Synthwave is an electronic music microgenre and visual aesthetic that emerged in the mid-2000s, primarily within the French House scene. It is characterized by an intentional emulation of 1980s film soundtracks, video game scores, and pop culture. The genre relies heavily on analog synthesizers and production techniques that evoke the retrofuturistic atmosphere of 1980s science fiction and action media.

While the terms " Outrun " and " Retrowave " are often used interchangeably with Synthwave by the general public, within the community they denote specific distinctions. Synthwave is the umbrella genre; Outrun refers specifically to the driving-focused visual aesthetic and early arcade-style sound, while Retrowave typically refers to the more optimistic, vocal-heavy, and pop-oriented substyle.

Visually, Synthwave is defined by the "Outrun" aesthetic: a cohesive style featuring neon-grid landscapes, wireframe vector graphics, chrome lettering, and sunsets, typically rendered in a palette of magenta, cyan, and violet.

Synthwave originated in the mid-2000s as an offshoot of the French House scene. Producers began incorporating elements of 1980s Italo Disco and the cinematic scores of composers such as John Carpenter, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream into modern electronic production.

Key pioneers included the French artist Kavinsky, whose tracks like " Testarossa Autodrive " (2006) established the genre's driving cinematic sound, and David Grellier (College), founder of the Valerie Collective. This collective, which included artists like Maethelvin and Anoraak, focused on a nostalgic, romanticized vision of 1980s youth culture, distinct from the more aggressive sounds that would develop later.

The genre achieved global recognition following the release of the 2011 film Drive . The film's soundtrack featured Kavinsky's " Nightcall " and College's " A Real Hero ," exposing the sound to a mainstream audience and establishing the genre's association with " neon-noir " driving imagery.

Its popularity was accelerated by the 2012 release of the video game Hotline Miami . The game's soundtrack featured high-tempo aggressive soundtracks from artists like Perturbator, M.O.O.N., and Carpenter Brut. This introduced a darker, more violent edge to the genre, leading to the development of the Darksynth subgenre.

By the late 2010s, Synthwave had diversified into numerous subgenres (see below). The aesthetic permeated mainstream pop culture, influencing the sound of major artists such as The Weeknd (notably the single " Blinding Lights ") and the visual direction of media like Stranger Things and Thor: Ragnarok .

Synthwave is closely linked to the "Outrun" aesthetic, a term derived from the 1986 Sega arcade game Out Run . This visual style does not attempt to accurately document the 1980s as they historically occurred; rather, it curates a specific, hyper-stylized memory of the decade filtered through the lens of science fiction, action cinema, and arcade culture. The aesthetic is defined by a high-contrast " Neon Noir " atmosphere that prioritizes cinematic lighting and retrofuturistic geometry over realism.

The most popular symbol of the genre is the "Retrosun," a setting sun composed of horizontal stripes that typically gradient from bright yellow to deep magenta. This motif is frequently paired with the "laser grid," a glowing neon perspective plane that extends into a vanishing point, representing a digital landscape or cyberspace. These abstract backgrounds often serve as the stage for the genre's fixation on 1980s automotive design. Italian supercars, particularly the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach, alongside the DMC DeLorean, are standard fixtures, often depicted speeding through neon-drenched cityscapes or coastal highways lined with silhouetted palm trees. The color palette is strictly curated to emphasize this nocturnal vibe, relying heavily on deep blacks, cyan, magenta, and violet, often accented with chrome textures and metallic typography that utilizes script fonts reminiscent of 1980s airbrush art (like those seen in Italo Disco album covers).

While Synthwave visuals are often confused with the related Vaporwave genre, the two possess distinct artistic goals and tonal differences. Synthwave visuals are characterized by an earnest, energetic celebration of 1980s pop culture, focusing on "cool" motifs like speed, technology, and heroism with a polished, high-definition finish. In contrast, Vaporwave utilizes a softer, pastel-heavy palette and often incorporates low-fidelity, glitched, or surreal imagery to create a tone that is satirical or melancholic. Despite these differences, the boundaries between the two are permeable; artists from both scenes frequently collaborate, blending the neon-noir energy of Synthwave with the surrealist textures of Vaporwave to create hybrid works.

The Synthwave umbrella encompasses several distinct substyles with unique musical and visual identities.

The foundational style of the genre. Musically, it is instrumental, up-tempo, and driving, designed to evoke the feeling of driving a sports car at night. It is heavily influenced by arcade game soundtracks and Italo Disco .

These terms often describe the lighter and more optimistic side of the genre. Retrowave (or Popwave) frequently features vocals and structure similar to traditional 1980s pop and rock radio. Dreamwave is slower, atmospheric, and romantic, focusing on lush pads and a "hazy" production style rather than driving beats.

A heavier and more aggressive evolution of the genre that incorporates elements of metal, industrial, and horror film scores. Visually, it swaps the neon-sunset palette for pentagrams, occult imagery, red/black color schemes, and slasher movie tropes.

A crossover style that blends Synthwave synthesizers with the downtempo beats and lo-fi aesthetic of Chillwave. It is less focused on 80s nostalgia and more on atmospheric relaxation.

Synthwave is defined by its reliance on 1980s music production techniques and instrumentation, specifically the use of analog synthesizers and drum machines to create a "retrofuturistic" sound. The genre is largely instrumental, though the Retrowave subgenre frequently incorporates pop-style vocals.

The foundational element of Synthwave composition is the use of vintage synthesizers (or software emulations thereof), such as the Roland Juno-106, Jupiter-8, and Yamaha DX7. These instruments are used to create thick polyphonic pads and bright piercing lead melodies. Basslines are typically synthesized and repetitive, often utilizing sixteenth-note arpeggios or a rolling "gallop" rhythm to create a sense of forward motion and urgency.

Rhythmically, Synthwave is characterized by a steady 4/4 time signature. The percussion is heavily influenced by the "gated reverb" snare sound popularized in the 1980s (most notably by Phil Collins). Drum patterns are often programmed using samples from classic drum machines like the LinnDrum or the Roland TR-707, featuring heavy kicks and crisp hi-hats. Production techniques often include heavy side-chain compression, where the volume of the bass and synth pads "ducks" (lowers) with every kick drum hit, creating a rhythmic "pumping" effect that emphasizes the driving beat.

While early Synthwave (Outrun) was almost exclusively electronic, modern iterations often incorporate electric guitars. This is particularly prominent in the Darksynth subgenre, where distorted metal guitar riffs are layered over synthesized bass to create an aggressive, industrial atmosphere.