Soft Grunge

Soft Grunge or Pale Grunge is an aesthetic based on simple photos with a color palette primarily consisting of white, grey, black, green, and blue. The aesthetic is believed to have appeared on Tumblr between 2013 and 2015. Some photos are intended to be sad looking, often of someone suffering for love or with a '90s vibe, for example.
Despite calling themselves grunge, followers of the aesthetic were fairly popular in the mainstream and connected to the rise of the Alternative, emo, pop, and indie music and fashion trends of the time, such as galaxy prints, black and white grids, and fandom merchandise. Because of their close-knit community on Tumblr, they developed a "not-like-other-girls" attitude, especially in contrast with the "hipsters" (which is more accurately described as an early version of VSCO). The type of media they consumed was also incredibly specific, with fangirl culture and this aesthetic often overlapping. This style later declined, yet has gained short-term popularity in 2020 due to a desire to escape to the past.https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/5/7/21247938/tumblr-aesthetic-2014-nostalgia-tiktok-indie-pop
==Visuals==
This aesthetic can be described as very fresh or a clean variation of the grunge style. Enthusiasts of this aesthetic focus on taking pictures that contain:
*Band posters, cover art, and merchandise
*Black and white edits of movies and TV shows
*Cigarettes
*Concrete edifications
*Faceless photos
*Glass
*Greek statues
*Guitars
*Japanese kanji
*Lyrics and quotes in simple fonts over solid or gridded backgrounds
*Outfits
*Old TVs
*Plants
*Polaroids
*Silver objects
*Simple drawings
*Storefronts
*Succulents and cacti
*Technology such as iPhones and headphones
*Vaporwave GIFs done in black and white
*White rooms
*Water bottles
*Writing and quotes
==Fashion==
The style associated with 2014-era Tumblr has a very defined color palette in that it is typically monochrome or pastel, depending on personal preference. Japanese fashion, early 2000s emo, and more authentic grunge influenced the style, which has outfits that were incredibly specific, almost formulaic. Unlike grunge or the DIY ethos of other alternative fashions, these pieces were typically bought brand new at mall stores such as American Apparel and Hot Topic. Despite the term "Tumblr girl" being the most popular term, men can wear the aesthetic too. Soft grunge outfits are now often associated with bisexual people and LGBT fashion. Typical fashion pieces include: 
*Band and fandom printed t-shirts
*T-shirts printed with patterns popular at that time, such as galaxy, horizontal stripes, and black and white grids
*Plain black and white t-shirts
*Flannels
*Denim jackets
*Cuffed jeans
*Ripped jeans
*Black skinny jeans (typically associated with the Hot Topic emo fans)
*Pleated tennis skirts
*Fishnet tights
*Knee socks
*Converse sneakers
*Creepers
*Combat boots
*Vans shoes, often the black and white checks
*Black plastic chokers and bracelets
*Beanies
*Flower crowns
==Websites & Stores==
Stores that are popular among members of the Soft Grunge community include:
*Adidas
*All Star
*American Apparel
*BLK Water
*Boxed Water
*Crosley Cruiser
*Evian Water
*Fiji Water
*Nike
*Voss
*Zara
==Hair==
Coloured or faded hair is great for this aesthetic, but natural hair also fits very well. Also hairstyles and haircuts like:
*Bangs
*Space buns
*Messy buns
*Long bob
*Long hair
*Short hair
*Pigtails
*Microbangs
==Decoration==
To decorate your living space in the Soft Grunge way, here are some quick tips to achieve this aesthetic quickly.
*Plants are essential when it comes to decorating in this aesthetic. Plants such as succulents, ferns, and cacti should not be missed and rooms with white walls and simple decoration.
*White sheets and pillowcases or with grid, stripes or plaid prints
*Polaroids, pictures of album covers, drawings or photos of famous people stuck on the wall.
*Write quotes on the walls.
*Put vinyl records on the walls.
*Add a vinyl record player.
*Marble patterns are key.
*The intention of a Soft Grunge room is not to look minimal, but simple.
==Music==
A lot of Soft Grunge music tends to fall into the Indie category.
===Artists=== 
*Lana Del Rey
*Arctic Monkeys
*The XX
*The Neighbourhood
*The 1975
*Hozier
*Charli XCX
*Lorde
*Troye Sivan
*Halsey
*Melanie Martinez
*Twenty One Pilots
*The Smiths
*Mac DeMarco
*MARINA
*Lykke Li
*Lorde
*Azealia
*Sky Ferreira
*Allie X
*Cage The Elephant 
=== Albums ===
* Pure Heroine by Lorde
* The 1975 by The 1975
* Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey
* badlands by Halsey
* Born to Die by Lana Del Rey
* Blue Neighbourhood by Troye Sivan
* Cry Baby by Melanie Martinez
* Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys
* Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier
=== Songs ===
* "She's Thunderstorms" by Arctic Monkeys
* "Mad Hatter" by Melanie Martinez
* "for him." by Troye Sivan
* "Carmen" by Lana Del Rey
* "Lonely Hearts Club" by MARINA
* "Bitch" by Allie X
* "Cigarette Daydreams" by Cage The Elephant
== Resources ==
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.
