Incelcore

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Incelcore is a microgenre of rock music and online subculture pioneered by musician Negative XP (originally known as School Shooter). The style draws musical influences from punk, electronic and alternative rock. According to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, not all artists and fans identify with the incel movement, however they evoke the same themes of self-hate, hopelessness and misogyny. In 2021, an incelcore concert known as "Virginfest", self described as an "incel music festival", was hosted by Athena Raven Rapp in Atlanta, Georgia with Negative XP billed as a headliner.

Contents

Music publication Pitchfork described incelcore as "dour or woe-is-me or stupidly edgy," with lyrics inspired by 4chan's speaking culture. In 2023, Vice magazine stated that the hashtag "#incelcore" resulted in various posts and content that praised the mass shooter Elliot Rodger, who is commonly associated with the incel subculture.

Etymology and characteristics

According to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, writer Dan Collen stated that incelcore draws from "internet culture, symbolism and terminology". [4] The genre draws musical influences from punk, electronic and alternative rock. [4] Collen adds that not all artists and fans identify with the incel movement, however they evoke the same themes of self-hate, hopelessness and misogyny. [4] Collen further stated that incelcore was a musical and online subculture influenced by the "imagery, attitudes and irony" of internet image boards and that references to mass shooters were a common subject . [4] Varg Vikernes' project Burzum and its merchandise is noted as "not uncommon among incelcore fans". [4]

In 2020, Pitchfork stated that the term "male manipulator music" had been used synonymously with "incelcore". [2] In 2026, writing for Pitchfork in a review for the group the Femcels' debut album I Have to Get Hotter, music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds stated that the group were not associated with the incelcore genre. [3] However, he described incelcore as a "tragic rock microgenre," as well as "dour or woe-is-me or stupidly edgy" with lyrics inspired by 4chan's speaking culture. [3]

History

Music

The Atlanta Antifascists organization stated that incelcore emerged in 2019 with the release of the MK Ultra Support Group compilation album. The opening track "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Ruined a Whole Generation of Women" by Negative XP is cited as emblematic of the genre. [5]

According to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, writer Dan Collen stated that incelcore had originally been pioneered by musician and internet personality Negative XP who was originally known as "School Shooter". [4] [6] Other artists who were associated with the scene include Gezebelle Gaburgably, Gjallahornit, Weatherboy, Zen Michelin and Brynn Michen. [4] Gaburgably would be noted as one of the genre's "most well-known artists". [4] Allegedly, she was Gjallahornit's "former partner". [4] Collen claimed that the incelcore scene overlapped with "Groyper" culture and Nick Fuentes' America First group due to Negative XP creating a live streaming account on Fuentes' website Cozy TV. [4]

Writing for the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Dan Collen warned that artists in the scene would be performing in Toronto and Montreal in 2023. [4] He stated that artist Brynn Miche's romantic partner "Jimbo Zoomer," had streamed on Nick Fuentes' platform Cozy TV, posted antisemitic content online, and shared an Instagram post photographed with Fuentes. [4] Collen stated Gezebelle Gaburgably's song "Christ Church Bible Study Club," made light of the 2019 Christchurch Mosque attack. [4] He added that the scene also made light of other mass murders by right-wing extremists, claiming that it "celebrates mass shootings". [4]

Negative XP

Alan S. Kim, [4] (born 1992[ citation needed ]) known professionally as Negative XP or School Shooter, [6] is a musician and internet personality who helped pioneer the incelcore genre. [4] According to Dirty South Right Watch, his lyrics reference mass shootings, suicide and "murdering women". [7] [ unreliable source? ] Writer Dan Collen of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network described Kim as a "prominent far-right musician". [4] According to Variety magazine, Kim's work as Negative XP was featured in the 2020 documentary film TFW No GF directed by Alex Lee Moyer. [6]

Virginfest

In 2021, incelcore musicians hosted a concert in Atlanta known as "Virginfest," which was regarded as a self described "incel music festival". [7] [4] The festival was organized by Athena Raven Rapp, also known as Raven. [7] [4] Negative XP is noted for headlining virginfest. [7] Musician Gisele Gurney, known professionally as Gezebelle Gaburgably, would also perform as an opener for the concert. [4] [7] The show would sell out tickets with around 50 people in attendance. [7] However, Atlanta Antifascists reported on the planned festival which led to the venue Toki Tatt2 announcing that they would not host the event. [7] The festival was then moved to Chosewood Park as an outdoor event. [7] At around 8:30 pm, police showed up at the park due to calls regarding loitering and a man brandishing a gun, though the two officers that arrived instead "partook in the event" while taking selfies with concert-goers. [7]

