The Desert aesthetic is based off and around the desert and desert styled motifs, such as dismal, muted earthy colours and themes of the desert. Animals or things that may be strongly associated with this aesthetic are: cactuses, camels, sand, sandstone, leather and more.

Further information: Western

American Desert is an aesthetic that focuses primarily on the Western portion of the United States and Northern Mexico. It is often based around the Wild West era of the 1800s and includes fashion elements what most people thought of that particular area of the country at the time (lots of vests, sun-protecting hats, ponchos, and light, airy clothing that won't cause you to overheat due to the immense heat that deserts tend to have during the day). It can also include buildings from the time period such as saloons, ranches, and oil rigs.

American Desert also occasionally carries a strong connection to the environmental movements of the time. This is because many american environmentalists were enamored with the beauty of the desert, and wrote extensively about its merits as a location and the lifestyle it proposed.

Notable motifs include Mexican blankets, reptiles (primarily iguanas), fire, the Southwestern US & Mexico, Mexican pirate radio, human skeletons, and imagery inspired by Dia de los Muertos. This subgenre was created by user Mixingitall.

Cryptid Desert incorporates Cryptidcore and the main focus is the UFO mythology surrounding the Roswell incident and Area 51. This includes regular desert visuals, as well as visuals that include UFOs, aliens, mini-vans, government facilities, and more. In art that can be categorized as Aliencore or Spacecore , the desert is often depicted as the place to contact aliens or escape into a surreal spacescape, respectively.

Australian Desert is focused on the outback deserts of Australia. Visuals associated with this aesthetic are Aboriginal tribes, kangaroos, koalas, snakes, and thorny devils. Typical fashion associated with the Australian outback include Akubra hats, as seen in Crocodile Dundee .

Arabian Desert is focused on typical middle eastern clothing such as Fez hats, shemagh etc. It is often seen alongside the Arabian Nights aesthetic.

The colour palette encompasses colours like muted green, brown, darker yellow, cream, and black.

Baseline fashion for desertwave should include comfortable, breathable, light clothing that protects from the sun. This can include: