{{Short description|Music genre}} {{Distinguish|Digital hardcore}} {{Infobox music genre | name = Digicore | native_name = | etymology = | other_names = * Draincore (early) * glitchcore (early)<ref name ="Enis" >{{Cite web |date=2025-01-03 |title=Chasing Fridays: Whirr, Jane Remover, Tex Patrello, more |url=https://www.elienis.com/chasing-fridays-whirr-jane-remover-tex-patrello-more/ |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=Chasing Sundays |language=en}}</ref> | image = | alt = | caption = | stylistic_origins = * Hyperpop * trap * emo rap * plugg * cloud rap * nightcore * electronic * EDM * dance | cultural_origins = Late 2010s – early 2020s, United States | instruments = {{hlist|Drum machine|autotune|synthesizer|pitch shifter|sampler|hi-hats}} | derivatives = * HexD * glitchcore * jerk<ref name="TheFace">{{Cite web |date=April 30, 2024 |title=THE FACE's guide to the American rap underground |url=https://theface.com/music/underground-internet-rap-rage-carti-yeat-ambient-plugg-iokera-terror-jerk-krushclub-lumi-athena |access-date=June 30, 2025 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}}</ref> * hyperplugg<ref name="KPR"> {{cite web |url=https://nobells.blog/soundcloud-microgenres/ |author=Kieran Press-Reynolds |title=Deep-internet bubbles: How microgenres are taking over SoundCloud |publisher=No Bells |date=January 25, 2022 }} </ref> * zoomergaze | subgenrelist = | subgenres = Robloxcore | fusiongenres = | local_scenes = | other_topics = {{hlist|Internet rap|microgenre|sigilkore|Internet aesthetic|alt TikTok|rage|Novagang|helix tears|Internet music}} | footnotes = }} '''Digicore''' (originally known as '''draincore''') is an Internet microgenre of hip-hop and electronic music that developed alongside hyperpop in the late 2010s to early 2020s. The genre is typically made up of artists that share stylistic similarities to Drain Gang and 100 gecs, rather than the "bubblegum bass" musicians signed to the label PC Music. Drawing influences from trap, emo rap, nightcore and cloud rap.
During the late 2010s, the style initially emerged as a Drain Gang-inspired form of online rap music known as "draincore". In 2018, Dalton, a figure in the digicore scene, started a Minecraft and Discord server called "Loser's Club", which became a hub for several of the most popular artists within the digicore scene such as Quinn, Kmoe, Glaive, Ericdoa and Midwxst. The early scene was centered around SoundCloud collectives such as Blackwinterwells' Helix Tears and Prblm's Novagang. Other notable groups include Bloodhounds, Slowsilver03, Graveem1nd, Co-op, Varsity and Goonncity.
By 2019, artist lonelee coined the term "digicore" to replace draincore. The terms "robloxcore", "hyperpop" and "glitchcore" were initially used synonymously with digicore. In 2021, "digicore" was popularized by curator Billie Bugara's SoundCloud playlist of the same name. Artists Yungster Jack and David Shawty are noted as pioneers. Other notable digicore artists include Jane Remover, D0llywood1, Aldn, Twikipedia, Quannnic, Lucy Bedroque, Slayr, Kuru, Lieu and Brakence.
