Digicore

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Not to be confused with Digital hardcore.
Digicore
Other names
  • Draincore
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 2010s to early 2020s; United States
Typical instruments
Derivative forms
Subgenres
Robloxcore
Other topics

Digicore (originally known as draincore) is a 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 100 gecs, rather than the "bubblegum bass" musicians signed to the label PC Music.

Notable acts include Jane Remover, Whethan, Yungster Jack, David Shawty, Sidney Phillips, d0llywood1, quinn, glaive, ericdoa, quannnic, midwxst, Lucy Bedroque, aldn, brakence, juju, oaf1, dreamcache, capoxxo, lei, kurtains, i9bonsai, kuru and twikipedia.

Etymology

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See also: Drain Gang

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.[2][3] The style was originally seen as a subgenre of hyperpop, though later described as developing alongside the movement.[4]

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".[4][5] In late 2019, artist lonelee coined the modern usage of the term “digicore” to replace draincore, with Quinn being the first artist to be associated with the label. By 2021, “digicore” was further popularized by Billy Bugara's SoundCloud playlist of the same name.[4][6]

Characteristics

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Many popular producers from the microgenre are between the ages of 15 and 18.[7] Digicore differs from hyperpop mainly by adding trap-based influences but there remains a degree of crossover between the scenes, characterised by heavy autotune, layered pluggnb melodies, high-pitched and breathy vocals, sing-rapping, sharp 808s, and frequent hi-hats.[2][6] Artists tend to use autotune as a separate instrument as influenced by artists such as Duwap Kaine and Bladee.[8]

Writer Kieran Press-Reynolds 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".[9][7] 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."[7]

Digicore artist Billy Bugara wrote that his colleagues "pull from genres as wide-reaching as midwestern emo, trance, and even Chicago drill".[7] Bugara defined digicore as simply "not Hyperpop and not Glitchcore".[10][4] Artists also draw from genres such as Jersey club and Brazilian funk, as well as MySpace-era genres such as crunkcore.[10][8] Other influences include the work of Duwap Kaine, Yung Bruh, trassh vampire, Sybyr and Charli XCX.[8]

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.[7] Early digicore pioneers include the work of juju, kid trash, david shawty, yungster jack and bby goyard.[7]

Similar to hyperpop, the digicore scene is often associated with the LGBTQ community, drawing primary influences from queer culture.[11] Several key artists identify as gay, non-binary, or transgender.[12] The microgenre's emphasis on vocal modulation has allowed artists to experiment with gender presentation in their voices.[11]

Online rap collectives such as NOVAGANG and helix tears have been considered influential.[3][13]

History

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2010s-2020s: Origins

[edit]
See also: Hyperpop and Alt TikTok

In 2018, Dalton, a figure in the digicore scene, started a Minecraft and Discord server called "Loser's Club" that became a haven for several of the most popular artists within the digicore scene such as Quinn, Kmoe,[10] Glaive, Ericdoa[14] and Midwxst.[7][15][16] These artists drew primary influence from Bladee and his collective Drain Gang, which inspired a microgenre known as "draincore".[4] 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.[17][18] Notable artists who emerged around this time include oaf1, dreamcache, capoxxo, twikipedia, lei, kurtains, i9bonsai, kmoe, sidney phillips, brakence, d0llywood1, lucy bedroque and quannnic.[19][20][10][9]

In 2020, the microgenre saw a rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with teenage artists who were out of school primarily making music during the lockdowns.[19] Around that time, TikTok, particularly Alt TikTok,[21] 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.[22][23][24] In 2021, the digicore album Frailty[25] by Jane Remover (who previously pioneered the dariacore microgenre) received praise on mainstream music sites Pitchfork[26] and Paste,[27] with the Fader stating the album established Jane Remover as "the face of digicore".[28][29]

Diversification

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See also: Robloxcore and Rage music

Additionally, "robloxcore" became a brief microgenre offshoot of digicore, originally pioneered by artists 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 wider popularity online.[30] 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.[31][23]

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.[32] Additionally, rapper 2hollis draws influences from artists associated with digicore, but has since rejected the label.[10] In 2022, he released a diss track on the genre entitled "Fuck digicore ass shit".[10]

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.[9] By 2024 and 2025, the digicore scene had further evolved, incorporating influences from rage music artists like Playboi Carti and Yeat.[10] Revengeseekerz, the third studio album by Jane Remover was released in April 2025 and described as a cross-between rage and digicore.[33][34] Additionally, rage artists such as Che[35] and Prettifun have been described as drawing influence from digicore.[36]

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Glitchcore

[edit]
Not to be confused with Glitch hop.
Glitchcore
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 2010s to early 2020s; United States
Typical instruments
Other topics

Glitchcore is a microgenre that originally developed alongside hyperpop[37] and digicore. Although glitchcore first appeared as a term in the breakcore scene, it later came to describe a style of music associated with the digicore scene. This style was pioneered in the late 2010s by artists such as Yungster Jack and David Shawty, and is characterized by plugg-based instrumentation, heavy use of audio effects such as autotune and pitch shifters, as well as rapidly chopped vocals designed to resemble audio glitches.[10]

