Dark culture (German Schwarze Szene; Portuguese cultura obscura; Spanish escena oscura; Italian scena Dark or scena gotica), also called dark alternative scene, includes goth and dark wave culture, the dark neoclassical/dark ambient scene, parts of the post-industrial scene (with the genres electro-industrial, EBM, aggrotech and dark electro) parts of neofolk and the early gothic metal scene.^[1] Dark culture's origin lies in followers of dark wave and independent music, but over the decades it has developed to a social network held together by a common concept of aesthetics, self-representation, and individualism. The musical preferences of the dark scene are characterized by a mix of styles ranging from futurism, electropop, early music, (neo-) classical, and folk music to punk rock, rock, techno and ambient music.^[2][3]

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Dark culture has historically been used as an umbrella term to describe several subcultures, only emerging as its own movement in the late 1980s. Dark culture includes goth and dark wave culture, electro subculture and parts of the neofolk and post-industrial subcultures. Sometimes referred to as 'dark alternative scene', the term is rarely used in the English language, despite its significance in shaping several other movements and subcultures that emerged throughout history. In this context, the "culture" should not be understood as closed subculture, but as a social environment, consisting of people with similar preferences.^[4] Dark culture is regarded as a community defined by common interests such as art, fashion, philosophy, and arguably most significantly, by music. Originating from the shared appreciation of dark wave and independent music, the term now collectively used as 'dark music', dark culture emerged to represent a group of people who define themselves through internal symbols and alternate forms of media. In the 21st century, the culture is appreciated as a heterogeneous collection of different subcultural currents,^[5] without being tied to a particular style of music, associated thinking, behavior, or dress code, despite most members sharing similar interests of such due to its emergence from the dark scene.

The scene is not a musically or aesthetically closed and homogeneous group but rather it is composed of many different currents, some of which may be diametrically opposed in their musical or fashion ideals. The anchor that holds all elements of dark culture together can be viewed as the color black with all its associated symbolism. It is seen as an expression of seriousness, darkness and mysticism, but also of hopelessness and emptiness, melancholy, as well as its association with mourning and death.^[2][6] The dark scene is a community which defines itself through the characteristic fashions of the different currents, as well as through its media and meeting places, especially events and dance clubs.

Although the significant movement of 'dark culture' only emerged in the late 1980s, a deeper history exists that inspired this movement dating back to the 1600s during the emergence of witchcraft and witches in Early Modern Europe, as well as the influence from Victorian iconographies.^[7] The origin of the term 'dark culture' initially appeared in Berlin, its use slowly emerging in more magazines and reports, finally becoming a widely-used term in the 1990s.

The term was used initially to target a specific group of magazine readers who shared similar interests in the dark scene, the magazine Zillo^[8] considered the most important media platform for dark culture and was at the forefront of anchoring the term 'dark culture' into modern language. Mostly used as a generic term for all sub-scenes and trends in the black scene, nowadays the term is preferred by a large number of scene followers. By 2010, it can be said that the term had properly established itself, particularly in sociology and youth culture research. Due to its emergence in Germany, an assessment was done to conduct the size of German dark culture in 2004, resulting in an estimation of around 50,000 to 100,000 members of people,^[9] this number later re-confirmed in 2010. This number has since grown and spreads internationally by the day, members of dark culture forming in many countries around the world.

The broad spectrum of dark culture has many elements that comprise the movement's general description. Music, the colour black, and fashion can be viewed as the main features of dark culture and are a few of the characteristics that allow for individual expression within the movement itself. The element of religion has been historically scrutinised as a signifier of dark culture, however many members of the scene attribute occultist ways of thinking to religious beliefs.

Although the term dark culture has been used in scene media and the press since the 1990s, the misleading title Gothic, referring to a sub-flow of the scene, is wrongly used to describe elements specifically linked to dark culture.^[15] Since circa 2004, term 'Gothic' has been used by non-members of the dark scene to wrongly title members of dark culture, leading to much confusion and controversy regarding all sub-cultures and sub-flows of dark culture. The Gothic subculture is specifically linked to the post-punk and wave movement within music, and thus only represents a small portion of the large spectrum of dark culture, despite Gothicism being used as an overarching term to name all members of the dark scene.^[13] Due to this, the use of gothic subculture as a term has sparked controversy within dark culture, most notable in the music press industry and international use of the term, such misuse rooted in confusion and lack of knowledge of the subcultures and their differentiating elements.

Throughout history, highly significant events have evolved in the celebration and acknowledgement of movements surrounding dark culture. A significant event is World Goth Day, which originated in the United Kingdom in 2009; held on 22 May, its observance has spread internationally. Aspects of dark culture's fashion, music, and art are celebrated on this day and combine to honour the history of this movement and the inclusivity and dark expression that it represents.^[16]

Events that celebrate the movement include festivals, such as Blackfield, Castle Rock, and Dark Dance which all focus exclusively on interpretations of dark culture. Other events that are not specifically attributed to the celebration of dark culture, however, feature dark music artists and bands include Amphi festival, Dark Malta festival, Secret Garden festival, and Zita rock festival.

• Dark academia