== Etymology == {{See also|Drain Gang|}} [[File:Drain Gang logo (Lovepill).png|thumb|One of the logos associated with the Swedish collective Drain Gang, a central reference to digicore artists]] The term "digicore" is a portmanteau of "digital" and "-core" (derived from hardcore), and originally appeared in the 2000s as a shortening for the genre "digital hardcore". In the late 2010s, an online community of teenage musicians, communicating through Discord, coined the modern usage of the term "digicore" to distinguish themselves from the preexisting hyperpop scene.<ref name="Walker21">{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Sophie |date=4 November 2021 |title=((404 Error, Genre Not Found: The Life Cycle of Internet Scenes)) |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/life-cycle-of-internet-genres-scenes-hyperpop-digicore-cloud-rap |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514185413/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/life-cycle-of-internet-genres-scenes-hyperpop-digicore-cloud-rap |archive-date=14 May 2022 |access-date=7 November 2021 |website=Complex Networks}}</ref><ref name="mean">{{Cite web |last=Cafolla |first=Anna |date=17 October 2022 |title=What does 'hyperpop' mean in 2022? |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/what-does-hyperpop-mean-in-2022-23808/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713021749/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/what-does-hyperpop-mean-in-2022-23808/ |archive-date=13 July 2023 |access-date=13 July 2023 |website=Rolling Stone UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> The style was originally seen as a subgenre of hyperpop, though later described as developing alongside the movement.<ref name=":2" />
Digicore draws influences from artists such as Bladee and his collective Drain Gang consisting of Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital and producer Whitearmor, who inspired a form of online rap music called "draincore".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |last2=Angel |first2=H. D. |last3=Angel |first3=Mano Sundaresan and H. D. |date=2022-03-15 |title=Bells & Whistles, Vol. 9: Ends and beginnings |url=https://nobells.blog/wido-field-day-ame/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=No Bells |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Draincore is in my DNA |url=https://www.publicpressure.io/articles/draincore-is-in-my-dna |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Public Pressure |language=en-GB}}</ref> In late 2019, artist lonelee, the founder of the record label teardrop digital, coined the modern usage of the term "digicore" to replace draincore,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2022-05-27 |title=How the cult of Drain Gang rose from meme to myth |url=https://nobells.blog/cult-of-drain-gang/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=No Bells |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> with Quinn being the first artist to be associated with the label. By 2021, "digicore" was further popularized by Billie Bugara's SoundCloud playlist of the same name.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":8">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbFPhksi1Rg |title=Digicore the Underground Sound: Scenes |date=January 27, 2021 |publisher=SoundCloud |access-date=19 September 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref>
== Characteristics == [[File:Root Thumm 20100703 Japan Expo 05.jpg|thumb|The use of Auto-Tune is a primary aspect of digicore. Photographed is the Antares Vocal Processor AVP-1|left]] Pioneering artists were typically between the ages of 15 to 18 at the microgenre's inception.<ref name="digivice">{{Cite web |last=Bugara |first=Billie |date=20 April 2021 |title=Digicore captures the angst of coming of age during a global pandemic |url=https://i-d.co/article/digicore-music-scene-profile-hyperpop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309001449/https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/n7bw3z/digicore-music-scene-profile-hyperpop |archive-date=9 March 2022 |access-date=29 March 2022 |website=I-D |language=en}}</ref> Digicore differs from hyperpop mainly by its primary focus on trap-based influences but there remains a degree of crossover between the scenes. The genre is characterised by heavy autotune, layered melodies and instrumentation, high-pitched,{{Sfn|McDonald|2024|p=219}} breathy vocals, sing-rapping, sharp 808s, and frequent hi-hats.<ref name="Walker21" /><ref name=":8" /> The use of autotune is a primary aspect as influenced by artists such as Bladee, which music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds noted as a "central reference".<ref name=":10" /> Additionally, the style draws influences from genres such as nightcore.<ref name=":10" />
Music critic Kieran Press-Reynolds, writing for British magazine ''The Face'', described digicore as "[...] shaped by the world of Discord servers, ''Minecraft'', and the type of musical intuition that could only have been nurtured through years spent consuming YouTube beat tutorials and a cracked copy of FL Studio", as well as "capturing the angst of coming of age during a pandemic".<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-22 |title=What hyperpop did next |url=https://theface.com/music/hyperpop-pc-music-sophie-discord-that-kid-underscores-charli-xcx |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref name="digivice" /> Digicore artist d0llywood1 summarized the scene as "We're all digital kids who met each other on the internet and so make music that sounds like shit we found on the internet."<ref name="digivice" /> According to Press-Reynolds, the term "glitchcore" would also initially be used synonymously with robloxcore and digicore.<ref name=":10" />
