hyperpop

Hyperpop is a boundary-blurring, maximalist strand of pop music that cultivates candy-colored hooks, jagged basslines, and a glitchy, hyperprocessed edge. It didn’t arrive with a single breakout hit so much as it grew from an internet-driven ecosystem in the mid-to-late 2010s, where production experiments could be shared and remixed instantly. The sound is characterized by pitched-up vocals, sparkling synths, rapid-fire drum patterns, and a constant tension between sweetness and distortion. It’s equally at home in a glossy club track and a distorted, experimental vignette, often with a glossy neon aesthetic and a wink to digital culture.

Hyperpop’s genesis is often traced to the UK-based collective and label PC Music, founded by A.G. Cook in 2013. PC Music crafted a distinctly glossy, hyper-synthed version of pop that borrowed from bubblegum, trance, EDM, and early internet aesthetics, and it fed a new appetite for pop experiments with an ironic twist. From this milieu, a constellation of artists emerged who helped define the sound. Sophie, a Scottish-born producer, was a pivotal early architect, pushing metallic textures, globetrotting bass, and a fearless approach to vocal processing that would become a hallmark of the movement. The project evolved as collaborators and friends pushed the sound further, yielding an “anything-goes” pop philosophy.

By the late 2010s, hyperpop found ambassadors who could bring the sound to a wider audience. 100 gecs, the American duo of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, released the 2019 album 1000 gecs, a ferociously eclectic collage that fused glitch, noise, pink-handed pop, and genre-hopping absurdity. It became a touchstone for the scene, proving that hyperpop could be both chaotic and emotionally affecting. Charli XCX became one of the most influential advocates, bridging mainstream pop with hyperpop’s fearless experimentation through collaborations and projects like Vroom Vroom (2016) and Pop 2 (2019), and later the How I’m Feeling Now era (2020). Other notable figures include Dorian Electra, who leans into theatrical camp and queer futurism, and Shygirl, whose UK sound threads grime, club, and glossy pop. Rina Sawayama’s work also intersects with hyperpop aesthetics, while producers like A.G. Cook, GFOTY, and SKA used the form as a laboratory for sound design and pop narratives.

In terms of geography, hyperpop is most strongly rooted in the United States and the United Kingdom, but its influence travels across Europe and into Asia via online platforms, collaborations, and the global reach of streaming services. TikTok and other social media have helped propel snippets and tracks into widely shared memes and dance trends, further hybridizing pop with digital culture. The genre remains dynamic: a living map of internet-driven collabs, cross-genre experimentation, and a shared sense that pop can be loud, playful, abrasive, and emotionally direct all at once. For enthusiasts, hyperpop is less a fixed canon than a living, ever-evolving conversation about what pop can sound like in the 21st century.