Alt Girl Meaning: Aesthetic, Outfits, & More (2024)

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Explore this popular TikTok subculture and aesthetic

Co-authored byCheyenne MainReviewed byAnyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: November 6, 2023Fact Checked

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  • What is an Alt Girl?
  • |
  • Alt-Girl Fashion
  • |
  • Alt-Girl Lifestyle

If you’ve seen the phrase “alt girl” online or on TikTok, you might be wondering what it means. Alt-girls (with or without the hyphen) are girls or women who listen to non-mainstream music and wear alternative fashion with a mix of thrifted clothes, dyed hair, and unique or fun makeup. However, not all alt-girls dress the same or have the same interests. Keep reading to learn all about this internet subculture popularized on TikTok.

Things You Should Know

  • Alt-girls are part of an internet subculture that describes young women who wear a mixture of goth, emo, punk, indie, and e-girl aesthetics.
  • If you’re an alt-girl, you might wear thrifted clothing, oversized shirts, fishnet stockings, and other emo or gothic-inspired clothing items.
  • Alt-girls often rebel against mainstream culture with vibrant colored hairstyles, bold fashion statements, and a taste in alternative, metal, rap, or indie music.

Section 1 of 3:

What is an Alt Girl?

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  1. Alt-Girls wear alternative fashion and listen to non-mainstream music. Alt-girls (or alternative girls) are part of an internet subculture that typically describes teenage girls or young women who wear goth, emo, metal, or other alternative aesthetics. Alt-girls are often rebellious and actively go against mainstream culture through their fashion, music taste, and attitude.[1]

    • Alt-girl fashion is often a mixture of punk, goth, emo, indie, and e-girl aesthetics. Alt-girls might have dyed hair and piercings or tattoos and wear thrifted or dark clothing.
    • Although “alt-girl” is the name of the punk internet aesthetic, people of any gender might call themselves alt-girls or alt-people.
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  1. 1

    Alt-girls wear oversized, thrifted, or dark clothing with chunky shoes. If you’re an alt girl, you might wear oversized grunge-aesthetic shirts, baggy pants, fishnet stockings, comfy flannel shirts, black crop tops, black skirts, and other punk and gothic clothing items.[2] You might complete your edgy look with a pair of chunky combat boots and lots of layered necklaces.

    • If you’re an alt-girl, you might also wear chokers, get nose rings and other piercings, and have tons of eclectic tattoos.
    • Some alt-girls might fall into the soft-alt category and wear pops of pastel color, while others might like the fairy grunge aesthetic that incorporates more earthy tones and flowy dresses.[3]
  2. 2

    Alt-girls often wear heavy eyeliner and dark lipstick. If you’re an alt-girl, you might wear bold makeup that defies mainstream standards of beauty. Most of the time, alt-girls experiment with dark heavy eyeliner, dark lipstick shades, and the occasional pop of neon or pastel color.

    • If you’re an alt-girl who leans more towards the e-girl aesthetic, you might rub a little blush or pink eyeshadow on the tips of your nose for a more cartoony feminine look.
  3. 3

    Alt-girls have unconventional, playful hairstyles dyed with vivid color. If you’re an alt-girl, you might have an edgy hairstyle like the wolf cut, a styled shag haircut, or pigtails. You love to experiment with your hair, whether you dye a couple of streaks in the front or back of your hair or dye your entire head one color.

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Section 3 of 3:

Alt-Girl Lifestyle

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  1. 1

    Alt-girls often have rebellious, society-defying attitudes. If you’re an alt-girl, you go against the norms and protest all that is mainstream. You have a deep desire to smash the patriarchy and fight for social causes you believe in, taking down problematic social systems with a bold, tough attitude.

    • This attitude may mean you’re looked down on by older generations and mainstream followers, but being an alt-girl is all about ignoring the haters and embracing what makes you different.
    • Some alt-girls might also identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
  2. 2

    Alt-girls listen to music genres that go against mainstream trends. Whether you listen to punk, grunge, metal, emo, alt-girl rap, alternative, or indie music, your music taste tends to turn away from popular artists and their glossy, overproduced tracks.[4]

    • Musicians like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Willow Smith are credited with helping to revive early 2000’s pop punk and its emo aesthetics.[5]
  3. 3

    Alt-girls might also identify as witches or embrace nerdy interests. If you’re an alt-girl, you might love cosplay, video games, anime, or other “nerdy” interests. If fantasy isn’t your thing, you may have a deep fascination for astrology or tarot, or you might practice witchcraft. As long as you break from mainstream culture, you love what you love and you’re not ashamed of it.