In 2025, Sheldon Pearce of ''NPR'' stated, that the style was frequently conflated with its "parent genre", hyperpop.<ref name=":6" /> Adding that, "Digicore is hyperpop, but hyperpop isn't necessarily digicore."<ref name=":6" /> Critics have also noted it as a subgenre of electronic music.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Otis |title=Underscores: the hyperpop satirist refusing to regress {{!}} The Cover {{!}} NME.com |url=https://www.nme.com/the-cover/underscores-17-03-2025-3846702 |website=NME |access-date=12 April 2026 |language=en |date=17 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Galil |first1=Leor |title=Kumo 99 help the frenzied crush of digital hardcore go down easy |url=https://chicagoreader.com/music/concert-preview/kumo-99-empty-bottle/ |website=Chicago Reader |access-date=12 April 2026 |date=6 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=Why Grungegaze Dominates 2026's Music Underground » PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/why-grungegaze-dominates-2026 |website=PopMatters |access-date=13 March 2026 |date=10 March 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Isobel |first1=Leah |title=On 'Census Designated,' Jane Remover's restless intimacy strikes a new chord |url=https://48hills.org/2024/02/on-census-designated-jane-removers-restless-intimacy-strikes-a-new-chord/ |website=48 hills |access-date=12 April 2026 |date=7 February 2024}}</ref>
Writer Billie Bugara describes that artists of the scene "pull from genres as wide-reaching as midwestern emo, trance, and even Chicago drill".<ref name="digivice" /> Bugara defined digicore as simply "not Hyperpop and not Glitchcore".<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Pearce |first=Sheldon |date=2025-04-24 |title=Anatomy of a microgenre: Hyperpop's next evolution |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/04/24/nx-s1-5361403/hyperpop-digicore-jane-remover-2hollis-microgenre |access-date=2025-09-16 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Artists also draw from genres such as Jersey club and Brazilian funk, as well as MySpace-era genres such as crunkcore.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |last2=Noel |first2=Jude |last3=Noel |first3=Mano Sundaresan and Jude |date=2021-12-10 |title=eoy_2021: Digicore takes shape |url=https://nobells.blog/eoy_2021-digicore-takes-shape/ |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=No Bells |language=en-US}}</ref> Other influences include the work of Duwap Kaine, BBY Goyard, Sybyr and Charli XCX.<ref name=":4" /> Artists Yungster Jack and David Shawty have been described as pioneers of the genre.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Pulver|first=Andrew|date=2021-12-31|title=Making (air)waves: how artists are finding inspiration through, and on, radio|url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/12/31/making-airwaves-how-artists-are-finding-inspiration-through-and-on-radio|access-date=2026-04-01|website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events|language=en}}</ref> ''BrooklynVegan'' credited the pair as "responsible for the Soundcloud scene's transition from emo rap to hyperpop".<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Sacher|first=Andrew|title=What is hyperska? Eichlers shares 10 songs that inspired the new subgenre|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/what-is-hyperska-eichlers-shares-10-songs-that-inspired-the-new-subgenre/|access-date=2026-04-01|website=BrooklynVegan|language=en-US}}</ref>
Alongside, stylistic and aesthetic influences from internet memes and culture, internet aesthetics, old internet nostalgia, and online short-form content, with lyrics usually being introspective, depressive or ironic.<ref name="digivice" />
Similar to hyperpop, the digicore scene is often associated with the LGBTQ community, drawing primary influences from queer culture.<ref name="independent">{{cite web |last1=Pritchard |first1=Will |date=17 December 2020 |title=Hyperpop or overhyped? The rise of 2020's most maximal sound |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/hyperpop-genre-2020-charli-xcx-rina-sawayama-b1775025.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230210105/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/hyperpop-genre-2020-charli-xcx-rina-sawayama-b1775025.html |archive-date=30 December 2020 |access-date=13 February 2021 |website=The Independent}}</ref> Several key artists identify as gay, non-binary, or transgender.<ref name="Atl">{{cite web |last1=Kornhaber |first1=Spencer |date=14 February 2021 |title=What is Hyperpop? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/03/hyperpop/617795/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303110311/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/03/hyperpop/617795/ |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref> The microgenre's emphasis on vocal modulation has allowed artists to experiment with gender presentation and androgyny in their voices.<ref name="independent" />
According to ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, collectives such as Novagang and Helix Tears "feature artists of variously different styles and sounds, but find community with each other in their shared rejection of stylistic limits."<ref name="mean" />
== History ==
=== 2010s–2020s: Origins === {{See also|Hyperpop|Alt TikTok|COVID-19 lockdowns}} [[File:Jane Remover April 2025 2 (cropped).png|thumb|Jane Remover, photographed in April 2025, has been described as "the face of digicore"<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" />]] In 2018, Dalton, a figure in the digicore scene, started a Minecraft and Discord server called "Loser's Club", which became a hub for several of the most popular artists within the digicore scene such as Quinn, Kmoe,<ref name=":6" /> Glaive, Ericdoa<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Otis |date=2024-01-18 |title=Ericdoa – 'DOA' review: dials down the hyperpop without sacrificing vision |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/ericdoa-doa-mixtape-review-radar-3570788 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> and Midwxst.<ref name="digivice" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2022-01-28 |title=Goodbye hyperpop: the rise and fall of the internet's most hated 'genre' |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/55293/1/the-rise-and-fall-of-hyperpop-the-internets-most-confusing-music-genre |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |title=Meet Quinn, the 16-year-old internet musician who was the young face of hyperpop until she deleted everything and started over |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/quinn-osquinn-hyperpop-digicore-tiktok-soundcloud-rap-2021-10 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> These artists drew primary influence from Bladee and his collective Drain Gang, which inspired a microgenre known as "draincore".<ref name=":2" /> By 2019, the influence of the hyperpop duo 100 gecs, led the genre to be renamed "digicore", as a way to distinguish itself from the emerging hyperpop scene.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-01 |title=Meet the geccers: photos of 100 gecs' dedicated London fans |url=https://theface.com/music/100-gecs-london-show-geccers-fans-reddit-10000gecs-laura-les-dylan-brady |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}}</ref>
