irish-English band [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]], in which pitch bends are achieved via the [[whammy bar]] during chord strumming to create a woozy, undulating effect.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="DeRogatis2003">{{cite book |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7cQmRsLgN8C&pg=PA488 |title=Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-634-05548-5 |page=488 |authorlink=Jim DeRogatis}}</ref> These textures are frequently described as blurred or atmospheric and are designed to blend seamlessly, creating a continuous sonic field.<ref name=":1" />

=== Imagery ===

A significant portion of early shoegaze output was released as [[Extended play|extended plays]] (EPs), often consisting of three to five tracks.{{sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=15}} This format enabled artists to develop and showcase their sound without the constraints of full-length albums. EPs served as important entry points for new listeners and were regarded as accessible representations of a band's stylistic identity.{{sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=16}}

Visually, shoegaze releases often incorporate abstract or distorted imagery in album artwork and music videos, mirroring the genre's sonic qualities. Effects such as [[Exposure (photography)|overexposure]], [[Gaussian blur|blur]], and color inversion are commonly used to complement the music's atmospheric qualities. Many notable early shoegaze bands featured both male and female members, contributing to a broader range of vocal timbres and a balance of musical sensibilities. Mixed-gender vocal interplay became a common feature in several influential acts.<ref name=":0" />

A notable pattern within shoegaze is the frequent use of band and release names containing [[Phonestheme|phonesthemes]]—clusters of sounds that evoke movement or fluidity (e.g., [[Swirlies]], [[Swervedriver]], [[Whirlpool (Chapterhouse album)|''Whirlpool'']], [[Swoon (Silversun Pickups album)|''Swoon'']]). According to a study written by Zac Smith, this trend has been interpreted as an unconscious branding strategy that reflects the genre's emphasis on swirling, indistinct textures and fluid sound design.<ref name=":0" />

While many contemporary [[alternative rock]] scenes such as [[grunge]] and [[Britpop]] were largely male-dominated at the time, shoegaze bands including My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Lush, Pale Saints, and [[Curve (band)|Curve]], among others, featured at least one prominent female member who contributed significantly to their sound and songwriting. In the 2014 film ''[[Beautiful Noise (film)|Beautiful Noise]]'', [[Kevin Shields]] noted that "there seemed to be as many girls around as guys" in the shoegaze scene.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Beautiful Noise |date=2014 |last=Green |first=Eric |medium=film |publisher=HypFilms |location=United States}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{See also|Dream pop}}
According to ''Pitchfork'', shoegaze is "a particularly unusual genre in that its name describes neither a sound nor a connection to music history".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitchfork |date=2016-10-24 |title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080929/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The name comes from the heavy use of [[effects pedals]], as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during such concerts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Finn |date=14 August 2017 |title=Shoegaze, the Sound of Protest Shrouded in Guitar Fuzz, Returns |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/arts/music/shoegaze-slowdive-ride.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218003247/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/arts/music/shoegaze-slowdive-ride.html/ |archive-date=18 December 2019 |access-date=17 December 2019 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="ReynoldsNYT">{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |date=1 December 1991 |title=Pop View; 'Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902043640/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=2 September 2020 |access-date=7 March 2010 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name="all_music" /><ref name="guardian" />

In a 2016 article for ''[[HuffPost]]'', [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]] claimed he coined the term ''shoegazing'' at a show on 3 September 1991 which featured [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]], [[Slowdive]] and [[Moose (band)|Moose]], because the bands' members seemed to be "sucked into a state of trance by the footwear lurking semi-motionless beneath their low-slung guitars".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ross |first=Andy |date=11 May 2016 |title=The Coining of a Genre |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andy-ross/shoegaze_b_9892330.html |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=HuffPost UK |archive-date=19 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819092529/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andy-ross/shoegaze_b_9892330.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Alternatively, ''The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music'' (1992) claimed that the first use of the name was in a concert review for Moose, published by ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', in which the author referenced how singer Russell Yates read lyrics taped to the floor throughout the gig.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music |publisher=Square One |year=1992 |isbn=0-85112-579-4 |editor-last=Larkin |editor-first=Colin |editor-link=Colin Larkin |page=188}}</ref> 

According to [[AllMusic]]: "The shatteringly loud, droning [[neo-psychedelia]] the band performed was dubbed shoegaze by the British press because the band members stared at the floor while they performed".<ref name="all_music"/> The term was also used by the British music press to describe [[dream pop]] bands.<ref name="Wice">{{cite book |last1=Wice |first1=Nathaniel |last2=Daly |first2=Steven |url=https://archive.org/details/altcultureatozgu00wice/page/68/mode/2up |title=Alt. Culture: An A-to-Z Guide to the '90s – Underground, Online, and Over-the-Counter |location=New York |publisher=[[Harper Perennial]] |year=1995 |page=69 |isbn=978-0-06-273383-2 |url-access=registration |quote=The dream pop bands were lionized by the capricious British music press, which later took to dismissing them as 'shoegazers' for their affectless stage presence.}}</ref> [[Slowdive]]'s [[Simon Scott (drummer)|Simon Scott]] found the term relevant:

{{Blockquote|I always thought [[Robert Smith (singer)|Robert Smith]], when he was in [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] playing guitar [on the 1983's ''[[Nocturne (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)|Nocturne]]'' live video], was the coolest as he just stood there and let the music flood out. That anti showmanship was perfect so I never really understood why people began to use "shoegaze" as a negative term. I think if Slowdive didn't stand there looking at what pedal was about to go on and off we'd have been shite. [...] I am glad we were static and concentrated on playing well. Now it is a positive term.<ref>{{cite web |first=Dom |last=Gourlay |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136609-shoegaze-week--dis-talks-to-simon-scott-about-his-time-in-slowdive |title=Shoegaze Week DIS Talks To Simon Scott About His Time In Slowdive |website=[[Drowned in Sound]] |date=23 April 2009 |access-date=10 September 2015 |archive-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906045449/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136609-shoegaze-week--dis-talks-to-simon-scott-about-his-time-in-slowdive}}</ref>}}

However, to some, the term was considered a [[pejorative]], especially by a part of the English weekly music press who considered the movement as ineffectual, and it was disliked by many of the groups it purported to describe.<ref name="xlr8r"/> [[Lush (band)|Lush]]{{'}}s singer [[Miki Berenyi]] explained: {{blockquote|Shoegazing was originally a slag-off term. My partner [K.J. "Moose" McKillop], who was the guitarist in Moose, claims that it was originally leveled at his band. Apparently the journo was referring to the bank of effects pedals he had strewn across the stage that he had to keep staring at in order to operate. And then it just became a generic term for all those bands that had a big, sweeping, effects-laden sound, but all stood resolutely still on stage.<ref name="xlr8r"/>}}<nowiki> </nowiki>[[Ride (band)|Ride]]'s [[Mark Gardener]] had another take on his group's static presentation: "We didn't want to use the stage as a platform for ego... We presented ourselves as normal people, as a band who wanted their fans to think they could do that too".<ref name="guardian"/> I

