# Cybergoth
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{{Short description|Fashion subculture of goth and cyberpunk}}
thumb|right|An example of cybergoth fashion'''Cybergoth''' is a [subculture](/source/subculture) that derives from elements of [goth](/source/goth_subculture), [rave](/source/rave)r, [rivethead](/source/rivethead) and [cyberpunk](/source/cyberpunk) fashion. Cybergoth was particularly prevalent from the late 1990s through the 2000s; however, its popularity has since declined dramatically.{{cn|date=April 2026}}
Opinion differs as to whether cybergoth has the requisite complexity to constitute a [subculture](/source/subculture), with some commentators suggesting that it is no more than a small aesthetic variation on [cyberpunk](/source/cyberpunk) or [rave](/source/rave)r fashion.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/author/john-maloney|title=John Maloney|date=22 July 2014}}]
==History==
The term 'Cybergoth' was coined in 1988 by [Games Workshop](/source/Games_Workshop), for their roleplaying game ''[Dark Future](/source/Dark_Future)''; however,[{{cite web|author=Andrew Mayer |url=https://www.streettech.com/bcp/BCPgraf/Manifestos/cybergoth.htm |title=What the Hell is Cybergoth? A Look at Cyberpunk's Bastard Children |website=Street Tech |date=1988}}] the fashion style of the same name did not emerge until the following decade. [Valerie Steele](/source/Valerie_Steele) quotes Julia Borden, who defines cybergoth as combining elements of [industrial aesthetics](/source/rivethead) with a style associated with "Gravers" (Gothic ravers).[ Gravers hybridized "the British Raver look and the German ClubKid look with a 'freak show' spin."][Valerie Steele, ''Gothic: Dark Glamour'', [Yale University Press](/source/Yale_University_Press), 2008, p. 49-50] as well as a fusion between German and Austrian styles.[ Borden indicates that initially the hair extensions and bright fishnets did not mesh well with goth fashion, but that by 2002 "the rave elements of dress were replaced by Industrial-influenced accessories, such as goggles, reflective clothing, and mostly black clothing."][ Steele summarizes:
{{cquote|Today cyber goths tend to wear primarily black clothing with hints of neon colors, as well as clothing made of reflective materials and PVC, and huge platform boots. Their hair extensions or falls often incorporate a bright color and multiple piercings are typical. Goggles are often worn. Some cyber goths also wear gas masks or (in what appears to be a kind of medical fetish) shiny PVC doctors' masks.][}}
==Fashion==
thumb|A woman dressed in a cybergoth outfit
Cybergoth [fashion](/source/fashion) combines [rave](/source/rave), [rivethead](/source/rivethead), [cyberpunk](/source/cyberpunk) and [goth](/source/Gothic_fashion) fashion, as well as drawing inspiration from other forms of [science fiction](/source/science_fiction). [Androgyny](/source/Androgyny) is common.][{{cite book |last=Kilpatrick |first=Nancy | author-link = Nancy Kilpatrick | title=The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined |year=2005 |publisher=Plexus |location=UK |page=55 |isbn=0-85965-365-X }}] The style sometimes features one starkly contrasting bright or neon-reactive theme color, such as red, blue, neon green, chrome, or pink,[2002-09-13 [https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/13/1031608320631.html "Dead fashionable"] [The Age](/source/The_Age). Accessed 6 December 2007] set against a basic, black gothic outfit. Matte or glossy black materials such as rubber and shiny black [PVC](/source/PVC) can be mixed and matched in an effort to create a more artificial look.
The black-and-monochromatic juxtaposition can take a variety of forms, including brightly colored hair and make-up, [cybernetic](/source/cybernetic) patterns such as live LED [circuit boards](/source/circuit_boards), [body modification](/source/body_modification), [gas masks](/source/gas_masks) and [goggles](/source/goggles) (especially [aviator-style](/source/aviator)), typically worn on the forehead or around the neck rather than on the eyes.[[Nancy Kilpatrick](/source/Nancy_Kilpatrick). ''The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined''. New York: [St. Martin's Griffin](/source/St._Martin's_Press), 2004, {{ISBN|0-312-30696-2}}, p. 35-36.] The most common use of a theme color is in the hair or eye make-up. Artificial, extended hair or "falls" are sometimes used to create this added effect. Falls can be made of various materials, ranging from yarn to fluorescent tubing to electrical wiring. Popular club gear for cybergoths includes tight black pants, tight black vests or shirts cut from ripped, solid or fishnet fabrics, [fluffies](/source/Fluffy_(footwear)), resembling costumes from 19th Century [Gothic novels](/source/gothic_fiction) or early black and white [horror films](/source/horror_films) from the mid-20th century.