The early scene was centered around various SoundCloud collectives such as Helix Tears, Novagang, bloodhounds, slowsilver03, Varsity, Graveem1nd, Co-op and Goonncity.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Digicore captures the angst of coming of age during a global pandemic |url=https://i-d.co/article/digicore-music-scene-profile-hyperpop/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2020, the style saw a rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with teenage artists who were out of school primarily making music during the lockdowns.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2024-10-03 |title=The Lost Promises of Hyperpoptimism |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-lost-promises-of-hyperpoptimism/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> According to British magazine ''The Face'':<ref name=":9" />
{{Blockquote|text=The pandemic forced 100 gecs to postpone their world tour twice, but it didn't stop their rise. During various lockdowns, the r/100gecs subreddit gained thousands of members, the band threw a fundraising festival inside Minecraft and they inspired a new generation of American producers to experiment with an intense genre – called either hyperpop or digicore – from their bedrooms.}}Around that time, TikTok, particularly Alt TikTok,<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Leight |first=Elias |date=2020-08-06 |title=Alt TikTok Is Music's Latest Scene, and Straight TikTok Has Noticed |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/alt-tiktok-music-xix-cmten-1038719/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809015957/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/alt-tiktok-music-xix-cmten-1038719/ |archive-date=2020-08-09 |access-date=2025-07-21 |work=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> played a key role in popularising the scene, through video edits to two viral songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by Yungster Jack and David Shawty.<ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22">{{cite web |last1=Zhang |first1=Cat |date=19 November 2020 |title=Is Glitchcore a TikTok Aesthetic, a New Microgenre, or the Latest Iteration of Glitch Art? |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/is-glitchcore-a-tiktok-aesthetic-a-new-microgenre-or-the-latest-iteration-of-glitch-art/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308235946/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/is-glitchcore-a-tiktok-aesthetic-a-new-microgenre-or-the-latest-iteration-of-glitch-art/ |archive-date=8 March 2022 |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref>'''<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Cat |date=2021-12-14 |title=The Year in Music on TikTok 2021 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/tiktok-songs-2021/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierre |first=Alphonse |date=2020-04-10 |title=The Best and Worst of Rap This Week: Offset's Interview With Reese Witherspoon and More |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/best-and-worst-rap-this-week-offset-migos-reese-witherspoon-drake/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2021, the digicore album ''Frailty<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |date=23 November 2021 |title=dltzk: Frailty |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dltzk-frailty/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601101508/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dltzk-frailty/ |archive-date=1 June 2023 |access-date=18 December 2022 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>'' by Jane Remover (who previously pioneered the dariacore microgenre) received praise on mainstream music sites ''Pitchfork<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Cat |date=2022-01-25 |title=Digicore Hero dltzk Is So Online It Hurts |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/dltzk-interview/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>'' and ''Paste'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharples |first=Grant |date=8 December 2021 |title=No Album Left Behind: dltzk's Frailty Is an Electrifying Work of Unpredictability |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dltzk/frailty-album-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218210519/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/dltzk/frailty-album-review/ |archive-date=18 December 2022 |access-date=18 December 2022 |website=Paste |language=en}}</ref> with ''the Fader'' stating the album established Jane Remover as "the face of digicore".<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Jane Remover's outer space |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/02/22/jane-remover-outer-space-gen-f-interview-frailty-2023 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |title=Jane Remover: Teen Week |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dltzk-teen-week/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Jane Remover has also been described as a "digicore pioneer" by the ''NME''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rigotti |first=Alex |date=2025-06-24 |title=Rage and love: Why Jane Remover had to hit reset with 'Revengeseekerz' |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/jane-remover-revengeseekerz-interview-3872077 |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Writing for ''Pitchfork'', music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds featured several songs in a list titled "A Deeply Incomplete Canon of Hyperpop-Digicore", the list included Oaf1, Dreamcache, Valentine, Capoxxo, Twikipedia, Lei, Kurtains, I9bonsai, Kmoe, Brakence, D0llywood1, Quannnic, Dante Red, Angelus, Fortuneswan, Funeral, Blxty, Tropes.<ref name=":1" /> Other notable digicore artists include Lucy Bedroque.
