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. Rooted in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and psychedelic pop of the 1960s, the style originated in the UK, particularly in London and the greater Thames Valley region, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 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.
A British music-press label applied to shoegaze bands and affiliated artists in the early-1990s London club scene was "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". Artists that were associated with the Scene drew primarily from dream pop band Cocteau Twins, as well as from the sonic template established by Irish band, My Bloody Valentine on their 1988 EP You Made Me Realise and their debut album Isn't Anything.
The genre reached its peak in 1991 with the release of My Bloody Valentine's second album, Loveless, but was overshadowed by the rise of the American grunge scene and the following Britpop movement. In the 2000s, shoegaze experienced a revival referred to as "nu gaze" or sometimes "second-wave shoegaze". During the 2010s, the offshoot blackgaze emerged, while unrelated music styles, such as witch house, adopted aspects of shoegaze's atmosphere. In the 2020s, the revival was spearheaded by Gen Z artists, sometimes referred to as "zoomergaze". Additionally, a fusion genre known as "grungegaze," which blends grunge with shoegaze, emerged.
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