== History ==

=== Mid-1960s–1982: Roots and early influences ===
{{See also|Psychedelia|Post-punk}}[[File:Velvet Underground & Nico publicity photo (retouched).jpg|thumb|[[The Velvet Underground]], an influential underground music act in the late 1960s, who were later described as influences on shoegaze]]
Shoegaze traces its roots to the psychedelic pop pioneered in the 1960s by bands such as [[the Byrds]], [[the Beach Boys]], and [[the Beatles]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=17}}: "... there was a rediscovery of the psychedelic pop of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Byrds."</ref> [[The Velvet Underground]] have also been widely credited as a foundational influence on both proto-shoegaze ([[Spacemen 3]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-28 |title=Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom On The Velvet Underground: "They Blew My Mind" |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/spacemen-3s-sonic-boom-on-the-velvet-underground-they-blew-my-mind/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=Mojo |archive-date=4 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704104833/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/spacemen-3s-sonic-boom-on-the-velvet-underground-they-blew-my-mind/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=2014-10-26 |title=The Jesus and Mary Chain on Psychocandy: 'It was a little miracle' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/26/jesus-and-mary-chain-psychocandy-live-interview |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=The Observer|issn=0029-7712}}</ref>) and shoegaze acts ([[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]],<ref name="Westword2009">{{cite web  |title=My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields talks Loveless and the influence of bands like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. |url=https://www.westword.com/music/my-bloody-valentines-kevin-shields-talks-loveless-and-the-influence-of-bands-like-sonic-youth-and-dinosaur-jr-5103473/ |website=Westword |date=2009-04-23 |access-date=2025-10-12}}</ref> [[Ride (band)|Ride]],<ref name=":022">{{Cite web |last=Trunick |first=Austin |date=November 18, 2013 |title=Ride on "Nowhere": Mark Gardener and Andy Bell on 1990's Shoegaze Classic |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/ride_on_nowhere_mark_gardener_and_andy_bell |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201055400/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/ride_on_nowhere_mark_gardener_and_andy_bell |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |access-date=May 11, 2024 |website=Under the Radar}}</ref> [[Slowdive]]<ref name=":122">{{Cite web |last=Trunick |first=Austin |date=August 12, 2014 |title=Slowdive - Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell on the Bands That Inspired Them |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/slowdive_-_neil_halstead_and_rachel_goswell_on_the_bands_that_inspired_them |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218162051/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/slowdive_-_neil_halstead_and_rachel_goswell_on_the_bands_that_inspired_them |archive-date=February 18, 2024 |access-date=May 11, 2024 |website=Under the Radar}}</ref>). [[Phil Spector]]'s [[Wall of Sound]], characterized by its use of natural [[Reverberation|reverb]] and [[Echo chamber|echo chambers]], foreshadowed many of the production techniques later embraced by shoegaze.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kaldy |first=Dana |title=The Wall of Sound |website=Got A Million Rhymes |date=2018-04-29 |url=https://gotamillionrhymes.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/the-wall-of-sound/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |quote=Shoegaze is inspired by Phil Spector's wall of sound, stemming from the aspect of overwhelming sound on a song's tracks.}}</ref>

The song "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]",<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=18}}: "Adam Franklin: I feel like the template for shoegaze is probably 'Tomorrow Never Knows' by the Beatles."</ref> recorded by [[the Beatles]] in 1966 and released on their album ''[[Revolver (The Beatles album)|''Revolver'']]'', "[[All I Wanna Do (The Beach Boys song)|All I Wanna Do]]"<ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Jim |title=How The Beach Boys Became The Godfathers Of Dream Pop |website=uDiscoverMusic |date=2024-06-20 |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/beach-boys-godfathers-of-dream-pop/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |quote=This is where the dream pop family tree starts to come into focus.}}</ref> from [[the Beach Boys]]' 1970 album [[Sunflower (The Beach Boys album)|''Sunflower'']], and [[Brian Eno]]'s 1974 debut album ''[[Here Come the Warm Jets]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Kelly  |date=2017-08-04 |title=15 artists pick their favourite Brian Eno records |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/features/15-artists-favourite-brian-eno-records/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The Vinyl Factory |archive-date=14 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714175129/https://www.thevinylfactory.com/features/15-artists-favourite-brian-eno-records |url-status=live |quote=Peder Mannerfelt: I would like to argue that Brian Eno not only invented ambient music but also shoegaze with Here Come The Warm Jets}}</ref> have all been retrospectively viewed as forerunners of shoegaze. [[Slowdive]], who were fans of Eno's work, approached him to produce their album [[Souvlaki (album)|''Souvlaki'']]. Although he declined to produce, he spent a few days recording with the band, resulting in the tracks "Sing" and "Here She Comes".<ref name="Watson2">{{cite AV media notes |chapter=Slowdive: ''Souvlaki'' |chapter-url=http://www.ianwatsonuk.com/slowdivetwo.html |access-date=3 December 2017 |last=Watson |first=Ian |title=Souvlaki |others=[[Slowdive]] |publisher=[[Castle Communications|Castle Music]] |year=2005 |id=CMEDD 1245 |type=liner notes |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213165755/http://www.ianwatsonuk.com/slowdivetwo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Early British [[post-punk]] bands were formative influences on the first wave of shoegaze.<ref name=":222">{{cite web |last=Bonner |first=Michael |date=3 November 2017 |title=Going Blank Again: a history of shoegaze |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226160209/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/ |archive-date=26 December 2020 |access-date=26 September 2020 |website=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}}</ref> [[Wire (band)|Wire]]'s 1979 single "[[Map Ref|Map Ref. 41°N 93°W]]" would later be covered by My Bloody Valentine.  Slowdive named themselves after the [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] [[Slowdive (song)|song of the same name]], released in 1982, and took inspiration from the group in their early days, while [[Lush (band)|Lush]] were originally called "The Baby Machines", a name taken from a Banshees lyric.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tyler |first=Kieron |date=17 January 2016 |title=Reissue CDs Weekly: Still in a Dream - A Story of Shoegaze |url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-still-dream-story-shoegaze |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406130852/http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-still-dream-story-shoegaze |archive-date=6 April 2017 |access-date=17 December 2016 |publisher=theartsdesk.com}}</ref> Other influences include [[Robert Fripp]]'s echo-laden guitar on [[David Bowie]]'s 1977 song {{"-}}[["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|'Heroes']]",<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-01-29 |title=Album Review: Various – Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988–1995 |url=https://drownedinsound.com/releases/19184/reviews/4149706 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426201739/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/19184/reviews/4149706 |archive-date=26 April 2025 |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=DrownedInSound}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mokrzewski |first=Nick |date=2022-04-12 |title=The Impact and Influence Shoegaze Continues to Have on Modern Music |url=https://agoria.ca/thebsideblog/index.php/2022/04/12/the-impact-and-influence-shoegaze-continues-to-have-on-modern-music |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=The B-Side Blog}}</ref> as well as [[the Cure]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pritchard|2023}}: "Developed from The Velvet Underground's noisy garage rock, Cocteau Twins' dreamy, ethereal pop music and The Cure's gothic, textured sound from the early 1980s, shoegaze grew from a myriad of sounds and artists.</ref>

=== 1982–1988: Origins ===
{{See also|Neo-psychedelia|Dream pop|Noise pop}}
[[File:Cocteau Twins 1986.jpg|thumb|right|Often classified as [[dream pop]], Scottish band [[Cocteau Twins]] (pictured in 1986) paved the way for the shoegaze scene]] As a music genre, shoegaze developed during the 1980s, when a group of British [[neo-psychedelia|neo-psychedelic]] bands such as [[Cocteau Twins]], [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]], and—most notably—[[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] expanded the possibilities of the [[electric guitar]], pairing dense, textural soundscapes with subdued, introspective vocals that challenged the traditional idea of the singer as the frontperson of a band.<ref name="25years">{{cite web |last=Cardew |first=Ben |title=25 Years After Its Imperial Phase: Who Killed Shoegaze? |website=The Quietus |date=2016-01-05 |url=https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/shoegaze-ride-slowdive-mbv/ |access-date=2025-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405143815/https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/shoegaze-ride-slowdive-mbv/ |archive-date=2024-04-05 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Emerging from the UK alternative scene with their 1982 debut album ''[[Garlands (album)|Garlands]]'' on [[4AD]], the Scottish trio Cocteau Twins had a substantial influence on the development of shoegaze.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=20}}: "... with their 1982 debut on 4AD, ''Garlands'', Scottish trio the Cocteau Twins had a keystone influence on what became shoegaze."</ref> Their music featured ethereal, atmospheric guitar textures crafted by guitarist and producer [[Robin Guthrie]], and distinctive vocals by [[Elizabeth Fraser]], whose often unintelligible singing was mixed low in the recordings.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=20}}</ref>