Digicore would influence the development of several microgenres such as sigilkore, jerk,<ref name="TheFace" /> and hexd.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barlas |first=Jon |date=2024-04-22 |title=9lives Interview: 'I want to be the Metro Boomin of the underground' |url=https://ourgenerationmusic.com/exclusive/9lives-interview-ogm/ |access-date=2025-10-14 |website=Our Generation Music |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2026-02-26 |title=Luci4 Unleashed a Generation of Glitchy Underground Rap |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/luci4-unleashed-a-generation-of-glitchy-underground-rap/ |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
==== Diversification ==== {{See also|Robloxcore|Rage music}}The influence of the genre extended to other artists such as New York rapper Xaviersobased, who has been described as emerging out of the digicore scene through his early work.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Music Friday: Stream new projects from Eliza McLamb, PACKS, ericdoa, and more |url=https://www.thefader.com/2024/01/19/new-music-friday-stream-new-projects-from-eliza-mclamb-packs-ericdoa-and-more |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, rapper 2hollis draws influences from artists associated with digicore, but has since rejected the label.<ref name=":6" /> In 2022, he released a diss track on the genre entitled "Fuck digicore ass shit".<ref name=":6" />
After the mainstream success of hyperpop in the early 2020s, many artists shifted toward digicore, either to avoid being categorized as hyperpop or because they felt the term better described their music.<ref name=":7" /> By 2024 and 2025, the digicore scene had further evolved, incorporating influences from rage music artists like Playboi Carti and Yeat.<ref name=":6" /> ''Revengeseekerz'', the third studio album by Jane Remover was released in April 2025 and described as a cross-between rage and digicore.<ref name="ramaponews">{{cite web |last=Custer |first=Ethan |date=April 17, 2025 |title=''Revengeseekerz'' by Jane Remover is new and exciting |url=https://www.ramaponews.com/2025/04/17/revengeseekerz-by-jane-remover-is-new-and-exciting/ |access-date=September 8, 2025 |website=The Ramapo News}}</ref><ref name="papermag">{{Cite web |title=Jane Remover Talks "Revengeseekez" - PAPER Magazine |url=https://www.papermag.com/jane-remover-revengeseekez |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.papermag.com |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, rage artists such as Che<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundaresan |first=Mano |title=Che: 3 EP |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/cheromani-3/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> and Prettifun have been described as drawing influence from digicore.<ref>{{Cite web |title=prettifun is ready for his closeup |url=https://www.thefader.com/2025/08/04/prettifun-funhouse-deluxe-interview |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref>
In 2025, Sheldon Pearce of ''NPR'' stated, "The post-100 gecs iterations of this music have assimilated rap as they have everything else, particularly mining the SoundCloud era of the 2010s, which is obviously foundational for many born in the 2000s".<ref name=":6" />
''Pitchfork'' stated that the laptop twee genre which drew from twee and indie pop, was at times associated with digicore, such as the song "love quest" by ASC.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds|first=Kieran|date=2025-12-17|title=The Top Five Musical Rabbit Holes of 2025|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-top-five-musical-rabbit-holes-of-2025/|access-date=2026-02-06|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2026, the publication ''No Bells'' published an article which cited rapper zayok as "the future of digicore".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Josh |date=2026-01-09 |title=zayok is the future of digicore |url=https://nobells.blog/zayok-is-the-future-of-digicore/ |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=No Bells |language=en-US}}</ref> According to ''the Fader'', Philadelphia rapper Slayr makes "heart-on-his-sleeve digicore".<ref>{{Cite web |title=slayr doesn't care about aura |url=https://www.thefader.com/2026/03/12/slayr-half-blood-bloodluxe-digicore-rage-jim-legxacy |access-date=2026-04-10 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref>
== Collectives == === Helix Tears === {{Infobox musical artist | name = Helix Tears | image = Helix Tears.png | caption = Official Helix Tears logo | origin = {{hlist|Ontario, Canada|United States}} | genre = {{hlist|Hyperpop|digicore}} | years_active = 2018–present | current_members = Blackwinterwells, Quinn, chava, Noki, stef, Chach, Yurms, 8485, blxty, midwxst, d0llywood1, twikipedia, Kuru, quannnic and wstdyth }}
