What is Synthwave?

Synthwave is an instrumental electronic style built on 1980s analog-synth textures, gated reverb, and arpeggiated basslines — a deliberate homage to the era's film scores (Vangelis, John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream) and arcade soundtracks. Emerging from mid-2000s French-house circles around Kavinsky and the Valerie Collective (College, Anoraak), it reached mainstream visibility through the 2011 film Drive, the Hotline Miami video game, and Stranger Things. Subgenres include outrun, darksynth, and dreamwave.