Another Scottish group, the Jesus and Mary Chain, is widely regarded as the immediate forerunner of shoegaze.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parys |first=Bryan |date=2019-09-13 |title=Shoegaze Music: 17 Songs That Chart the Genre's History—and Its Future |url=https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/do-you-shoegaze-primer-underground-genre |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Berklee College of Music |quote=While they are often described as shoegaze, the term didn't exist ... but for many, the Jesus and Mary Chain is where the genre broke ground.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251030222004/https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/do-you-shoegaze-primer-underground-genre |archive-date=2025-10-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> Blending traditional pop with [[noise in music|noise]] and guitar [[feedback]], their 1985 debut album ''[[Psychocandy]]'' exerted a major influence on the subsequent shoegaze bands, including the genre-defining My Bloody Valentine, with [[Creation Records]] founder [[Alan McGee]] noting that the latter "changed their style because of The Jesus and Mary Chain."<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Les racines du mouvement}}: "« Les Jesus And Mary Chain ont eu une influence énorme sur le son de My Bloody Valentine et ce qui est connu maintenant sous le nom de scène shoegaze. Je pense même que My Bloody Valentine a changé leur style à cause de Jesus And Mary Chain » admet Alan McGee."</ref>

Parallel to this, groups such as [[Spacemen 3]] and [[Loop (band)|Loop]] revived elements of 1960s [[space rock]] in their first albums (''[[Sound of Confusion]]'', 1986; ''[[Heaven's End]]'', 1987), exploring minimalist, [[drone music|droning]] psychedelia over conventional pop structures.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=22}}</ref> Their rejection of stage theatrics and focus on sound itself anticipated the introverted, effects-driven aesthetic later associated with shoegaze.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=22–23}}: "Sonic Boom: Spacemen 3 could be called a shoegaze band by the fact that we did not have any stage moves. ... It was all about the sound we were trying to create and not how we were trying to look."</ref>

Across the Atlantic, American indie bands such as [[Sonic Youth]], [[Dinosaur Jr.]], and [[Hüsker Dü]] also played an important role in shaping shoegaze's guitar language,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=23}}</ref> particularly influencing My Bloody Valentine.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parkes |first=Taylor |date=May 10, 2012 |title="Not Doing Things Is Soul Destroying" - Kevin Shields Of MBV Interviewed |website=The Quietus |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/08745-kevin-shields-interview-mbv-my-bloody-valentine |access-date=May 11, 2024 |archive-date=2025-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002233028/https://thequietus.com/interviews/kevin-shields-interview-mbv-my-bloody-valentine/ |quote=Then when Bilinda joined, around that 86-87 period, we were getting into Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, ''Sister'' and ''EVOL'' by Sonic Youth…}}</ref> In 1988, after undergoing several stylistic and lineup changes, My Bloody Valentine released their breakthrough third EP, ''[[You Made Me Realise]]'', on [[Creation Records]], which showcased frontman [[Kevin Shields]]' newfound approach to guitar playing, known as "[[glide guitar]]". Later that year, the release of their debut album ''[[Isn't Anything]]'' was widely acclaimed as innovative and credited with shaping the shoegaze genre.<ref name="50best"></ref>

Other late-1980s British groups such as [[A.R. Kane]], [[The House of Love]], [[Kitchens of Distinction]], [[Bark Psychosis]], and [[The Telescopes]] also experimented with noise, texture, and introspective songwriting, further contributing to the sound that would later develop into shoegaze.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=24–25}}</ref> 

=== 1989–1996: Prominence and Decline ===

==== Rise of the scene ====
Shoegaze began to emerge as a distinct music scene in late 1989 and came into full view in 1990.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=65}}</ref> In September 1989, [[4AD]] released [[Pale Saints]]' first EP, ''Barging Into the Presence of God'', followed by [[Lush (band)|Lush]]'s debut mini-album ''[[Scar (Lush album)|Scar]]''. Both records produced by [[John Fryer (producer)|John Fryer]]—who had previously worked with [[Cocteau Twins]]—were well received by the British music press and reached number 3 on the UK Indie Chart.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=65}}: "... both releases were quickly acclaimed by the UK press and both hit number 3 on the UK Indie Chart."</ref> A co-headlining show by Pale Saints and Lush that December in [[Leeds]] further highlighted a new direction in British [[indie rock]], despite a mixed live review from ''[[Melody Maker]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=65}}</ref>
[[File:Ride - band landscape.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|In 1990, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] emerged as shoegaze's most prominent act]]
In 1990, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] emerged at the forefront of the movement. After signing with [[Creation Records]] the previous year, the group released three acclaimed EPs—''[[Ride (EP)|Ride]]'', ''[[Play (Ride EP)|Play]]'', and ''[[Fall (Ride EP)|Fall]]''—followed by their debut album ''[[Nowhere (album)|Nowhere]]''. Their televised performance of "Drive Blind" on ''[[Snub TV]]'' coincided with their first EP's release, propelling them to national attention.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=66}}</ref> Critics in ''Melody Maker'' and ''[[NME]]'' praised Ride's blend of dense guitar textures and melodic songwriting,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=66}}: "Ride are almost too perfect, too great to be true," wrote Chris Roberts in a two-page spread in ''Melody Maker''.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=69–70}}: "... ''Nowhere'', both of which the ''NME''s Roger Morton compared to the first two EPs by saying, 'The songs are deeper, larger in scale ... the balance of noise and melody, nihilism and amazement, is perfectly preserved.'"</ref> while ''Nowhere''—mixed by producer [[Alan Moulder]] after a troubled recording process<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=70–71}}</ref>—became one of the genre's defining works.<ref name="50best"></ref>

In February, Pale Saints released their debut album ''[[The Comforts of Madness (album)|The Comforts of Madness]]'', bridging [[dream pop]] and shoegaze's heavier edge.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=67}}</ref> That same month, Lush issued the ''[[Mad Love (EP)|Mad Love]]'' EP, produced by Cocteau Twins' [[Robin Guthrie]], whose mentorship refined the band's once-chaotic sound into a polished, "beautiful, primitive" record.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=67}}: "... feature story for ''Melody Maker'', Steve Sutherland hailed ''Mad Love'' as 'a beautiful, primitive record' ..."</ref> In April, Creation Records released My Bloody Valentine's ''[[Glider (EP)|Glider]]'' EP, whose track "Soon" reached number 2 on the UK Indie Chart and was later described by [[Brian Eno]] as "the vaguest music ever to have been a hit."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=68}}: "... 'Soon'—which Brian Eno would famously call 'the vaguest music ever to have been a hit' after it reached number 2 on the UK Indie Chart ..."</ref> The label continued to expand the scene with debut EPs by [[Swervedriver]] (''[[Son of Mustang Ford]]'') and [[Slowdive]] (''[[Slowdive (EP)|Slowdive]]'' EP), the latter earning ''Melody Maker's'' "Single of the Week."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=73}}</ref> 

