In the underground world, there is a gothic subculture and a goth scene. The goth scene is comprised of the clubs and parties where people show up in black. The gothic subculture is comprised of goths, many of whom, but not all, participate in the scene. Only a small percentage of people in the goth scene are goths, people who live the aesthetic 24/7. If you are a newcomer to the scene, they will most likely be the last people you meet.

Goths come in all races, ethnicities, religions, political leanings, sexual orientations, and educational levels. What they have in common are artistic leanings, interest in the mystical, mysterious, and macbre. Goths are empaths, and what is not said in this culture is just as important as what is.

In some ways, a subculture must be like any other culture: It must have an identifiable style of dress, music, art, values, etc. When a subculture is also a counter-culture, what it rejects in the super-culture is what defines it. Gothic subculture is counter-culture to some, and simply subculture to others.