=== Blogs===
* Soft Grunge Aesthetic
* The Neko Soft Grunge
===Pinterest Boards===
*Pale Grunge by Picsglam
*Grunge//Pale//aesthetic//tumblr by Dailin Michelle
*Pale grunge by Iris
*Pale Grunge Style by Angelina | Fashion & Style Inspiration
===Playlists===
*tumblr/pale/grunge/indie era by carito | Spotify
*soft core tumblr whore by (๑>ᴗ<๑) nancy | Spotify
*p a l e g r u n g e 2 0 1 4 t u m b l by Morgan Rhys Llewelyn | Spotify
==Gallery==
File:Soft Grunge 1.jpg
File:Soft Grunge 3.jpg
File:Soft Grunge 4.jpg
File:Soft Grunge 5.jpg
Sadangel.jpg
Couple.jpg
Air.jpg
Quote.jpg
Amap2.jpg
Boysweater.jpg
Angelinajolie.jpg
Crying aesthetic.jpg
Cats aesthetic pale.jpg
Chocolatr.jpg
Concrete.jpg
Faucet aest.jpg
Originalkkkk.jpg
Flavoredwater .jpg
Girlground.jpg
Greenglass .jpg
Sushi box .jpg
Japanese quotes.jpg
Knees showing.jpg
American apparel aesthetic.jpg
Shopping car.jpg
Gaming.jpg
Rainy dayss.jpg
Skatist.jpg
Skullsglass.jpg
Rainy dayysss.jpg
Statueee.jpg
Sushi box 2.jpg
Sttue.jpg
Bastards.jpg
Amamam.jpg
Whitewall.jpg
Bubble.jpg
Ughh.jpg
Fishnets.jpg
Groundgirl2.jpg
Pool.jpg
Planswater.jpg
Girlyyy.jpg
7f699ada7884106a05ca8b919b81f76c.jpg
2e5753bd7911d536ff29f38087798e0d.jpg
D85e7c3636477e1dd65b0b86b43c0972.jpg
Rainyday.jpg
Superthumb.jpg
Coolkids.jpg
Legs.jpg
144444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444.jpg
IMG 20210222 005913.jpg
IMG 20210222 010114.jpg
IMG 20210222 010057.jpg
Natural Philosophy-Greenhouse and Plants.jpeg
D85d670373cfe07a70312ce2819342c8.jpg
3f0acb0c77ee765a3e096530558d4777.jpg
951681f222db658121810de79c512ac5.jpg
87210240919a82d61a1fae2e7a60162e.jpg
Cbc72002214e79fe59e0153d40eacefc.jpg
2bfa9e56ad49538a4c7e2bcbb4956e94.jpg
722f9c0ea3ac0fa3ca52d777cdc9681f.jpg
Bd8ce0aef7d44c9506609e5b823e54eb.jpg
202fb0f6dcb5c4f118cea97758e22104.jpg
82205e72ed6a8ee23b35b7d5c7353ef6.jpg
Greek.jpg
Plants.jpg
Vossandfiji.jpg
Girl.jpg
Cellphone grid.jpg
Ground.jpg
Look2.JPG
Look3.jpg
Grid skirts.jpg
Jeans.jpg
Backpacks.jpg
IMG_20210222_005958.jpg
IMG_20210222_010303.jpg
Adidas aesthetic.jpg
Evian.jpg
Boxedwater.jpg
Blackwater.jpg
Nike pale.jpg
Longhair girl.jpg
Blonde girl pale.jpg
Halfdyedhair.jpg
Gridss.jpg
Guitarr.jpg
Xx.jpg
Greekstatpale .jpg
Gridsheet.jpg
Apple and starbucks.jpg
IMG_20210222_010031.jpg
The1975.jpg
Sadsongs.jpg
Lorde.jpg
Laninha.jpg
Fe05d4cf40d3ece69456b94a014a9f19.jpg
Amamamama.jpg
File:Lana del Rey soft grunge.jpg
==References==
Category:Visual
Category:Fashion
Category:Music
Category:LGBTQ+
Category:Grayscale
Category:Black
Category:White
Category:Mutes
Category:Grunge
Category:2010s
Category:Dark
Category:Internet Aesthetics