Grunge goth is grunge's loose, second-hand layers worn in goth's colour: a check shirt thrown open over a long black slip, ripped dark denim, a laddered black knit and heavy boots. One rule holds it together. Grunge sets the shape, and goth sets the colour.
The two were never far apart. Vogue's history of the grunge aesthetic names goth among the subcultures grunge drew on, alongside punk, metal and folk rock, so grunge goth fashion is less a mash-up than grunge turning back towards one of its own sources.
Below is what each side brings, the three pieces the look rests on (flannel, denim and a black knit), and the ones we stock, with every size and price taken from its own listing. One admission before we start: we do not sell a true flannel shirt, and we say below where to find one. Grunge goth's place among the other kinds of goth is mapped in our types of goth guide.
Key Takeaways
- Grunge goth crosses grunge's loose, thrift-shop layers with goth's black. Grunge came out of mid-1980s Seattle; goth began earlier, in late-1970s British post-punk.
- No source we found dates the name. Vogue lists "glam-goth grunge" among the looks grunge has spawned, and counts goth among grunge's own influences.
- The look rests on three pieces: a check or flannel shirt, dark ripped denim and a laddered or oversized black knit. A long black slip and heavy boots finish it.
- Flannel is a fabric, not a pattern. Our Smashing Grunge Check Shirt is cotton broadcloth, so for real flannel, shop second hand.
- Most pieces here stop at L or XL. Donnie's Plaid A-line Dress runs S to 5XL and the Wicked Plaid Skirt S to XXXL.
What is grunge goth?
Grunge goth is grunge's way of dressing in goth's palette. From grunge it takes the cut: loose, layered, second hand and a little worn. From goth it takes black, with lace-up details, laddered knits and silver at the neck. The result is more relaxed than Victorian or romantic goth, and darker in colour than grunge itself.
Both halves have a date and a place. Wikipedia's entry on grunge fashion traces grunge to mid-1980s Seattle and describes durable thrift-store clothing "often worn in a loose, androgynous manner to de-emphasize the silhouette". Its staples were tartan and flannel shirts, ripped or faded jeans and Doc Martens, and women wore slip dresses with their flannels. Goth is older and British. Gothic rock took shape as post-punk turned darker at the end of the 1970s, with the Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees among the bands it grew from.
Is grunge goth a real style?
It is a crossover rather than a scene with its own records and clubs. No source we trust puts a date on the name, and the types of goth guide lists it as undated for that reason. Fashion writers do use it: in Vogue's history of the grunge aesthetic, Christina Pérez and Boutayna Chokrane list "glam-goth grunge" among the looks grunge has spawned, next to soft grunge and grunge fairycore. The same piece says grunge borrowed from goth in the first place.
What does each side bring?
Garment by garment, this is our reading of the split:
| From grunge | From goth | Worn as grunge goth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirt | flannel or check, worn open | black | a dark check shirt, open over black |
| Bottoms | ripped, faded, loose jeans | black | washed black denim, torn at the knee |
| Knit | an old cardigan, an oversized jumper | black, sheer | a laddered black knit, worn loose |
| Dress | the slip dress | long and black | a long black slip under the shirt |
| Feet | combat boots | black boots | heavy black lace-up boots |
| Neck | a choker | silver | one choker or one silver piece |
The flannel, and why ours is a check shirt
The flannel shirt is grunge's best-known piece. Wikipedia's flannel entry records that plaid flannel shirts became popular teen wear in the early 1990s as part of the grunge style of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. For the gothic version, keep the shirt and change the colours: black with grey, black with white or black with deep red, worn open over something black.
Fashion got there early. When Marc Jacobs showed grunge for Perry Ellis in spring 1993, Vogue records, his models wore black-and-white flannel shirts with chiffon dresses and combat boots.
The same Wikipedia entry makes a point worth knowing before you shop: flannel is the fabric, a soft weave that is often brushed, and not every check shirt is flannel. Ours is not. The Smashing Grunge Check Shirt is cotton broadcloth, a flat weave, and in the photos it is a short, collared shirt with a button front. Its listing gives a length of 53 cm, a sleeve of 61 cm and a loose fit at the bust, on a model 164 cm tall.