Meanwhile, [[The Boo Radleys]] released their debut album [[Ichabod and I]] on Action Records, which largely was overlooked by the press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=69}}</ref> [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]] followed with the ''[[Freefall (EP)|Freefall]]'' and ''[[Sunburst (EP)|Sunburst]]'' EPs, while Lush's [[Sweetness and Light (EP)|Sweetness and Light]] EP demonstrated shoegaze's pop potential despite ''Melody Maker'''s critique of its title track as "sorely over-produced".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=73}}: "... title track represents a 
high watermark of shoegaze's pop potential—even if ''Melody Maker'' thought it was 'sorely over-produced.'"</ref> The year's end also saw Swervedriver's ''[[Rave Down]]'' EP, which bassist Adi Vines described as "ethereal metal" after it earned praise in a heavy metal magazine.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=73}}</ref>

By the end of 1990, shoegaze had gained significant underground traction. [[John Peel]] included three Ride songs on his year-end [[Festive Fifty]] list.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=74}}</ref> Ride's ''Nowhere'' appeared in ''Melody Maker'''s Top 30 albums of 1990 (#20), while My Bloody Valentine's ''Glider'' (#5), Ride's ''Fall'' (#7), and Lush's ''Mad Love'' (#19) featured in the magazine's year-end singles poll.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=74}}: "... in  year-end critics poll, only ''Nowhere'' placed in their Top 30 albums of 1990 (#20), while their year-end list of singles included My Bloody Valentine's ''Glider'' EP (#5), Ride's ''Fall'' EP (#7), and Lush's ''Mad Love'' EP (#19)."</ref>

==== The Scene That Celebrates Itself ====
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a small, close-knit community of [[Independent music|indie]] bands emerged in the [[Thames Valley]] region, including  [[Oxford]], [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], and [[London]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=37}}: "... many  of  them  came  from  the  Thames Valley, a region immediately west of London that includes the  towns  of  Oxford—home  of  Ride  and  Swervedriver—and  Reading—birthplace of Chapterhouse and Slowdive."</ref> Key groups such as [[Ride (band)|Ride]], [[Slowdive]], [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]], [[Lush (band)|Lush]], [[Moose (band)|Moose]], and [[Swervedriver]] formed what became known as the original shoegaze scene,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=5}}: "... the original shoegaze scene—which included core acts Ride, Slowdive, Lush, Chapterhouse, Swervedriver, and Moose ..."</ref> with the exception of My Bloody Valentine.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=37}}: "... the band that forged the genre's most supreme document, 1991's ''Loveless''. Yet at the time, they were not part of the shoegaze scene so much as the progenitors of it."</ref> The bands often attended each other's gigs, shared producers and labels (mainly [[Creation Records|Creation]] and [[4AD]]), and even members, forming a friendly, self-supporting network rather than a competitive scene.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=78}}: "Neil Halstead: It was a genuinely supportive scene."</ref>
[[File:Slowdive live 1992.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Slowdive]] performing live in the early 1990s.]] 

Notable meeting places included Syndrome, a weekly indie club on [[Oxford Street]], and venues such as [[The Falcon, Camden|the Camden Falcon]], [[The Borderline (music venue)|the Borderline]], and  [[Camden Underworld|the Underworld]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=76}}: "... meeting points were Syndrome, a weekly indie music club hosted in a basement bar in Oxford Street, and venues like the Camden Falcon, the Borderline, the Powerhaus, and the Underworld."</ref> Outside London, shoegaze bands often toured together, and when the music press eventually took notice, the scene was quickly named and sensationalized.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=76}}</ref>

The phrase "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" was coined by ''[[Melody Maker]]'' journalist Steve Sutherland on June 8, 1991, in a review of a [[Moose (band)|Moose]] concert at the Camden Falcon.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "Tout a commencé lors du rapport d'un concert de Moose le 8 juin 1991 par Steve Sutherland. ... Étaient donc présents ce jour au Camden Falcon ..."</ref> Sutherland noted that he was more struck by the audience than by the music, as the crowd was filled with members of similar bands applauding the performance.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}} : "Le journaliste a davantage été surpris par le public que par ce qu'il se passait réellement sur scène: en effet, tous les autres groupes pratiquant à peu près le même style que Moose se tenaient dans la fosse pour les applaudir !"</ref> Originally intended as a compliment,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=77}}: "Steve Sutherland: ... it's interpreted as a snarky critique. But it wasn't! It just captured my feeling that every time you went to see these bands, all the other bands were there, which was very unusual then."</ref> the phrase was soon used pejoratively by the music press to portray the scene as idle, [[narcissistic]], homogeneous, and detached from the working-class energy that had defined earlier British rock movements.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=104}}</ref> The shoegaze musician was ultimately caricatured as the "alpha student", a skinny, middle-class undergraduate with [[acne]], wearing a bleach-faded T-shirt with blue and white circles, and carrying a copy of My Bloody Valentine's ''[[Isn't Anything]]'' under his arm.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "On a fini par caricaturer le musicien shoegaze, l'étudiant alpha, « le petit gringalet, fan de John Keats, étudiant de premier cycle issu de la classe moyenne, fils à maman qui s'appelle Quentin, avec de l'acné, un tee-shirt passé à la javel aux cercles bleus et blancs, et qui possède un exemplaire du ''Isn't Anything'' de My Bloody Valentine sous le bras » ..."</ref>

Beyond the core acts, The Scene also included avant-pop group [[Stereolab]] and short-lived indie rock band [[See See Rider (band)|See See Rider]], both of which frequently exchanged members with Moose.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "... et passages intermittents au sein de groupes (See See Rider pour Russell et Stereolab pour Kevin) ..."</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "... Lætitia Sadier de Stereolab a chanté pour Moose au cours des Peel Sessions ..."</ref> Other associated acts included [[Thousand Yard Stare (band)|Thousand Yard Stare]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Jamie |title=Cult heroes: Thousand Yard Stare – Slough's indefatigable jacks of all trades |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/aug/30/cult-heroes-thousand-yard-stare |work=The Guardian |date=2016-08-30 |access-date=2025-10-22 |quote="...before their Thames Valley origins saw them become shoegazers by association."
}}</ref> [[Revolver (British band) | Revolver]],<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "... Revolver a fait les premières parties de Chapterhouse ou Slowdive ..."</ref> [[Th' Faith Healers]], and early [[Blur (band)|Blur]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=78}}: "... core group of shoegazers: Slowdive, Ride, Swervedriver, Chapterhouse, Lush, and Moose. But beyond them, The Scene also included the likes of avant-pop group Stereolab—who often swapped members with Moose and lesser-known noise act Th' Faith Healers—and a young Blur.</ref> The press also frequently linked [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]], [[Curve (band)|Curve]], [[Cranes (band)|Cranes]], [[Silverfish (band)|Silverfish]], and [[Pale Saints]] to the movement, even if they had few or no ties to the London club scene.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=78}}: "Also frequently lumped in by the press were shoegazey bands like Catherine Wheel, Curve, Cranes, Silverfish, and Pale Saints, whether or not they had any meaningful connection to the London club scene."</ref> 

Blur's first single,  "[[She's So High (Blur song)|She's So High]]" (1991), exhibited traces of shoegaze influence.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}</ref> However, [[Damon Albarn]] later denied any connection with the scene, stating that the band simply knew many of the musicians involved.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "... il déclare dans les interviews : « On n’a jamais fait partie de cette scène. Notre rapprochement est juste lié au fait qu'on y connaît pas mal de musiciens. Avant d'être reconnu par le ''NME'' ou le ''Melody Maker'', on commence par parler aux groupes dans la même situation. »"</ref> The term "shoegaze" is said to have been coined by [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]], Blur's manager, as a mocking reference to the other bands.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=« The Scene That Celebrates Itself »}}: "La légende veut que le terme shoegaze fût inventé par Andy Ross, ni plus ni moins que le manager de Blur, et ce, afin de ridiculiser les concurrents."</ref> Blur later adopted a brighter, pop-oriented sound with songs such as "[[Popscene]]" (1992), which foreshadowed the emergence of [[Britpop]]. 

