𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕕, 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕕 𝕄𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖

 Have you ever listened to a song that just made you feel like you were in your own conscious?

Believe it or not you have probably experienced this before. I know the names DreamCore, WeirdCore and even NightCore sound kind of goofy and made up but for the last decade this genre of music has spread like wildfire in the culture of the Metaverse. 

Now you're probably reading this and thinking, "Jaimee, what the hell?"

I don't wanna hear that. Every day, cultures progress and even some new ones appear. No one here can deny that a new and influential culture has surfaced over the last two decades. The Metaverse. I've used that word two times now and if you haven't gone to look it up I'll define it for you. 

Basically the Metaverse is a fancy name for the internet as a thriving community, not just a browser and search engine. This community not only has games and platforms but it has an economy and lifestyle that people in this time period live in. Almost like a virtual reality, but with limitations. People cannot physically live virtually but they can put time and effort into putting "their minds" into this reality.  

Now you're probably thinking, "Jaimee, thats not a culture."

Why yes, it actually is. Everyone nowadays uses the internet. It has plenty of uses in life but one of the main uses is being a social media platform. They can range from anything like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Tumbler, MySpace, Reddit, BLOGGER, and most importantly TikTok. Everyone knows that these platforms are for sharing photos and videos, opinions and thoughts, memes, and music. Our society heavily relies on this as a form of enrichment or entertainment. People even have jobs because of this. Now this online culture is not the same as real life, but there are people who LIVE their lives through the Metaverse. 

How many hours a day do you spend scrolling through Instagram, Facebook and TikTok? Probably a lot. I KNOW that when you're surfing these platforms you come across new media and things you probably didn't know 20 minutes previously. People are able to share knowledge whether it be arithmetic, text, music, or art. Which creates a vast community and an online audience. 

Images that feel oddly familiar or off

With that said, What is DreamCore/WeirdCore?

Within the last decade a genre of music has for some reason began to spark popularity within the GenZ age group. This would be WeirdCore. Basically, Weirdcore is a genre of music that was originally brought to light in the late 2010's and fixated on the mental limits of the human psyche. In other words, it's weird music. WeirdCore specifically focuses on trying to attack a person's fears or frustrations in an almost alarming sense. It can include distortion and graphic material. However, most listeners listen to this because it makes them "feel some type of way." Much like one would ride a rollercoaster. 

The Back Rooms
Common lore behind DreamCore is that you are stuck in these kind of rooms that look so familiar, yet are almost like a maze and in order to escape you have to find a hidden door which will only take you to the next floor. Each person has a random number of floors and each floor can be dangerous or safe. 

On the other hand, DreamCore is a type of music that is supposed to tap into the listener's psyche so it feels like they are in a dream-like state. Listeners should feel a sense of longing and nostalgia. Honestly, listening to it can be kind of trippy.

Whose fault is it?

Primarily these two genres of music have been around for a decade. They were probably some maniac's garage project that over time gained a following and was shared over platforms like MySpace, Reddit, and most recently TikTok. In a sense, it is kind of brainwashing as you hear these sounds daily. However, WeirdCore's biggest leak was when a YouTuber who goes by the username DavidCrypt made a video labelling this genre as an aesthetic.

Unfortunately his original video was deleted but he compiled a series of photos that are referred to as "liminal spaces" to the song Goodbye to Our World by Porter Robinson.

Audience Appeal

As I said before, the people of the wild, wild Metaverse have pretty peculiar reasons for listening to this type of music. Sadly, I do not have a degree in psychology but as someone who has been happily digging her own grave in the dark side of the internet since like 4th grade I can say that I have a pretty large grasp on the mentality it takes to enjoy WeirdCore. In my personal opinion, this kind of music is like an escape or a way to release endorphins into the brain. I like to imagine it is like riding a rollercoaster or playing a scary game. With DreamCore it is easy to lose one's self and imagine a new scenario that can help take away the pain of ones own life. 

