Simpsonwave is an audiovisual microgenre and internet meme that originated on platforms like Vine and YouTube in the mid-to-late 2010s. It is a subgenre of Vaporwave defined by a specific formula: clips from the "classic era" of the animated television series The Simpsons (roughly the first eleven seasons) are edited and set to Vaporwave or Lo-fi electronic music.

The aesthetic is characterized by its signature editing style, which applies heavy VHS-style distortion, a surreal pastel color filter (often a "codeine purple"), and psychedelic effects to the source material. This process recontextualizes the often comedic scenes from the show, creating a new, dreamlike atmosphere that is typically melancholic, nostalgic, and poignant.

The Simpsonwave phenomenon began to coalesce around 2015 and 2016. An early, influential example is a Vine created by user Spicster, which looped a clip from the episode "Bart on the Road" set to the song " Resonance " by HOME. The video's popularity established the core combination of nostalgic Simpsons imagery and dreamy electronic music.

The term "Simpsonwave" was coined and the genre was popularized by YouTuber Lucien Hughes, a UK-based student who began creating and compiling longer Simpsonwave videos in early 2016. His video "ＳＵＮＤＡＹ ＳＣＨＯＯＬ", which set scenes of Bart contemplating his existence to the Blank Banshee track " Teen Pregnancy ," became a seminal work that defined the genre's melancholic and deconstructive potential. The trend was further explained and spread by other YouTubers, most notably FrankJavCee in his satirical "How To" video on the genre.

Simpsonwave is defined by a consistent and specific set of editing techniques applied to its source material. Visually, the videos are intentionally degraded to mimic the look of an old, worn-out VHS tape. This includes adding static, tracking errors, and a blurry, low-resolution quality. A surreal color grade, typically a washed-out purple or pink, is applied to the footage, creating a dreamlike and unnatural feel. The clips are often slowed down and looped, with psychedelic effects like mirroring or cascading images used to enhance the hypnotic atmosphere.

Sonically, the videos are paired with music from the Vaporwave and lo-fi genres. The slow, melancholic, and often reverb-heavy tracks are used to completely reframe the original context of the Simpsons scenes. A funny or lighthearted moment from the show can be transformed into one that feels sad, poignant, or full of longing, creating what has been described as a sense of "dreamy ennui."

The primary theme of Simpsonwave is a deep and frequently sad nostalgia . It uses the universal familiarity of The Simpsons as a cultural touchstone for millennials and older members of Gen Z to evoke a sense of a lost past. The degraded visual quality reinforces this feeling, making the videos appear like a fading, distant memory.

Many Simpsonwave videos also function as a deconstruction of the show and its characters. By isolating specific scenes and removing the original comedic context, these edits often show the underlying sadness, anxiety, or existential dread present in the characters' lives. For example, videos may focus on Homer's feelings of failure, Lisa's depression, or Bart's loneliness, transforming them from cartoon figures into relatable symbols of modern melancholy.