The shirt is sold in one size, at $34.51 in black or red and $31.02 in dark blue, and the photos show it in a black, grey and white check and in a red and white one.
For real brushed flannel, shop second hand, which is where grunge found its clothes in the first place. A man's shirt a size too big, in a dark check, gives you the loose line the style asks for. Our gothic western style guide runs into the same gap from the cowboy side.
Denim: black, washed and ripped
Grunge denim is loose and worn. Wikipedia lists ripped or faded jeans for men and low-rise, ripped, wide-legged jeans for women. For grunge goth, take the same cut in black or washed black and let the rips do the ageing.
- The Black Ripped Denim Pants are cotton denim in washed black and grey, loose in the leg and torn at the thigh and knee in the photos. They come in S, M and L, with waists of 66, 70 and 74 cm and lengths from 103 to 105 cm, at $31.37 in S and $36.71 in M and L.
- Black Grunge Pants - Deliverance are straighter, high-waisted black jeans with a zip fly, ripped at the knee in the photos, in a blend of cotton, acetate and polyamide. They run from S to XL, with hips of 101 to 113 cm and lengths of 105 to 108 cm, at $32.89 in S and $41.41 from M to XL.
- The Destined Black Grunge Denim Skirt is a short, pleated black skirt with a flap pocket at the side in the photos. Its listing calls it denim but gives the fabric as polyester and spandex, so expect stretch rather than stiff cotton. It comes in S, M and L, 36 to 38 cm long, at $31.37 in S and $36.71 in M and L.
Our goth pants guide covers more of our jeans, including a faded pair for those who want grunge's lighter wash under a black top.
The black knit: laddered, loose or striped
The knit is where grunge goth gets its texture. Vogue describes Kurt Cobain's "moth-eaten grandpa cardigans" and notes that the women of the scene did not mind runs in their tights. In black, a laddered knit makes the same point. Wear it loose, over a slip dress, or tucked at the front of ripped jeans.
- The Black Grunge Oversized Sweater is viscose, cut loose with medium stretch, with a chest of 114 to 120 cm and a length of 63 to 66 cm. In the photos it is an open, laddered knit with a ragged hem. Sizes go from S to XL, at $31.37 in S and $36.71 from M to XL.
- Sting's Laddered Black Lace-Up Sweater has a V neck laced across the front, ladders running through the knit and full sleeves. It is polyester and spandex with a bust of 80 to 88 cm, in S at $32.34 and in M and L at $35.83.
- The Dark Horse Black Sweater is wool, slim and ripped. In the photos it is a sheer, laddered knit worn off the shoulder with a tie at the neck. It costs $33.66 in S and $46.38 in M and L.
- For stripes, the Black Purple Grunge Striped Sweater runs wide black and purple bands over a loose body and long sleeves, at $31.32 in S, M and L. Vogue counts "dizzying stripes" among grunge's prints, and the purple keeps this one on the goth side.
If you live in a hoodie, Vogue puts oversized hoodies on the grunge list too. The Grunge Grey Star Hoodie is a charcoal zip-up scattered with darker stars in the photos, given a worn-in look on its listing, in polyester and spandex. It runs from S to XL, at $31.37 in S and $36.71 from M to XL. Our goth T-shirts and hoodies guide has the rest of our hoodies.
Three goth grunge outfits
Start from one grunge shape (the open check shirt, the ripped jeans or the loose knit) and build everything else around it in black. Add heavy boots and one piece of silver, then stop. Each of the three below is built that way.
The slip and the check shirt
Wikipedia says women in grunge wore slip dresses with their flannels, and this is that outfit in black. The Grunge Eyelet Black Dress is a sleeveless V-neck on spaghetti straps that falls to mid-calf in an A-line, in lanon and cotton, and the photos show rows of metal hook-and-eye fastenings down the front. In black it is $36.71 in every size from S to XL, and it also comes in red.
Throw the check shirt over it, unbuttoned, and pull the Ripped Gothic Black Knit Socks up over black tights. They are polyester and acrylic with deliberate tears, knee-high in the photos, one size with no measurement on the listing, at $19.99 in grey and $32.09 in black.