==== The arrival of grunge ====
In 1991, after winning ''[[Melody Maker]]''{{'s}} end-of-year readers' poll for Best Band, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] appeared on the magazine's January cover, which proclaimed them "Your Brightest Hope for a Grand New Year."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=81}}</ref> The group's extensive touring and the success of their fourth EP, ''[[Today Forever]]'', further eleveted their profile and led to an appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. While this moment marked shoegaze’s brief entry into mainstream culture, declining sales soon underscored the genre’s limited mass appeal.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=84}}: "Steve Queralt: Traditionally, you would go on ''Top of the Pops'' ... [and] you would find yourself at a higher position the next week. But when we did ''Top of the Pops'', we immediately bombed out of the charts the following week, because the masses weren't interested in listening to our music."</ref>
[[File:Kevin Shields.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|Following ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'', [[Kevin Shields]] retreated from public life and new recordings]]
Early 1991 saw a wave of several influential shoegaze releases. While [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]'s second album was still highly anticipated, Creation Records issued the ''[[Tremolo (EP)|Tremolo]]'' EP, showcasing [[Kevin Shields]]' growing experimentation with sampling.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=81}}: "Side A tracks "To Here Knows When" and "Swallow" showcased the band's newfound experimentation with sampling ..."</ref> Two weeks later, the label released [[Slowdive]]'s ''Morningrise'' EP, which ''Melody Maker'' praised for its "mutant orchestral beauty".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=82}}</ref> Although [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]]'s third EP, ''Pearl'', received a negative review in ''NME'',<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=85}}</ref> their debut album ''[[Whirlpool (Chapterhouse album)|Whirpool]]'' became a commercial success.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=86}}: "... the album spent three weeks on the UK Albums Chart and went on to be one of the year's biggest indie sellers ..."</ref> New acts such as  [[Moose (band)|Moose]] and [[Curve (band)|Curve]] debuted with ''[[Jack (EP)|Jack]]'' and ''[[Blindfold (EP)|Blindfold]]'' EPs respectively, the latter noted for its unusual blend of [[dream pop]] and [[techno]] production.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Curve}}: "... ''Blindfold'' EP sort bien en mars 1991, imposant un mélange improbable techno / dreampop."</ref>  At the same time, [[Kitchens of Distinction]] released their second album ''[[Strange Free World]]'', which, despite Patrick Fitzgerald's non-traditional vocal style for the genre, went on to become a shoegaze classic.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=85}}: "Although not members of The Scene and discounted from "the Sound" mainly by Patrick Fitzgerald's Morrissey-meets-Ian McCulloch singing style ..."</ref>

In the first half of 1991, the scene continued to expand with releases by [[Mercury Rev]] (''[[Yerself Is Steam]]''), Catherine Wheel (''She's My Friend'' and ''[[Painful Thing]]'' EPs), [[Pale Saints]] (''Flesh Balloon'' EP), Slowdive (''Holding Our Breath'' EP), and Swervedriver (''[[Sandblasted (EP)|Sandblasted]]'' EP). ''Yerself Is Steam'' represented an early example of shoegaze's sound influencing American [[indie rock]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=86}}: "... ''Yerself Is Steam'', an early example of shoegaze's distinct guitar noise seeping into the American indie rock landscape."</ref>        

July 1991 was marked by the Slough Festival, often described as the "Shoegaze [[Woodstock]]."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=86}}</ref> Headlined by Ride and featuring Slowdive, Curve, and [[Revolver (British band) | Revolver]], the event was attended by members of [[Lush (band)|Lush]] and Chapterhouse, reinforcing the music press term "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". That summer, Chapterhouse toured extensively, performing at major festivals such as [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading]] and Ein Abend in Wien in [[Rotterdam]], where they first shared a stage with [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=87}}</ref>

The release of Nirvana's ''[[Nevermind]]'' in September abruptly shifted global attention toward the Seattle sound, reducing media interest in shoegaze as coverage turned to [[grunge]]. The lukewarm reception of Slowdive's debut ''[[Just for a Day]]'' reflected growing critical fatigue in the British press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=88–89}}</ref> In contrast, [[Swervedriver]]'s debut album ''[[Raise (album)|Raise]]'' received stronger reviews for its rugged, road-movie energy, distancing it from the "shoegaze" label.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=90–91}}</ref>  Lush's ''[[Black Spring (EP)|Black Spring]]'' EP also performed well but was overshadowed by lineup changes and exhaustion from relentless touring.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=91}}</ref>

Shoegaze reached its peak of influence in November 1991 with the release of [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]'s ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]''. Noted for its innovative production and dense, immersive sound, the album—costing a reported £270,000 and recorded over two and a half years across nineteen studios—is often cited as the genre-defining work.<ref name="50best"></ref> By late 1991, journalist [[Simon Reynolds]] introduced shoegaze to American audiences as "dream pop" in ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=93}} </ref> Optimism briefly grew that the genre might become the next major British export, but within a year, the spotlight had shifted decisively toward [[Seattle]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=93}}</ref> 

==== Decline ====
In 1992, shoegaze started to decline in popularity. Part of the growing backlash was linked to the perception that many shoegaze bands came from privileged, middle-class backgrounds.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=103}}</ref> ''[[NME]]'' reinforced this perception with a satirical column, "Memoirs of a Shoegazing Gentleman," written from the perspective of the fictional Lord Tarquin, who, in diary-like entries, described absurd situations at an elite boarding school supposedly attended by all shoegaze musicians.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pages=104–105}}</ref>
{{quote box
| quote =  I think there was a genuine belief at the beginning that there was something middle class about the [shoegaze] music. I can’t really say why, but it wasn't party music, let’s say that.|
| source = —[[David Quantick]], journalist, ''[[NME]].''<ref name="kard0">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=106}}</ref>
| align = left
| width = 25%
| salign = right
}}
In January 1992, Lush's debut album ''[[Spooky (album)|Spooky]]'' received a lukewarm review from ''NME'', which described the band as "due for a good kicking" after "a good run of press encouragement."<ref name="kard0" /> A week later, [[Creation Records|Creation Records]] released [[the Boo Radleys]]' ''[[Everything's Alright Forever]]''. ''NME'' hailed the band's confident attitude as a refreshing contrast to 1991's "(complacen)sea of mumbles."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=107}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] moved beyond their early shoegaze sound, drawing influence from such bands as [[R.E.M.]] and [[Massive Attack]] on their second album ''[[Going Blank Again]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pages=107–108}}</ref> That year, Creation signed shoegaze band [[Adorable (band)|Adorable]], who were ultimately dropped after a string of Top 5 singles and the release of their 1993 debut album ''[[Against Perfection]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=108}}</ref> Vocalist [[Pete Fijalkowski]] noted that after [[Sony Music|Sony]] partially acquired Creation in 1992, "there was enormous pressure on the label to make every band profitable".<ref name="prov">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=L'arrivée de la britpop}}</ref>

