The Rise and Fall of Scene Culture in the Rawring 20s

The Rawring 20s was a period that internet subcultures will never forget, a time of neon colors, teased hairstyles, and music that rang deep. If you were around back then, you probably remember the classic MySpace styles, studded belts, and omnipresent phrase "RAWR XD." But as with all trends, scene culture had its high point and eventual fall. So, what caused its meteoric ascension, and why did it disappear?

The Emergence of Scene Culture

Scene culture did not happen overnight. It was the renegade cousin of emo culture, with alternative style and a hyperactive, goofy vibe. In contrast to emo, which went heavy on darker and more intense themes, scene kids lived for bright colors, cringeworthy-but-loveable internet jargon, and an infatuation with bands such as Blood on the Dance Floor, Bring Me the Horizon, and Attack Attack!

The Internet Made It Huge

The internet was huge in the proliferation of scene culture. MySpace, the leading social network, was a nexus of scene kids. Profile pages were adorned with glittering GIFs, auto-playing screamo or crunkcore playlists, and over-photoshopped selfies with dramatic angles and raccoon-striped hair.

Scene queens like Audrey Kitching and Jeffree Star were some of the original influencers, shaping trends via their extreme makeup, wild hairdos, and alternative online images. DeviantArt, Photobucket, and early YouTube channels also spread scene fashion and culture around the world.

Music & Fashion Were Everything

Music drove the scene lifestyle. Bands that merged electronic beats with metalcore breakdowns were the soundtrack du jour. Nightcore remixes and MySpace bands blew up in popularity, creating a new sound that was aggressive and danceable.

Fashion was just as obnoxious as the music. Scene kids wore:

Skin-tight neon skinny jeans

Band tees with cartoonish designs

Studded belts and fingerless gloves

Chopped, layered hair with bold streaks (bonus points for animal print extensions!)

It was flashy, bold, and unapologetically fun.

The Fall of Scene Culture

As quickly as scene culture dominated the internet, it started to fall. But why?

1. The Decline of MySpace

MySpace's fall also played a major role. Facebook became the top social networking site in the early 2010s. Facebook differed from MySpace, focusing on simplicity and offline friendships rather than appearances customization. Without a central hub for scene culture, the movement started losing its grip.

2. The Cringe Factor

As people grew up, many of them winced at their scene stage. The internet began ridiculing the melodramatic tendencies of scene culture. Memes appeared, spoofing the excessive teasing in hair, XD emoticon abuse, and terrible music tastes. What made scene kids different was now something to be embarrassed about.

3. Shifting Music Trends

By the mid-2010s, metalcore and pop punk split up, while EDM and mainstream pop were more prevalent. The distinct sounds of scene bands were no longer applicable, and the subsequent generations of Internet users weren't interested in the same kind of music.

4. Evolution into New Subcultures

Scene culture didn't die—it evolved. Elements of scene style were reimagined in other aesthetics like the e-girl/e-boy phenomenon, which mixed emo, goth, and anime-inspired fashion. TikTok became the new breeding ground for internet subcultures, but the flashy, in-your-face ethos of scene kids was replaced by a more stripped-down, moody aesthetic.

The Legacy of Scene Culture

While scene culture may no longer be the supreme ruler of youth culture, it cannot be denied its influence. It was one of the first internet-born subcultures, proving the social media's ability to define youth culture. Today, we still get glimpses of the scene days in nostalgic fashion trends, music mash-ups, and the occasional "RAWR XD" meme.

For those who experienced it, scene culture was a glittery, unhinged ride at times—embarrassing, to be sure, and occasionally too much—but ultimately unforgeable.

So, if you ever sported the teased hair, zebra-print hoodies, or crunkcore'd in your bedroom, let this be known: You were in on something legendary.