In the early 1980s, there were no goths - only gothic punks - who were called deathrockers by outsiders. After gothic culture split off, the name increasingly began to refer to the people who never abandoned the punk aesthetic.

The clothing includes lots of leather and spikes, without being fetishy. Torn clothing is cool. Punk hairstyles are still popular.

The music is just what you'd expect: dark punk. Famous deathrock songs are still played in goth clubs.

Famous deathrock bands:

• Alien Sex Fiend
• Christian Death
• My life with the Thrill Kill Kult
• Sex Gang Children
• Virgin Prunes

If it's true that gothic music embraces feminine aspects of things dark (angst, grief, desire, depression) then industrial music evokes the masculine. Themes in industrial music include domination, aggression, revenge, and political failure.

The clothes associated with the industrial scene are mostly black jeans and black T-shirts, army surplus, and fetish.

Many rivetheads are sinister computer geeks, for some reason. Rivetheads frequent goth clubs where a mix of goth and industrial music is played. Industrial music is popular with many goths.

Famous industrial bands:

• Skinny Puppy
• Front Line Assembly
• Einsturzende Neubauten
• Wumpscut
• KMFDM

Heavy metal is not a part of the (U.S.) goth scene. Despite some superficial resemblance in street clothing, goths and metalheads consider themselves unrelated. There are in fact some genuine cross-over bands (most notably Type O Negative) which are not played in many goth clubs simply because they are on metal labels.

The majority of the people who show up in the goth scene don't do the whole spooky shtick 24/7. Some are poseurs, but most are genuinely nice norms who just like to be around goths. While their dancing is the source of some amusement among the regulars, weekenders are accepted in a pretty good-natured way.