The first half of 1992 also saw the release of ''[[Ferment (album)|Ferment]]'' by [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]], ''[[Doppelgänger (Curve album)|Doppelgänger]]'' by [[Curve (band)|Curve]], and ''[[In Ribbons]]'' by [[Pale Saints]]. Following ''Ferment'', Catherine Wheel adopted a heavier, more [[heavy metal music|metal]]-leaning sound on their 1993 album ''[[Chrome (Catherine Wheel album)|Chrome]]'', later moving toward straightforward [[hard rock]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=113}}</ref>. In April 1992, the British music press began turning its attention toward the emerging [[Britpop]] movement, with ''[[Melody Maker]]'' featuring the then-unknown [[Suede (band)|Suede]] on its cover as "The Best New Band in Britain."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=109}}</ref>
[[File:Dropnineteens.jpg|thumb|220px|In 1992, ''[[Melody Maker]]'' dubbed ''[[Delaware (album)|Delaware]],'' the debut album by American band [[Drop Nineteens]], "the first decent album" in the shoegaze style.]]  
While facing growing hostility at home, shoegaze found renewed support in the US, where audiences were less influenced by the British music press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=110}}</ref> In June 1992, American shoegaze band [[Drop Nineteens]] released their debut album ''[[Delaware (album)|Delaware]]'', which ''Melody Maker'''s review ironically described as "the first decent album in a Scene style" to come from "America (Boston, to be precise), so late in the day."<ref name="kard1">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=120}}</ref> Other American bands soon followed with their own debuts, including [[Lilys]]' ''[[In the Presence of Nothing]]'' and [[Medicine (band)|Medicine]]'s ''[[Shot Forth Self Living]]'' in late 1992, and [[Swirlies]]' ''[[Blonder Tongue Audio Baton]]'' in early 1993.<ref name="kard1" />

In September 1992, [[Moose (band)|Moose]] released their debut album ''...XYZ'', produced by [[Mitch Easter]], who had previously worked with R.E.M. The album largely departed from the band's earlier shoegaze sound, incorporating [[country music|country]] influence.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Moose}}: "Kevin se souvient : « Je pense que c’est Mitch qui nous a insufflé cet esprit un peu country. »"</ref> That same month, ''Melody Maker'' ran a three-page feature by [[Paul Lester]] titled "Whatever Happened to Shoegazing?", which both announced Moose's new album and portrayed the British shoegaze scene as a brief, outdated phenomenon.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p= 114}}</ref> 

A major turning point came in March 1993 with [[Suede (band)|Suede]]'s self-titled debut [[Suede (album)|album]], which became the fastest-selling debut in British history at the time and marked the rise of [[Britpop]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=116}}</ref> The movement accelerated in 1994 with greater successes for [[Blur (band)|Blur]]'s ''[[Parklife]]'' and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]'s ''[[Definitely Maybe]]'', presenting a lively, extroverted alternative to both [[grunge]] and shoegaze.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/britpop-ma0000002480|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730151859/https://www.allmusic.com/style/britpop-ma0000002480|archive-date=30 July 2025|title=Britpop|website=AllMusic|access-date=2025-11-10}}</ref> Oasis brought substantial commercial success to Creation Records, and after 1994 the label shifted its focus away from its earlier shoegaze roster.<ref name="prov"></ref>

June 1993 saw the release of [[Slowdive]]'s second album ''[[Souvlaki (album)|Souvlaki]]'', which was dismised by ''Melody Maker'''s reviewer notoriously writing, "I would rather drown choking in a bath full of porridge than ever listen to it again."<ref name="25years"></ref> That same month, Lush released ''[[Split (Lush album)|Split]]'' to a lukewarm reaction both critically and commercialy.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Lush}}</ref>  Meanwhile, [[Swervedriver]]'s second album ''[[Mezcal Head]]'' had a relative success, especially with the US audiences, where they toured with such bands as [[Soundgarden]] and [[the Smashing Pumpkins]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=119}}</ref> 
[[File:Lush in my backyard.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|[[Lush (band)|Lush]] were among several shoegaze groups to adopt [[Britpop]] in their most commercially successful album, ''[[Lovelife (album)|Lovelife]]''.]]
After 1994, several shoegaze bands shifted to a Britpop-oriented sound, including Ride (''[[Carnival of Light (album)|Carnival of Light]]''), Lush (''[[Lovelife (album)|Lovelife]]''), and [[Kitchens of Distinction]] (''[[Cowboys and Aliens (album)|Cowboys and Aliens]]'').<ref name="prov"></ref> However, none of these albums maintained the bands' earlier commercial or critical standing, let alone elevated it—with the partial exception of Lush—particularly in contrast to [[the Boo Radleys]], whose 1995 single "[[Wake Up Boo!]]" propelled their album ''[[Wake Up! (The Boo Radleys album)|Wake Up!]]'' to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="kard3">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=121}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]] moved toward [[alternative dance|alternative dance]] on 1993's ''[[Blood Music (Chapterhouse album)|Blood Music]]'',<ref name="kard2">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=120}}</ref> while Slowdive explored minimalist [[electronica]] and [[post-rock]] on 1995's ''[[Pygmalion (album)|Pygmalion]]''.<ref name="kard3" />

In 1995, producer [[Alan McGee]] dropped Slowdive a week after ''Pygmalion'' was released,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moreland |first=Quinn |date=10 April 2017 |title=Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1484-slowdive-on-their-first-album-in-22-years-and-why-shoegaze-came-back/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004235851/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1484-slowdive-on-their-first-album-in-22-years-and-why-shoegaze-came-back/}}</ref> and [[Neil Halstead]], [[Rachel Goswell]], and Ian McCutcheon soon formed [[Mojave 3]], pursuing a light, melodic blend of  [[indie folk|indie folk]] and [[Americana music|Americana]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Nugent |first=Annabel  |title=Shoegaze pioneers Slowdive: 'A journalist said we'd be stacking shelves in Tesco within six months' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/slowdive-interview-rachel-goswell-shoegaze-b2403342.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=2023-09-04 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005203227/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/slowdive-interview-rachel-goswell-shoegaze-b2403342.html |archive-date=2024-10-05}}</ref> Swervedriver were dropped while nearing completion of their third album, ''[[Ejector Seat Reservation]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Swervedriver}}</ref> Ride, facing internal conflict, broke up in 1996 while working on their fourth album, ''[[Tarantula (Ride album)|Tarantula]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horner |first=AI |title=Ride Interview: Backstage With The Returning Shoegaze Pioneers At Their First Gig In 20 Years |url=https://www.nme.com/features/ride-interview-backstage-with-the-returning-shoegaze-pioneers-at-their-first-gig-in-20-years-756699 |newspaper=NME |date=2015-05-08 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720125559/https://www.nme.com/features/ride-interview-backstage-with-the-returning-shoegaze-pioneers-at-their-first-gig-in-20-years-756699 |archive-date=2017-07-20}}</ref> Lush, after achieving their highest chart success with ''Lovelife'', ended abruptly the same year following drummer [[Chris Acland]]'s suicide.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valish |first=Frank  |title=Lush - Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on 1996 Album 'Lovelife' and the Last Days of the Band|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/lush_-_miki_berenyi_and_emma_anderson_on_1996_album_lovelife_and_the_last_d/ |newspaper=Under the Radar |date=2015-04-28 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601031514/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/lush_-_miki_berenyi_and_emma_anderson_on_1996_album_lovelife_and_the_last_d/ |archive-date=2015-06-01}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] went on a two-decade hiatus, despite having signed with [[Island Records]] in 1992 for a reported £250,000.<ref name="kard3"></ref>

=== Christian shoegaze and Tooth & Nail Records ===
[[File:Starflyer03.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Starflyer 59]] made shoegaze immediately accessible within [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christian communities throughout the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartse |first=Joel Henge |date=December 2014 |title=The Alternative Music Label That Shaped Evangelical Culture |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719004520/https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |archive-date=July 19, 2025 |access-date=July 19, 2025 |work=[[Christianity Today]]}}</ref>]]

