Year of the Goblin

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the connections between musical undergrounds and the global emergence of ‘goblin mode’ as a political aesthetic. In March 2022 The Guardian published an article discussing the popularity of a new locution emerging on social media: ‘goblin mode’. Characterized by a “complete lack of aesthetic” and vaguely pointing towards “the opposite of trying to better oneself”, ‘goblin mode’ was linked to embracing dishevelment, rejecting societal expectations, and giving in to the heavy consumption of junk food and digital content in reaction to the pandemic obsession for domestic and personal improvement.