Draft:Glitchcore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glitchcore is a microgenre and Internet aesthetic that emerged in the late 2010s to early 2020s. The term had initially been used synonymously with the Internet music genres digicore and robloxcore. It was later described as a distinct microgenre of hip-hop as well as an early term for digicore.[1]
- Digicore
- hyperpop
- robloxcore (early)
| Glitchcore | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 2010s to early 2020s; United States |
| Typical instruments | |
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The video editing style initially emerged in 2020 through TikTok edits to viral digicore and hyperpop songs such as "Pressure" by Yungster Jack and David Shawty along with "Never Met!" by CMTEN and Glitch Gum. According to Pitchfork, TikTok video editor iguana_alana was "the CEO of glitchcore".
Collectives such as Helix Tears, Novagang, bloodhounds, slowsilver03, Varsity and Goonncity were initially associated with the style.
Etymology and characteristics
Although glitchcore first appeared as a term in the breakcore scene,[2] 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.[3][4] 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.[5]
The term "glitchcore" was originally applied synonymously with hyperpop, robloxcore and digicore.[6][7][8] However, the style was later defined as evolving alongside hyperpop and denoting a different sound.[7] Writing for Complex, music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds described the techniques used by David Shawty on his 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)."[5]
BrooklynVegan described Salazar's production as "weird and cool" and noted his use of vocal chopping and stuttering.[9][10]
NOVAGANG, Helix Tears, bloodhounds, slowsilver03, Varsity, Goonncity,
History
Music
In 2020, 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".[11][12]
In April 2021, Alternative Press magazine labelled the collective helix tears as glitchcore, stating, "The blackwinterwells-led helix tears collective is SoundCloud's most exciting rabbit hole of glitchcore/hexD emo-rap transcendentalists".[13]
Post-pandemic punk.[6] CMTEN
Glitchcore is sometimes conflated with hyperpop due to their similarities.[11] 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."[7] 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".[11]
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".[14] In a 2020 interview with DMY magazine, hyperpop artist Voidie stated, "before 2020, glitchcore/hyperpop didn’t really exist – apart from a few pioneers."[8]
For some insiders, this felt slightly damaging, though—the trend was marked by a hashtag, #glitchcore, which cemented the name for the scene.
David Shawty and Yungster Jack's "Kiss My Own Dick," limeboiler's "k.k. bossa (small version)," kevinhilfiger's "Dancing in the Dark," featuring POPSTARBILLS and chach, and oodles more.
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."[16] Digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like the edits", rather than an actual music genre.[17] 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.[16]
Iguana_alana
Editor iguana_alana was described as "the CEO of glitchcore".[16]
d0llywood1 “I’m really thankful for the glitchcore scene [on TikTok]. Despite the fact that people think it’s a music genre, it’s an aesthetic, like the edits,”. “Through getting my songs in edits by iguana alana [a popular TikToker in the scene], I’ve had such a large audience open up and a community that accepts my music no matter how different it is from the mainstream shit.”[18]