'''Helix Tears''' is an American-Canadian digicore collective formed in 2018 by Blackwinterwells.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=Darville|first=Jordan|title=8485 is underground pop music's cheat code|url=https://www.thefader.com/2021/11/24/8485-profile-plague-town-gen-f-interview-2021|access-date=2025-03-26|website=The FADER|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":53">{{Cite web |last=Ungar|first=Marie|date=July 17, 2021|title=plague town Review: The Ultimate Quarantine EP|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/7/17/plague-town-review/|access-date=2025-03-26|website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref><ref name=":63">{{Cite web |last=Matulaityte|first=Giedre|title=15 bands and solo artists who are rewriting the emo rulebook|url=https://www.altpress.com/artists-rewriting-emo-rulebook-post-emo/|access-date=2025-09-18|website=Alternative Press Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> Notable members include Blackwinterwells,<ref name=":53"/><ref name=":17"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephenson|first=Becky|title=Album Review: Blackwinterwells - Crystal Shards|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-blackwinterwells-crystal-shards/|access-date=2025-03-26|website=New Noise Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> Twikipedia, Babs,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams|first=Kyann-Sian|date=2020-12-18|title=It might become as big as hip-hop: the rise and rise of hyperactive subgenre glitchcore|url=https://www.nme.com/features/glitchcore-hyperpop-charli-xcx-100-gecs-rico-nasty-hip-hop-2841348|access-date=2025-03-26|website=NME|language=en-GB}}</ref> 8485,<ref>{{Cite web |title=8485 is underground pop music's cheat code |url=https://www.thefader.com/2021/11/24/8485-profile-plague-town-gen-f-interview-2021 |access-date=2026-04-04 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 13 projects you should stream now|url=https://www.thefader.com/2022/04/29/the-13-projects-you-should-stream-now|access-date=2025-03-26|website=The FADER|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How 8485 keeps pushing pop's limits|url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/06/22/8485-ep-personal-protocol-interview|access-date=2025-03-26|website=The FADER|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gallagher|first=Ali|date=2021-08-12|title=Listen to Hearteyes' new single with Jordon Alexander, 'Electroboy'|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-hearteyes-new-single-with-jordon-alexander-electroboy-3017297|access-date=2025-03-26|website=NME|language=en-GB}}</ref> Quinn,<ref>{{Cite web |title=5 Fast Facts with osquinn a.k.a. p4rkr, hyperpop's once and future queen|url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/07/31/5-fast-facts-with-osquinn-aka-p4rkr-hyperpops-once-and-future-queen|access-date=2025-03-26|website=The FADER|language=en}}</ref> Quannnic, Kuru and Midwxst.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canjemanaden|first=Jessica|date=2021-03-17|title=Meet the young, terminally online artists shaping the sound of hyperpop|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/52151/1/the-rise-of-hyperpop-chaos-spotify-discord-soundcloud-glaive-alice-gas|access-date=2025-03-26|website=Dazed|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cafolla|first=Anna|date=2022-10-17|title=What does 'hyperpop' mean in 2022?|url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/what-does-hyperpop-mean-in-2022-23808/|access-date=2025-03-26|website=Rolling Stone UK|language=en-GB}}</ref>
In April 2021, ''Alternative Press'' magazine labelled the collective as glitchcore, stating, "The blackwinterwells-led helix tears collective is SoundCloud's most exciting rabbit hole of glitchcore/hexD emo-rap transcendentalists".<ref name=":63" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Enis|first=Eli|date=2021-02-20|title=A look at hyperpop production with Angelus, Blackwinterwells, and Alice Gas|url=https://splice.com/blog/look-at-hyperpop-production/|access-date=2025-07-29|website=Blog {{!}} Splice|language=en-US}}</ref> In an interview with ''Dazed'' magazine, rapper Midwxst stated, "Everyone in helix tears and NOVAGANG" were performing with "different styles, sounds, aesthetics and lives, but having a group of musically gifted people allows us to make music without boundaries."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2021-03-17 |title=Meet the young, terminally online artists shaping the sound of hyperpop |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/52151/1/the-rise-of-hyperpop-chaos-spotify-discord-soundcloud-glaive-alice-gas |access-date=2026-04-04 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref>
=== Novagang === {{Main|Novagang}}
'''Novagang''' (stylized in uppercase) is an American digicore collective which was formed between 2018-19 by artist Prblm.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Darville |first=Jordan |title=Novagang are the hypest outsider artists around |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/08/04/novagang-htng-vol-2-judgement-day |access-date=2026-02-08 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref> The group's name was a portmanteau between his alias "Nova" and "gang".<ref name=":0" /> According to New York magazine ''The Fader'', artist Stef co-managed Novagang with Prblm.<ref name=":0" /> Stef disliked the term hyperpop to categorize the collective as the group had "a very eclectic sound".<ref name=":0" /> In 2022, the group released their debut collaborative album as a collective ''H.T.N.G.<ref name=":0" />'' On August 6, 2023, they released their second collaborative album ''H.T.N.G. VOL 2: JUDGEMENT DAY.<ref name=":0" />'' On August 19, they performed a sold out show in New York City headlined by Osquinn and Xaviersobased.<ref name=":0" /> Other acts at the event included Exodus1900, Kasper Gem, Zootzie, Gv1nn and Strgurrl.<ref name=":0" /> The group had collaborated with artists such as Midwxst.<ref>{{Cite web |title=prblm's ever-shifting rap visions |url=https://www.thefader.com/2025/09/04/prblms-rapper-producer-nova-gang-interview |access-date=2026-04-04 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref>