As Kyann-Sian Williams of NME stated, "glitchcore is hyperpop on steroids",[38] referring to the exaggerated vocals, distortions, glitch noises, and other pop elements present within glitchcore. Artists such as 100 gecs and the collective Drain Gang played a key role in the development of the genre.[39][38]

Glitchcore is sometimes referred to as a subgenre of hyperpop and digicore, with writer Sheldon Pearce of NPR stating "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."[10]

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".[38] Similar to digicore, glitchcore is typically made up of artists that share stylistic similarities to 100 gecs, rather than the musicians signed to PC Music.[40]

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."[22] Digicore artists like d0llywood1 even refer to glitchcore as "an aesthetic, like the edits", rather than an actual music genre.[41] 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.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kieran Press-Reynolds (January 25, 2022). "Deep-internet bubbles: How microgenres are taking over SoundCloud". No Bells.
  2. ^ a b Walker, Sophie (4 November 2021). "404 Error, Genre Not Found: The Life Cycle of Internet Scenes". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cafolla, Anna (17 October 2022). "What does 'hyperpop' mean in 2022?". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sundaresan, Mano; Angel, H. D.; Angel, Mano Sundaresan and H. D. (2022-03-15). "Bells & Whistles, Vol. 9: Ends and beginnings". No Bells. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  5. ^ "Draincore is in my DNA". Public Pressure. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  6. ^ a b Digicore the Underground Sound: Scenes. YouTube. SoundCloud. January 27, 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Bugara, Billy (20 April 2021). "Digicore captures the angst of coming of age during a global pandemic". I-D. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Sundaresan, Mano; Noel, Jude; Noel, Mano Sundaresan and Jude (2021-12-10). "eoy_2021: Digicore takes shape". No Bells. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  9. ^ a b c "What hyperpop did next". The Face. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pearce, Sheldon (2025-04-24). "Anatomy of a microgenre: Hyperpop's next evolution". NPR. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  11. ^ a b Pritchard, Will (17 December 2020). "Hyperpop or overhyped? The rise of 2020's most maximal sound". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  12. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (14 February 2021). "What is Hyperpop?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ^ Jones, Phoebe M.M. (2024). "Identity Through Excess: Trans Identities Expressed Through Hyperpop" (PDF). University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  14. ^ Robinson, Otis (2024-01-18). "Ericdoa – 'DOA' review: dials down the hyperpop without sacrificing vision". NME. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  15. ^ Dazed (2022-01-28). "Goodbye hyperpop: the rise and fall of the internet's most hated 'genre'". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  16. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran. "Meet Quinn, the 16-year-old internet musician who was the young face of hyperpop until she deleted everything and started over". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  17. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2021-09-07). "This Is Your Brain on 100 gecs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  18. ^ "Meet the geccers: photos of 100 gecs' dedicated London fans". The Face. 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  19. ^ a b Press-Reynolds, Kieran (2024-10-03). "The Lost Promises of Hyperpoptimism". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  20. ^ "THE FACE's guide to the American rap underground". The Face. 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  21. ^ Leight, Elias (2020-08-06). "Alt TikTok Is Music's Latest Scene, and Straight TikTok Has Noticed". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  22. ^ a b Zhang, Cat (19 November 2020). "Is Glitchcore a TikTok Aesthetic, a New Microgenre, or the Latest Iteration of Glitch Art?". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  23. ^ a b Zhang, Cat (2021-12-14). "The Year in Music on TikTok 2021". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  24. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (2020-04-10). "The Best and Worst of Rap This Week: Offset's Interview With Reese Witherspoon and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  25. ^ Sundaresan, Mano (23 November 2021). "dltzk: Frailty". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  26. ^ Zhang, Cat (2022-01-25). "Digicore Hero dltzk Is So Online It Hurts". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  27. ^ Sharples, Grant (8 December 2021). "No Album Left Behind: dltzk's Frailty Is an Electrifying Work of Unpredictability". Paste. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Jane Remover's outer space". The FADER. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  29. ^ Sundaresan, Mano. "Jane Remover: Teen Week". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  30. ^ "How Roblox Sparked a Chaotic Music Scene (Published 2021)". 2021-05-16. Archived from the original on 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  31. ^ "Who is Roblox Pop Star and Game Developer, Kai?". www.virtualhumans.org. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  32. ^ "New Music Friday: Stream new projects from Eliza McLamb, PACKS, ericdoa, and more". The FADER. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  33. ^ Custer, Ethan (April 17, 2025). "Revengeseekerz by Jane Remover is new and exciting". The Ramapo News. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  34. ^ "Jane Remover Talks "Revengeseekez" - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  35. ^ Sundaresan, Mano. "Che: 3 EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  36. ^ "prettifun is ready for his closeup". The FADER. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  37. ^ Cafolla, Anna (17 October 2022). "What does 'hyperpop' mean in 2022?". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  38. ^ a b c Williams, Kyann-Sian (18 December 2020). "The rise and rise of hyperactive subgenre glitchcore". NME. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  39. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2021-09-07). "This Is Your Brain on 100 gecs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  40. ^ a b Zhang, Cat (19 November 2020). "Is Glitchcore a TikTok Aesthetic, a New Microgenre, or the Latest Iteration of Glitch Art?". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  41. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran. "Gorgeous Glitches and Nightcored Melodies: The New Generation of SoundCloud Music is Here". Complex. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.