mall goth

Mall goth is the goth-influenced teen style of the late 1990s and 2000s, built around the store Hot Topic: huge Tripp or JNCO pants, platform boots, chokers, heavy eyeliner and brightly dyed hair.

What mall goth looks like

• Enormous pants with straps, chains and zippers
• Platform boots and chunky sneakers
• Spiked or velvet chokers
• Heavy black eyeliner and dark lipstick
• Black hair with streaks of bright colour
• Band T-shirts and merch

The soundtrack mattered: Marilyn Manson, nu metal and Evanescence, played loud in a bedroom covered in posters.

Examples

• “Those pants could fit three people. Peak mall goth.”
• “My cousin was a mall goth in 2003 and she still has the chokers.”
• “Mall goth is back, and so are the chains.”

Where the name came from

It started as an insult. Long-time goths used “mall goth” for teenagers who bought the look at the mall without knowing the music or the culture behind it. Trinity Levy, who runs the Instagram account @1990smallgoth, told Dazed the term was meant to be a bit of an insult. Wikipedia, citing goth reference books such as Encyclopedia Gothica, says the term began as a put-down for people who dressed goth only for the fashion.

Over time the sting faded. Wikipedia notes a revival in the late 2010s, including Marc Jacobs’ autumn 2016 collection, a TikTok comeback in 2020, and a strong influence on the e-girl and e-boy looks.

Mall goth vs. traditional goth

Traditional goth grew out of the post-punk music scene, with its own bands, clubs and history. Mall goth borrowed the look, mixed it with nu metal and emo, and sold it in shopping malls. That commercial side is exactly why some goths looked down on it.

Related terms

• e-girl: internet-era alt style for girls
• e-boy: the male version
• alt girl: a girl into alternative fashion
• pastel goth: goth softened with pastels
• alt: alternative, outside the mainstream

See more terms like this in our internet aesthetics guide.