solarpunk

Solarpunk is a hopeful vision of the future: green cities, solar panels, rooftop gardens and communities that have actually dealt with the climate crisis. It’s a genre of fiction and art and an aesthetic, often described as cyberpunk’s optimistic opposite.

What solarpunk means

Where cyberpunk imagines neon-lit megacities, corporate control and grime, solarpunk pictures bright buildings draped in plants, clean energy, trams and a lot of do-it-yourself. The “solar” stands for renewable energy and optimism; the “punk” is the countercultural, DIY spirit of building that future yourself.

Visually it’s natural colors, bright greens and blues, and plenty of light. Wikipedia lists Wakanda in Black Panther and Studio Ghibli films such as Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as examples of the look.

Examples

• “My dream city is solarpunk: trams, vertical gardens, no traffic.”
• “That game’s art direction is so solarpunk.”
• “I’m tired of dystopias. Give me solarpunk.”

Where it came from

The term was coined in 2008 in a blog post that set it against steampunk, and it gathered fans online over the following years. It belongs to the big family of -punk genres, alongside cyberpunk, steampunk and dieselpunk.

Related terms

• Frutiger Aero: 2000s tech-meets-nature optimism.
• Cottagecore: an idealized, rural slow life.
• Goblincore: moss, mushrooms and the messy side of nature.
• Fairycore: whimsical, enchanted-forest style.

More looks with names are in our aesthetics guide.