Writing for ''The Fader'', music journalist Jordan Darville noted that "Prblm under the dj yzma alias, deconstructs modern music's obsession with pop-punk and so-called 'emo rap' into shards of spacious and compelling sound art."<ref name=":0" /> Darville added that Novagang provided a "freewheeling outsider's perspective to the world of experimental rap".<ref name=":0" /> Rapper Nettspend has been noted as finding support and community with "a group of rappers and beatmakers" associated with the group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scarabelli |first=Taylore |date=2024-12-23 |title=“So Many Feelings:” Meet Nettspend, Gen-Z's Underground Savior |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/so-many-feelings-meet-nettspend-gen-zs-underground-savior |access-date=2026-02-08 |website=Interview Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="nettfadersip">{{cite web |title=The 100 best songs of 2023|url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/12/14/100-best-songs-2023|website=The Fader|date=December 14, 2023|access-date=March 16, 2026}}</ref>
== Related genres ==
=== Glitchcore === {{Distinguish|Glitch hop}}{{Infobox music genre | name = Glitchcore | native_name = | etymology = | image = | alt = | caption = | stylistic_origins = * Digicore * hyperpop * trap * emo rap * electronic * plugg * cloud rap * nightcore * pluggnb | cultural_origins = Late 2010s to early 2020s; United States | instruments = {{hlist|Drum machine|autotune|synthesizer|pitch shifter|sampler|hi-hats}} | derivatives = | subgenrelist = | subgenres = | fusiongenres = | local_scenes = | other_topics = {{hlist|Internet rap|microgenre}} | footnotes = }}
'''Glitchcore''' is a microgenre that originally developed alongside hyperpop and digicore.<ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22" /><ref name="mean22">{{Cite web |last=Cafolla |first=Anna |date=17 October 2022 |title=What does 'hyperpop' mean in 2022? |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/what-does-hyperpop-mean-in-2022-23808/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713021749/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/what-does-hyperpop-mean-in-2022-23808/ |archive-date=13 July 2023 |access-date=13 July 2023 |website=Rolling Stone UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> Although ''glitchcore'' first appeared as a term in the breakcore scene,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wyatt |first=Stephan |date=2016-07-01 |title=Introducing Daed and His Adventures in Glitchcore |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/introducing-daed-and-his-adventures-in-glitchcore-8523215/ |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=Houston Press |language=en-US}}</ref> it later came to describe a style of music associated with the digicore scene. The 2020 single "Pressure" by Yungster Jack and David Shawty has been described as glitchcore.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=August 13, 2020 |title=Gorgeous Glitches and Nightcored Melodies: The New Generation of SoundCloud Music is Here |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2020/08/glitchcore-surge-rap-soundcloud |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820095349/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2020/08/glitchcore-surge-rap-soundcloud |archive-date=2020-08-20 |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref><ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22" /> The style is characterized by the heavy use of audio effects such as autotune and pitch shifters, as well as rapidly chopped vocals designed to resemble audio glitches.<ref name=":6" /> Writing for ''Complex'', music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds described the techniques used by David Shawty on the song "Dancing on the Sidewalk Lights Flicker" as "the sounds of a rapper's voice spliced into fragments, placed in front of nearly every bar, like punctuation. 'D-d-d-d,' he warbles, his voice injected with a ludicrous amount of aural Botox (Auto-Tune, pitch shift)."<ref name=":10" />
In 2022, 100 gecs would be labeled by ''The Face'' as inspiring "a new generation of American producers to experiment with an intense genre – called either hyperpop or digicore – from their bedrooms."<ref name=":9" /><ref name="NME_glitch3" /><ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22" /> As Kyann-Sian Williams of ''NME'' stated, "Now hyperpop has morphed into glitchcore, the latter defined by high-pitched vocals layered atop impaling 808s and wailing hi-hats that stop and start all over the place. Basically, glitchcore is hyperpop on steroids".<ref name="NME_glitch3">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Kyann-Sian |date=18 December 2020 |title=The rise and rise of hyperactive subgenre glitchcore |url=https://www.nme.com/features/glitchcore-hyperpop-charli-xcx-100-gecs-rico-nasty-hip-hop-2841348#:~:text=Now%20hyperpop%20has%20morphed%20into,people%20conflate%20hyperpop%20and%20glitchcore |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201193855/https://www.nme.com/features/glitchcore-hyperpop-charli-xcx-100-gecs-rico-nasty-hip-hop-2841348#:~:text=Now%20hyperpop%20has%20morphed%20into,people%20conflate%20hyperpop%20and%20glitchcore |archive-date=1 February 2021 |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=NME}}</ref>
