Black life in / and “Alt” Music subcultures

In collaboration with the Museum of Youth Culture, this project explored the cultural memory and archived experiences of Black people in “alternative” (“alt”) music subcultures (UK and US). It looked at the recent history, naming, and perceptions of specific (sub-)genres, such as “alt” R&B and baddiecore. Additionally, it considered the lore of other types of music, including rap and yacht rock.

The research focused on the recollections and representation of Black people in / on emo, hardcore punk, nu metal, post-hardcore, and screamo. As part of this, genre overlaps and origins were discussed. The work also addressed different ideas of what archives are and can be, while tackling the (digital) politics of popular concepts of “cringe” and “cool”. All of that led to creating this free (fan)zine. Several pieces in it are accessible through the Museum of Youth Culture’s website. I visited the DC Punk Archive in April 2025, so insights from their collections feature here too. Thanks for checking this out! Here is the playlist that accompanies the zine.

The project was supported by funding from an AHRC IAA KEPSS grant from UKRI, through Cardiff University.