What Even Is Hyperpop?
Hyperpop is one of the most polarizing and misunderstood genres to emerge in the 2010s. At its core, it's a maximalist deconstruction of pop music — taking the familiar elements of radio-friendly songs (catchy hooks, verse-chorus structure, polished production) and pushing every parameter to an almost absurd extreme. Pitch-shifted vocals, distorted 808s, crystalline synth arpeggios, and tempo changes that defy genre norms all collide in tracks that can feel simultaneously euphoric, chaotic, and strangely moving.
If your first reaction is "this is too much" — that's kind of the point.
A Brief History
The genre's origins are often traced to the UK imprint PC Music, founded by producer A.G. Cook around 2013. Cook and collaborators like SOPHIE and Hannah Diamond developed a hyper-saturated, candy-coated aesthetic that was partly sincere pop love letter and partly critical commentary on consumer culture and internet aesthetics.
SOPHIE in particular became one of the most influential figures in the movement. Her productions — for herself and for artists like Charli XCX, Madonna, and Kim Petras — introduced textures that had never been heard in mainstream pop: metallic, physically tactile, and completely synthetic in ways that felt more honest than "real" instruments.
By the late 2010s, SoundCloud had become the genre's breeding ground. Artists like 100 gecs, Dorian Electra, and a new wave of bedroom producers pushed hyperpop further into abrasion and irony, blending it with emo, metal, and internet humor.
Key Characteristics
- Pitch-shifted vocals — often shifted up dramatically, sometimes chipmunk-like, sometimes processed beyond recognition
- Maximalist production — everything in the mix is loud, bright, and fighting for space
- Genre collision — hyperpop borrows freely from bubblegum pop, EDM, metal, emo, and noise music
- Internet-native aesthetics — lyrics and visual art often reference memes, gaming culture, and online emotional expression
- Emotional sincerity beneath the noise — underneath the chaos, many hyperpop tracks deal with genuine themes of identity, longing, and dysphoria
Essential Artists to Know
- SOPHIE — The genre's most visionary figure. Start with Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides.
- 100 gecs — The duo that brought hyperpop to mainstream attention. 1000 gecs is essential listening.
- Charli XCX — Bridged the gap between hyperpop and genuine chart pop. how i'm feeling now and Brat are landmarks.
- Dorian Electra — Theatrical, queer, and intensely original. My Agenda is a highlight.
- A.G. Cook — One of the genre's founding architects. His solo work rewards deep listening.
- Dylan Brady (of 100 gecs) — Increasingly influential as a solo producer and collaborator.
Subgenres and Adjacent Sounds
Hyperpop has spawned and overlapped with several related sounds worth exploring:
- Bubblegum bass: The more melodic, sugary end of the spectrum — think PC Music's earliest work.
- Digicore: A SoundCloud-born variant with heavier rap and emo influence, often made by teenagers in their bedrooms.
- Jersey club hyperpop: A fusion with the fast, syncopated rhythms of New Jersey's club music scene.
Why Hyperpop Matters
Beyond the aesthetic novelty, hyperpop represents something genuinely important: a generation of artists refusing to smooth their music into digestible shapes for mainstream consumption. It's a genre built on the internet, distributed through the internet, and shaped by an online generation's emotional vocabulary. Whether it endures as a genre or dissolves into the broader pop landscape, its influence on production aesthetics is already permanent.
Start with SOPHIE. Try not to feel something. We dare you.