[[Christianity|Christian]] shoegaze emerged in the early 1990s alongside the rise of [[Tooth & Nail Records]], founded in 1993 by Brandon Ebel to support Christian artists working outside mainstream [[Contemporary Christian music|CCM]] conventions.<ref name="christ">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Christian shoegaze}}</ref> One of the label's first signings was [[Starflyer 59]], led by [[Jason Martin (musician)|Jason Martin]]. Influenced by the idea of combining dreamy melodies with the heavy guitar riffs of bands such as [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Deep Purple]],<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Detrow |first1=Scott |last2=Gotrich |first2=Lars |date=January 11, 2025 |title=Starflyer 59 reimagines three decades of music as lullabies |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5254358 |access-date=August 7, 2025 |work=[[NPR]] |archive-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250913025838/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5254358 |url-status=live }}</ref> The band's first three albums—''[[Silver (Starflyer 59 album)|Silver]]'' (1994), ''[[Gold (Starflyer 59 album)|Gold]]'' (1995), and ''[[Americana (Starflyer 59 album)|Americana]]'' (1997)—displayed a strong shoegaze orientation. Despite its troubled recording process, ''Gold'' became a notable release, later ranking number 41st on [[Pitchfork (website)|''Pitchfork'']]'s "50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time" list.<ref name="50best"></ref>

Throughout the 1990s, Tooth & Nail also supported a few other shoegaze-leaning Christian groups, including [[Morella's Forest]] and [[Velour 100]]. These bands expanded the boundaries of [[Christian alternative rock|Christian alternative rock]], but their experimentation often met with limited commercial success, along with frequent criticism from some conservative Christian audiences.<ref name="christ" ></ref> By the late 1990s, many of these groups shifted away from their early shoegaze sounds. Starflyer 59 incorporated brighter, more [[indie rock]] arrangements on albums such as ''[[The Fashion Focus]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cummings |first=Tony |title=Starflyer 59: Creative fixtures of the US Christian underground |website=Cross Rhythms |date=2009-02-08 |url=https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Starflyer_59_Creative_fixtures_of_the_US_Christian_underground/35075/p1/ |access-date=2025-11-18}}</ref> Morella's Forest moved toward an [[electronic pop|electropop]] sound, while [[the Prayer Chain]] (signed to 
Rode Dog Records) disbanded after their 1995 album ''[[Mercury (The Prayer Chain album)|Mercury]]''. The band's guitarist, Andy Prickett, later pursued non-Christian projects, producing young shoegaze acts such as [[the Autumns]].<ref name="christ" ></ref>

=== Mid 1990s–2000s: Proliferation ===
{{See also|Nu gaze|Blackgaze|Shitgaze}}
[[File:Deafheaven @ A Colossal Weekend 2017 42.jpg|thumb|right|[[Deafheaven]] brought blackgaze, a [[black metal]] and shoegaze fusion genre, to prominence with the 2013 album ''[[Sunbather (album)|Sunbather]]''.]]

While shoegaze briefly flared and then faded out in the UK, the bands of the initial wave had an immense impact on the development of regional underground and college rock scenes in the US.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gregg Araki's films are giving the US a crash course in Shoegaze |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/06/gregg-araki-kaboom-shoegazing |date=5 August 2011 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |location=London |first=Phelim |last=O'Neill |archive-date=19 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319062857/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/06/gregg-araki-kaboom-shoegazing |url-status=live}}</ref> In particular, a Lush and Ride tour of the US in 1991<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lightfromadeadstar.org/Gigography/Index.htm |title=Lush Gigography |access-date=4 April 2020 |first=Miki |last=Berenyi |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222132222/http://www.lightfromadeadstar.org/Gigography/Index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> directly inspired the spawning of American shoegaze groups including [[Drop Nineteens]], Half String<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vendetta |first=Ben |title=Half String Interview |journal=Vendetta Magazine |date=Spring 1997 |issue=8 |url=http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/thieves/vhalfs.htm |access-date=4 April 2020 |archive-date=1 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001022105/http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/thieves/vhalfs.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> and Ozean.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lamoreaux|first=Jason T.|date=9 January 2017|title=An Interview with Ozean|url=https://somewherecold.net/2017/01/09/an-interview-with-ozean/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110075100/https://somewherecold.net/2017/01/09/an-interview-with-ozean/|archive-date=10 January 2017|access-date=4 April 2020|website=[[Somewherecold Records|Somewherecold]]}}</ref> Columnist Emma Sailor of KRUI in Iowa City opines:

{{Blockquote|The insularity and introversion of British shoegaze was an intention[al] backlash against their country's mainstream. But when the shoegaze sound was exported to America, it arrived unattached from the cultural context that originally prompted its gloomy moods.

The result? American indie bands gave shoegaze an entirely new image. Where the sound once was tightly linked with introversion, it was now attached to summery, outward looking songs with a focus on celebrating youth.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sailor |first=Emma |title=My Forgotten Favorite: American Shoegaze |url=http://krui.fm/2018/02/13/forgotten-favorite-american-shoegaze/ |website=KRUI |date=13 February 2018 |publisher=University of Iowa |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103080736/http://krui.fm/2018/02/13/forgotten-favorite-american-shoegaze/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

About DC-based [[Velocity Girl]]'s 1991 single "My Forgotten Favorite", Sailor goes on to note, "Could anything be more different—and yet so similar—to [Slowdive]? The hazy [production] and dreamy, high pitched female vocals are there, but the outlook is entirely different".

A resurgence of the genre began in the late 1990s (particularly in the United States) and the early 2000s, that helped usher in what is now referred to as the "nu gaze" era.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |title=Diamond gazers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/27/popandrock |date=27 July 2007 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=13 May 2012 |location=London |first=Jude |last=Rogers |archive-date=7 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307045900/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/27/popandrock |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=2025-08-13 |title=‘Nu-gaze’ rocker went viral before her band even had a name |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2025/08/13/wisp-natalie-lu-shoegaze-tour/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Also various heavy metal acts were inspired by shoegaze, which contributed to the emergence of [[post-metal]] and metalgaze styles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jacobs|first=Koen|title=Metal Gaze – From My Bloody Valentine To Nadja via SunnO)))|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/00376-in-extremis-metal-gaze|work=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=6 June 2012|date=4 September 2008|quote=...the recent trend for combining metal's sense of threat with the immersive idyll of shoegazing is undeniable, and only one aspect of the ongoing cross-pollination taking place in extreme music. For his part, r views the 'metalgaze' movement as less entropic than cyclical.|archive-date=12 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312103910/http://thequietus.com/articles/00376-in-extremis-metal-gaze|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Burgin|first=Leah|title=Metalgaze gets confused with monotony on Pelican's latest disc|work=[[The Michigan Daily]]|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/content/pelican-review|publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|access-date=17 April 2012|date=5 December 2015|archive-date=28 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328131219/http://www.michigandaily.com/content/pelican-review|url-status=live}}</ref> Particularly in the mid-2000s, French [[black metal]] acts [[Alcest]] and [[Amesoeurs]] began incorporating shoegaze elements into their sound, pioneering the [[blackgaze]] genre.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zina |first=Natalie |url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/translator-blackgaze |title=The Translator Blackgaze |website=Exclaim.ca |date=26 February 2014 |access-date=9 August 2016 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220123501/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-blackgaze |url-status=live}}</ref> The term [[shitgaze]], a [[microgenre]] that further developed in the mid-2000s, was originally coined by the Midwestern rock band [[Psychedelic Horseshit]] to describe their style of music, with the label becoming appropriated by wider online music critics and blogs and later regarded as one of the earliest examples of an [[internet]] microgenre.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lesuer |first=Mike |date=2023-08-22 |title=I Miss Shitgaze, Man |url=https://floodmagazine.com/141620/i-miss-shitgaze-man/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=FLOOD Magazine |quote=...“shitgaze”: a rough take on shoegaze where rather than 90 percent of the track being swallowed up by dense reverb, that percentage was instead reserved for ear-splitting lo-fi noise, tape hiss, and, occasionally, campy vocals shouting things like “welcome to hell, puker corpse!”}}</ref> Notable acts in the scene include [[the Hospitals]], [[No Age]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=No Age : Everything In Between |url=https://qromag.com/no_age_everything_in_between/ |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=QRO Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=15 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615154032/https://qromag.com/no_age_everything_in_between/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Times New Viking]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mallett |first=Whitney |date=2008-11-10 |title=When a band and another band love each other very much |url=https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2008/11/when_a_band_and_another_band_love_each_other_very_much/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=The McGill Daily |language=en-US |archive-date=21 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321095135/https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2008/11/when_a_band_and_another_band_love_each_other_very_much/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and early [[Wavves]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marcus |first=Ezra |date=2017-05-12 |title=Wave Music Is a Marketing Tactic, Not a Microgenre |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wave-music-marketing-tactic-microgenre/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=VICE |language=en-US |archive-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804175107/https://thump.vice.com/en_ca/article/ae5nkp/wave-music-marketing-tactic-microgenre |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |date=2021-10-07 |title=25 Microgenres That (Briefly) Defined the Last 25 Years |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/microgenres-25th-anniversary/ |access-date=2025-07-20 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111224410/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/microgenres-25th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Marc |date=2009-09-14 |title=The Decade in Noise |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/7702-the-decade-in-noise/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Shoegaze would also influence microgenres such as [[Witch house (genre)|witch house]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Translator │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250815113145/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |archive-date=2025-08-15 |access-date=2025-11-16 |website=The Translator │ Exclaim! |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== 2010s–2020s: Revival ===

