'Shoegaze' is a music genre that originated in late-1980s Britain, characterised by walls of distorted guitar effects, swirling sound textures, ethereal vocals and a contemplative atmosphere. The name comes from musicians appearing to stare at their effects pedals (on the floor near their shoes) instead of engaging with audiences. Bands include My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Currently enjoying a Gen Z revival on TikTok. Harmless musical vocabulary.
shoegaze
A sub-genre of indie rock defined by walls of distorted guitar, buried vocals, and heavy effects pedals.
/ˈʃoʊɡeɪz/Documented since 1980s1980sGen XhistoricalCurrent311 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1980 · 1 year of recorded useGen X eraSee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
🔴 LIVE NOW ON VORTEX 📻 Vortex Indie 🎸 (Indie pop, indie rock, classic rock) ────────────── 🎵 The Verve - Space And Time ▶️ Écouter / Listen : VorteX [Radio] 💬 Join us on Discord #VortexWave #TheVerve #Britpop…
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Wikipedia: Shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally shoegazing) is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterised by ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals, and extensive use of guitar effects and distortion.
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Wikipedia: Post-metal
It has also been called metalgaze and art metal, highlighting its connection to shoegaze (an indie music style related to post-rock) and art music, respectively.
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Wikipedia: Post-metal
The widespread acclaim of Deafheaven, who succeeded Alcest in combining black metal and shoegaze (a fusion nicknamed blackgaze), made this global post-metal underground more visible.
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Wikipedia: Shoegaze
The term was coined by music executive Andy Ross and was later used by the British music press to describe shoegaze bands' motionless stage presence, during which musicians directed their look down toward their effect…
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Definitions
Global
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#1·Apr 24, 2026Global
A sub-genre of indie rock defined by walls of distorted guitar, buried vocals, and heavy effects pedals. Saw a TikTok revival via bands like Julie and Wisp in 2023–2024.
"Spent the whole week in my shoegaze revival era."
Origin: Named by UK music journalists in the late 1980s because the band members stared at their effects pedals instead of the audience.
For parents
'Shoegaze' is a music genre that originated in late-1980s Britain, characterised by walls of distorted guitar effects, swirling sound textures, ethereal vocals and a contemplative atmosphere. The name comes from musicians appearing to stare at their effects pedals (on the floor near their shoes) instead of engaging with audiences. Bands include My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Currently enjoying a Gen Z revival on TikTok. Harmless musical vocabulary.
For ESL learners
'Shoegaze' is a rock music subgenre originating in late-1980s Britain, characterised by dense, distorted guitar walls, swirling sound textures, ethereal vocals and a contemplative atmosphere. The name reflects musicians' tendency to stare downward at effects pedals during performance rather than engaging with audiences. Pioneering bands include My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Ride. Enjoying a Gen Z revival on TikTok in the 2020s. Register: informal-to-semi-formal, music journalism. In formal writing the term is recognised. A common learner mistake is to read it as a fashion or aesthetic; it is a music genre.
Heard in the wild
“🔴 LIVE NOW ON VORTEX 📻 Vortex Indie 🎸 (Indie pop, indie rock, classic rock) ────────────── 🎵 The Verve - Space And Time ▶️ Écouter / Listen : VorteX [Radio] 💬 Join us on Discord #VortexWave #TheVerve #Britpop #Shoegaze #90s”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Shoegaze (originally shoegazing) is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterised by ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals, and extensive use of guitar effects and distortion.”
“It has also been called metalgaze and art metal, highlighting its connection to shoegaze (an indie music style related to post-rock) and art music, respectively.”
“The widespread acclaim of Deafheaven, who succeeded Alcest in combining black metal and shoegaze (a fusion nicknamed blackgaze), made this global post-metal underground more visible.”
“The term was coined by music executive Andy Ross and was later used by the British music press to describe shoegaze bands' motionless stage presence, during which musicians directed their look down toward their effects pedals.”
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Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global
To perform in the shoegazing style.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "shoegaze" (S)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- shoegazing77%
(British, music genre) A subgenre of alternative rock music popularised in early 1990s, characterised by a dreamlike sound making much use of effect pedals, and by a detached or introverted performance style.
- shoegaze core70%
An aesthetic mode defined by the visual and emotional vocabulary of shoegaze music culture — think washed-out film photography, oversized cardigans, ambient sadness, and an overall vibe of being beautiful while disappearing. Shoegaze core as a fashion and lifestyle aesthetic borrows heavily from early-90s indie scenes: muted palettes, layered textures, and a studied disinterest in being noticed. It's the anti-attention-seeking aesthetic — which, paradoxically, attracts a lot of attention. Popular on Tumblr revival accounts and slow cinema appreciation feeds.
- shoegaze szn69%
The time of year — almost always autumn or winter — when the urge to retreat inward, blast melancholic guitar-drenched music, and emotionally disappear becomes socially acceptable and even expected. Shoegaze szn is when the aesthetic vibes of rain, oversized sweaters, and existential playlists all align. It's less a calendar date and more a collective mood shift; the moment everyone online starts posting grainy film photos and quoting sad lyrics. An annual permission slip to feel deeply and say little.
- shoegaze god69%
The undisputed master of shoegaze — whether it's a band like My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive who defined the genre, or a musician whose grasp of feedback-drenched, reverb-soaked wall-of-sound production has reached near-mythological status in indie circles. A shoegaze god doesn't just play in the style; they've transcended technical execution into pure atmosphere. The term is used in music communities to crown whoever sits at the top of the genre's canon or to praise a producer whose headphone-swallowing mix simply cannot be beaten.