 For example:

Listen to these, skip ahead or pick a random spot. Sound familiar? These audios are extremely popular on TikTok right now. 

I did something taboo, which was going through ^this video's^ comment section to see real people's thoughts and opinions. Here are some of them:

@yellowcrickettalks8914

"This playlist feels like swimming in a ocean you know has nothing in it. Unsettling, yet somehow comforting."

@user-jb2uf1pq5k

"The second song made my body... <Blurry>"

@bombombakudan2887

"A few of the songs just get me scared, it feels like if I close my eyes, and again, I wont be at home. I'd be, well. Somewhere else."

Crazy right?

Instrumentation?

Currently, most instrumentation nowadays are digitally created through synthesizers. Many songs in this genre are sung with the addition of an electronic backing that produces an almost surreal sound. Originally, when WeirdCore was first brought to public attention it was slightly laid back (slightly) and was mainly just spooky sounds and crunchy chords. Now it is made electronically and contains some unearthly sounds, which add to the feelings of confusion, disorientation, dread, alienation, and nostalgia. 

Popular Artist

If you got TikTok during quarantine then you probably know who this is. Especially if you were on the whipped coffee or clown makeup side haha. Jack Stauber is a fairly new artist that has grown tremendously popular for his "quirky" music and videos on his youtube channel. He is technically labeled as a "Micropop" artist but some of his videos fall under the WeirdCore category. 

This song probably haunts my 2020 mid-quarantine memories as it was all over social media for about 6 months. Its hard to describe in words why it is WeirdCore but honestly it is the vibe the song gives that makes it weird. 

DreamCore/WeirdCore Today

As I said before these genres are heard pretty frequently today, but some people don't really recognize what exactly it is and what it is doing. Like most cultures there are usually rituals that keep passing down their music to each generation. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if y'all have already done this. Especially to this genre. Since this culture is derived of the Metaverse, simply making a TikTok or sharing a youtube link will probably preserve this type of music for a long time. Especially since social media is in such of a hot demand, even after covid. 

Unfortunately, because it is an online community and not everything can be curated and filtered, many children are able to access this type of media. Kind of how my generation has grown up. As a growing child we were subjected pretty early to graphic material but to an online community such as this, this culture is already pretty normalized. 

For example a causal youtube video about a popular gaming site that shows WeirdCore in more of a "gore" POV. With being a music genre, it is also an aesthetic and many games and movies have begun to center around it. This allows for its audience to grow larger and larger. 

NightCore???

How could I forget everyone's (least) favorite of the core family. NightCore is basically the high-pitched sped up version of our everyday songs. There isn't really a reason why its called "Night"Core its just a really edgy name for a pretty edgy genre. I like to joke about there being a lot of hate in the NightCore community but literally every video I've seen or looked up in the last 5 years has had an anime girl as the thumbnail and it's so funny to me. Honestly I think thats why NightCore is one of the cringiest, yet funniest out of the Cores. There really is not as much to this genre besides the music is very high pitched and usually the tempo is sped up by around 35%. 

I have literally no comment after this. I think its really funny. Some people LOVE this and think it makes the song more dramatic but it reminds me of Alvin and the Chipmunks. 

Something different 

Most cultures and music have a type of dance that surrounds them. However within these 3 genres there is not really a kind of dance. Even with it being an electronic sound, much like dubstep or pop music, these kinds of songs aren't exactly being played at parties or raves. On the other hand, many of these WeirdCore/DreamCore songs can come from video games! A lot of Toby Fox's (creator of Undertale) works are highly considered in the WeirdCore category. 

The Converse Flute Choir is actually going to perform his piece Megalovania this spring. However here is a band rendition of it. 

Works Cited

“Dreamcore.” Aesthetics Wiki. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Dreamcore. 

“Jack Stauber.” Jackstauber.com. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://jackstauber.com/. 

“Nightcore.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 17, 2023. Last modified January 17, 2023. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcore. 

“Weirdcore.” Aesthetics Wiki. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Weirdcore#Origins.