Glitchcore is sometimes conflated with hyperpop due to their similarities.<ref name="NME_glitch3" /> In 2025, Sheldon Pearce of ''NPR'' stated, "glitchcore and digicore — terms often used interchangeably, only furthering confusion about what any of these words actually mean — and split into factions that in turn have bucked media narratives about what belongs where."<ref name=":6" /> Stef, a producer of the popular digicore and glitchcore collective Helix Tears stated that there certainly is a difference between hyperpop and glitchcore, saying, "Hyperpop is more melodic and poppy whereas glitchcore is indescribable".<ref name="NME_glitch3" />
According to ''Alternative Press'' magazine, American musician glaive is "Sometimes mislabeled as a glitchcore or hyperpop artist," further adding, "glaive doesn’t glitch out his beats all that much or rely on PC-processing of his vocals".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matulaityte |first=Giedre |title=15 bands and solo artists who are rewriting the emo rulebook |url=https://www.altpress.com/artists-rewriting-emo-rulebook-post-emo/ |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=Alternative Press Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
==== Visual aesthetic ==== Additionally, glitchcore also developed a distinct internet visual aesthetic, that drew primary influence from glitch art, with videos featuring fast-paced, and cluttered edits, often colorful and occasionally marked with flash warnings. This visual style frequently made use of an editing technique known as "datamoshing."<ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22"/> Digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like the edits", rather than an actual music genre.<ref name="complex_glitchcore">{{cite web |last1=Press-Reynolds |first1=Kieran |title=Gorgeous Glitches and Nightcored Melodies: The New Generation of SoundCloud Music is Here |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2020/08/glitchcore-surge-rap-soundcloud |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520161719/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2020/08/glitchcore-surge-rap-soundcloud |archive-date=20 May 2021 |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=Complex}}</ref> Alt TikTok, played a key role in popularising glitchcore, through video edits to two viral glitchcore/digicore songs "NEVER MET!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum and "Pressure" by David Shawty and Yungster Jack.<ref name="pitchfork_glitchcore22" />
=== Robloxcore ===
'''Robloxcore''' is a microgenre that was pioneered in late 2020 by artists such as lungskull and lieu, both of whom began by uploading and "bypassing" music into the popular online game Roblox, with their songs "Foreign" and "Threat" gaining popularity online.'''<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":14" />'''<ref name=":15" /> The term "robloxcore" was initially synonymous with "glitchcore" and "digicore".<ref name=":10" /> The scene's popularity was attributed to TikTok as well as Roblox audiomaker games like DigitalAngels and CriminalViolence, with tracks like Yameii Online's "Baby My Phone," peaking at No. 2 on the Spotify Viral 50 in March 2021.'''<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |date=2021-05-16 |title=How Roblox Sparked a Chaotic Music Scene (Published 2021) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/arts/music/roblox-video-game-music.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250429094207/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/arts/music/roblox-video-game-music.html |archive-date=2025-04-29 |access-date=2025-06-30 |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Who is Roblox Pop Star and Game Developer, Kai? |url=https://www.virtualhumans.org/article/who-is-roblox-pop-star-and-game-developer-kai |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=www.virtualhumans.org |language=en}}</ref>'''<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Cat |date=2021-12-14 |title=The Year in Music on TikTok 2021 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/tiktok-songs-2021/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
== See also == * Internet rap
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Glenn |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/You_Have_Not_Yet_Heard_Your_Favourite_So/cpAeEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=You Have Not Yet Heard Your Favourite Song: How Streaming Changes Music |date=2024 |publisher=Canbury Press |isbn=978-1914487156}}
{{Hyperpop}} {{Electronica}} {{Hip-hop}}
Category:Digicore Category:Counterculture of the 2020s Category:Microgenres Category:21st-century music genres Category:Hip-hop genres Category:2020s in music Category:2010s in music Category:Internet music genres Category:Internet rap genres