In September, the Dirty South Right Watch's writer Gurgeh Banks published an article regarding the event and the incelcore scene's appropriation of far-right imagery, stating "'Ironic' usage of far-right language and symbols paves the way for serious far-right presence in the scene." [7] Banks claimed that "The event attracted a large crowd of edgelords, but mixed in were serious far-right actors who understood the opportunity presented by the gathering." [7] Banks further stated, "Most attendees appeared to be younger than 25, and the majority were white, although not exclusively so." [7] He claimed that far-right media personality Andy Nowicki, [5] who at the time was in his 40s, attended the event and streamed it live. [7] Banks equated the event to a 4chan /b/ or /pol/ meetup, "filled with shitposters and instigators larping for attention and acceptance from the group with 'ironic' hate speech." [7] [ unreliable source? ]

Antioch High School shooting

On January 22, 2025, a school shooting occurred at Antioch High School in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The attack was orchestrated by 17-year-old student Solomon Henderson who opened fire inside the school's cafeteria, killing one student and injuring another student before he committed suicide. [8] Henderson was admittedly a frequent user of the imageboard soyjak.party, and his manifesto contained memes and jargon originating from that imageboard. [9] [10] According to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, Henderson cited music such as "incelcore" or "shootercore" along with Kanye West, as influencing his violence. [1]

Other uses

In 2021, The Quietus stated that the pop-punk "progenitors" Milo Aukerman of the band Descendents, introduced a "gynecological juvenilia and gurls-are-weird rhetoric that has, more recently and only a little unfairly, caused the band to be described as 'incelcore'". [11] In 2022, British newspaper The Guardian equated rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers to incelcore due to their early work's extreme masculine image: "If Red Hot Chili Peppers' earlier work was defined by a strain of masculinity so aggressive that the funk-metal genre it inspired might better have been called incelcore". [12]

In 2023, Vice magazine stated that the hashtag "#incelcore" on the social media platform TikTok, resulted in content that praised the mass shooter Elliot Rodger, who is commonly associated with the incel subculture. [13] That same year, British magazine I-D published an article on "incel cinema" which stated, "what is crudely referred to as 'incel cinema' (or 'incelcore') are films that never intended for that to be their fate. Films like Taxi Driver , American Psycho and Fight Club (which Edward Norton recently called 'proto-incel') have been appropriated by the subculture. [14]

In 2025, French musician Violent Sadie Mode released an EP entitled "Incelcore". [15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 GPAHE (2025-01-24). "Nashville Shooter's Manifesto Reveals Inspiration Drawn From The Online Far-Right". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  2. 1 2 Zhang, Cat (2020-12-21). "The Year in Music on TikTok 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  3. 1 2 3 Press-Reynolds, Kieran. "The Femcels: I Have to Get Hotter". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Collen, Dan (10 November 2023). ""Incelcore" Artists Whose Music Celebrates Mass Shootings On Canadian Tour". Canadian Anti-Hate Network . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  5. 1 2 3 "Negative XP – Atlanta Antifascists". 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  6. 1 2 3 Debruge, Peter (2020-05-06). "'TFW No GF': SXSW Film Review". Variety . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Banks, Gurgeh (22 September 2021). "Incel Punks Fuck Off: When a Far-Right Internet Subculture Comes to Town". DSRW. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  8. ↑ Margolin, Josh; Shapiro, Emily. "Nashville school shooting suspect's social media linked to Madison school shooter's social media: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  9. ↑ "Antioch, Tenn., Shooter Inspired by Broad Extremist Beliefs and Previous Mass Killers". Anti-Defamation League . Center on Extremism. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Unsound Minds – Folio 2.0 / EU Jacksonville". Folio Weekly . October 30, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ Quietus, The (2021-07-12). "Straight Hedge! Noel Gardner Reviews Punk & HC For July". The Quietus. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  12. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (2022-04-03). "Red Hot Chili Peppers: Unlimited Love review – bloated and self-indulgent". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  13. ↑ Gilbert, David (2023-03-21). "TikTok Is Pushing Incel and Suicide Videos to 13-Year-Olds". VICE. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  14. ↑ Rawlings, Amber (14 November 2023). "How should we depict incels on screen?" . Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  15. ↑ Rédaction, La (2025-11-14). "7 albums à écouter cette semaine – 14/11/2025". Rolling Stone (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
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