In eastern Asia the genre has become increasingly popular with bands such as Cocteau Twins influencing the creation of new "art school" shoegaze.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Haman |first=Brian |date=13 September 2017 |title='A language we use to say sentimental things': how shoegaze took over Asia |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/13/how-shoegaze-took-over-asia |access-date=30 May 2022 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-date=29 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729203858/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/13/how-shoegaze-took-over-asia |url-status=live }}</ref> Bands like [[Tokyo Shoegazer]] and [[For Tracy Hyde]] have increasingly adopted western elements, with some bands combining Indie music with shoegaze and psychedelic rock.<ref>{{Citation |title=Emerging Artists 2022 |last=Wahab |first=Ynez |date=28 January 2022 |url=https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/18-emerging-asian-artists-2022-carpet-golf-audrey-nuna-petit-brabancon-noa-mal-sunflower-tape-machine-chaleeda-forceparkbois-priya-ragu-warren-hue-collar-houg-yune-pinku-loner-soft-pine-idgitaf-ozi-adora-mistress-of-the-darkroom |publication-date=28 January 2022 |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410195717/https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/18-emerging-asian-artists-2022-carpet-golf-audrey-nuna-petit-brabancon-noa-mal-sunflower-tape-machine-chaleeda-forceparkbois-priya-ragu-warren-hue-collar-houg-yune-pinku-loner-soft-pine-idgitaf-ozi-adora-mistress-of-the-darkroom |url-status=live }}</ref> Further, since the late 2010s, some artists began prominently incorporating [[emo]] themes into shoegaze, with albums like [[Sputnik (artist)|Weatherday]]{{'}}s ''[[Come In (Weatherday album)|Come In]]'' (2019) and [[Parannoul]]{{'}}s ''[[To See the Next Part of the Dream]]'' (2021) being examples.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2171355/five-pebbles-forgetmenot/music/|title=Stream Weatherday's New EP As Five Pebbles, forgetmenot|first=Chris|last=Deville|date=20 December 2021|access-date=4 July 2022|work=[[Stereogum]]|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605192818/https://www.stereogum.com/2171355/five-pebbles-forgetmenot/music/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork">{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Ian|date=25 March 2021|title=파란노을 (Parannoul) - To See the Next Part of the Dream (album review)|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/parannoul-to-see-the-next-part-of-the-dream/|access-date=4 July 2022|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|archive-date=30 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330081916/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/parannoul-to-see-the-next-part-of-the-dream/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

In the early 2020s, shoegaze experienced a revival among [[Generation Z]],  through internet spaces such as [[TikTok]], with newer bands like [[Julie (band)|Julie]], [[Wisp (musician)|Wisp]] and [[Fleshwater]] as well as an influence on [[digicore]] artists like [[Quannnic]] and [[Jane Remover]]. Multiple outlets described this as shoegaze's "revival", "resurrection" or "zoomergaze".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |date=2023-12-14 |title=The Shoegaze Revival Hit Its Stride in 2023 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214195722/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |date=2023-12-18 |title=TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=[[Stereogum]] |archive-date=18 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218203837/https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Toner |first=Paul |date=2021-04-27 |title=Gen Z Are Resurrecting Shoegaze for Their 'Bleak, Post-COVID World' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gen-z-shoegaze-comeback/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-date=31 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531023555/https://www.vice.com/en/article/gen-z-shoegaze-comeback/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=He |first=Kristen S. |date=2024-03-21 |title=Only Tomorrow: The Resurrection And Rewriting Of Shoegaze History |url=https://junkee.com/longform/shoegaze-tiktok-resurgence |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=[[Junkee]] |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324132450/https://junkee.com/longform/shoegaze-tiktok-resurgence |url-status=live }}</ref> Irish band [[Fontaines D.C.]] have commented on shoegaze influences in their sound, particularly My Bloody Valentine; their fourth album [[Romance (Fontaines D.C. album)|Romance]] was particularly noted for this sound by reviewers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-23 |title=Fontaines D.C.: "I feel like post-punk doesn't really represent us as a band right now." |url=https://www.whiteboardjournal.com/ideas/music/fontaines-d-c-i-feel-like-post-punk-doesnt-really-represent-us-as-a-band-right-now/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Whiteboard Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=2024-08-15 |title=Fontaines DC: Romance review – arenas await, but on the band's own strange terms |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/15/fontaines-dc-romance-review-xl-recordings |access-date=2025-03-31 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pichler |first=Anna |date=2024-08-27 |title=Album review: Fontaines D.C. achieves boldest sound ever on 'Romance' |url=https://www.thelantern.com/2024/08/album-review-fontaines-d-c-achieves-boldest-sound-ever-on-romance/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=thelantern.com |archive-date=11 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250511061550/https://www.thelantern.com/2024/08/album-review-fontaines-d-c-achieves-boldest-sound-ever-on-romance/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-16 |title=Hype List 2025: Wisp is reinvigorating shoegaze for a new generation - Dork |url=https://readdork.com/features/hype-list-2025-wisp-interview/ |access-date=2025-11-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|1990s}}
* [[Beautiful Noise (film)|''Beautiful Noise'' (film)]]
* [[List of shoegaze bands]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==

* {{cite book |last=Pinkard |first=Ryan |title=Shoegaze |date=2024-10-03 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-7651-0343-2 |publication-place=New York}}
* {{cite web |last=Pritchard |first=Alfie |title=Beautiful Noise: A Deep Dive into Shoegaze |website=The Eagle |date=2023-10-09 |url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2023/10/beautiful-noise-a-deep-dive-into-shoegaze |access-date=2025-10-15}}
* {{cite book |last=Provis |first=Victor |title=Shoegaze: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride Etc. |isbn=9782360545285 |publisher=Le mot et le reste |date=2018-04-19 |language=fr}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Shoegazing}}

{{Alternative rock}}
{{Psychedelic music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shoegaze| ]]
[[Category:1990s neologisms]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:British styles of music]]
[[Category:Neo-psychedelia]]