Ripped denim and a laddered knit
Put the Black Ripped Denim Pants under the Black Grunge Oversized Sweater, with a plain black vest beneath so the ladders show black rather than skin. Boots, then the Gender-Neutral Slouchy Grunge Beanie: an acrylic slouch beanie with a small star patch and, in the photos, a fleecy lining. It fits heads of 55 to 60 cm and costs $19.99 in black and $32.09 in navy blue, grey, khaki or red. Vogue counts droopy beanies among grunge's staples, and Wikipedia notes knitted skullcaps in that 1993 Perry Ellis collection.
The check skirt and the oversized knit
A pleated check skirt is the third way in. The Wicked Plaid Skirt is a pleated mini in a black, grey and white check, in cotton and polyester. Its listing gives a length of 38 to 40 cm and a waist from 62 cm in S to 80 cm in XXXL, and it runs from S to XXXL at $29.71 in S and $32.76 from M to XXXL.
Wear it with any of the black knits above, laddered tights and boots. For other skirt lengths, our goth skirts guide sets out minis, midis and maxis.
For all three, our goth boots guide compares the makers, and our own pairs are in the goth boots collection.
Grunge goth can lean witchy as well. Robbie Sinclair, creative director at the trend agency Fashion Snoops, told Vogue that grunge is starting to show "a return to witchy styling". A moon or a cross at the neck in place of the choker is enough to take it there. For the full look, start with how to build a witchy outfit.
Grunge goth in larger sizes
Sizes vary a lot from piece to piece on this page. Sorted by how far each one goes:
- Donnie's Plaid A-line Dress: S to 5XL.
- Wicked Plaid Skirt: S to XXXL.
- Black Grunge Pants - Deliverance, Black Grunge Oversized Sweater, Grunge Grey Star Hoodie and Grunge Eyelet Black Dress: S to XL.
- Black Ripped Denim Pants, Destined Black Grunge Denim Skirt, Sting's Laddered Black Lace-Up Sweater, Dark Horse Black Sweater and Black Purple Grunge Striped Sweater: S to L.
- Sold in one size: Smashing Grunge Check Shirt, Black Oversized Lace Sweater, the beanie (55 to 60 cm) and the socks.
Donnie's Plaid A-line Dress is the piece to build on past XL. In the photos it is a sleeveless A-line in a grey and black check, laced up the front, with a ruffled hem over a layer of tulle, and its listing says it has stretch. In black it is $31.37 in S and $36.71 from M to 5XL; it also comes in blue, green, purple and red at $36.71.
Over it, the Black Oversized Lace Sweater comes in a single size, 130 cm round the bust and 62 cm long, with dropped shoulders, in polyester, at $32.89. In the photos it is a plain black sweatshirt with ribbon lacing down the sleeves. The same sweater goes over the Wicked Plaid Skirt, which runs to XXXL.
To compare other independent labels, our plus-size goth guide sets out how far each brand's sizes go. For more of our own pieces past XL, browse the plus-size collection.
How is grunge goth different from 90s goth and fairy grunge?
Grunge goth is a style you wear now, not a decade. Our 90s goth guide covers the five looks goth wore through the 1990s, from romantic velvet to cybergoth; grunge goth is one crossover between two scenes. Fairy grunge shares the worn knit and the thrift-shop habit but brings in the forest: moss green, lace, tulle and wings. Grunge goth keeps the denim and the plain black.
And emo, often mixed up with both, has roots of its own, which our emo vs goth guide sets out.
Frequently asked questions
Is grunge a goth style?
No. Grunge is its own style, with its own music. Grunge fashion came out of the mid-1980s Seattle scene and was popularised by Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, while goth had already begun in Britain, in the post-punk of the late 1970s. The two meet in black, worn-in clothes, and grunge goth is the name for wearing them together.
What's the difference between emo, goth and grunge?
They began as three different music scenes. Goth started first, in late-1970s British post-punk, and grunge followed in mid-1980s Seattle. Emo began as a style of hardcore punk in mid-1980s Washington, D.C., and Wikipedia lists its fashion as skinny jeans, black eyeliner, tight band T-shirts, studded belts and straight black hair with long fringes. Put simply, grunge dresses loose, emo dresses tight, and goth dresses in black first.