    • Some alt-girls might text in all lowercase and type out happy and sad faces instead of using emojis to break away from mainstream culture.
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      About This Article

      Alt Girl Meaning: Aesthetic, Outfits, & More (27)

      Reviewed by:

      Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

      Social Media Marketing Expert

      This article was reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main. Anyah Gilmore-Jones is a Social Media Marketing Expert based in Nashville, Tennessee. An innovative experiential and social media marketer, Anyah is skilled at creating engaging brand experiences and leverages her passion for connecting people and ideas to drive organic growth for purpose-driven brands. As the founder of GROW by Gilmore, a social media strategy company, Anyah develops data-driven social media strategies focused on authentic community building. She has over 4 years of experience spearheading viral campaigns and producing content for brands like HBCU Buzz, Black & Scholared, SHEIN, and Project Art Collective. She received her BA from Howard University in Political Science and Government. This article has been viewed 20,812 times.

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      Updated: November 6, 2023

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      Alt Girl Meaning: Aesthetic, Outfits, & More (2024)

      FAQs

      What defines an alt girl? ›

      Alt-girls (with or without the hyphen) are girls or women who listen to non-mainstream music and wear alternative fashion with a mix of thrifted clothes, dyed hair, and unique or fun makeup.

      What does alt mean in aesthetic? ›

      The term "alt" is short for "alternative," and alt aesthetics encompass a wide range of styles and influences. Here are some key characteristics of alt aesthetics: Diversity: Alt aesthetics are highly diverse and can encompass various subcultures, including goth, punk, grunge, emo, cyberpunk, and more.

      What is an alt outfit? ›

      Alternative fashion or alt fashion is fashion that stands apart from mainstream, commercial fashion. It includes both styles which do not conform to the mainstream fashion of their time and the styles of specific subcultures (such as emo, goth, hip hop and punk).

      How to dress like an alt girl? ›

      If you're on a budget, try adding goth and grunge elements to simple dress and skirt outfits you already have with platform shoes, ripped tights, fish nets, and choker necklaces like this. Many subculture fashion styles like emo and hardcore/metalcore sport a uniform of simple all black outfits.

      What is alt gender? ›

      An alt person is someone who identifies as an alternative to the traditional gender binary. They may identify as transgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, or any other term that falls outside of the male/female dichotomy.

      What is alt in slang? ›

      abbreviation for alternative: used to form nouns or adjectives to refer to things that are not usual or typical examples of their kind, and that often have an enthusiastic group of people who support them: He listens to a hip mix of alt-rock.

      What is a baddie outfit? ›

      A lot of baddie outfits fundamentals stem from sporty streetwear, including tracksuits, athletic joggers, and sneakers. Major trends for the aesthetic include pastel shades, a mix of oversized and figure hugging clothes, and special attention given to well kept nails and brows.

      How do I make my outfit more alt? ›

      Make sure you have outfits for all seasons and the sorts of occasions and events you attend. Arguably an alternative style includes long-sleeved, plaid flannel shirts, T-shirts of classic bands, black tights, dark or acid wash jeans or shorts, vintage button-down shirts and cardigans.

      What counts as alt clothing? ›

      Alternative Fashion Styles
      • Goth.
      • Punk.
      • Cyberpunk.
      • Burner.
      • Maker.
      • Japanese Anime.
      • Cosplay.
      • Steampunk.
      May 22, 2024

      How to look hot but casual? ›

      Creating a balance between sexy and casual is all about mixing up lengths, styles, and fit's. You can wear things that drape for a casual look combined with something tight to add a bit of sex appeal, or you can show off your legs with a sexy skirt while wearing a more modest top.

      How to dress like an aesthetic girl? ›

      Think, polished hair in a slicked-back bun, chunky gold jewelry, and very natural skin makeup with a dewy finish." For more inspiration, we rounded up a list of fashion experts' best tips on how to channel the Clean Girl Aesthetic in your everyday life, below.

      How to dress emo? ›

      Emo kids usually wear form-fitting bottoms in dark colors or patterns. Skinny jeans or tight-fitting skirts are both popular options, especially when decorated with chains or buckles. Pair black jeans, for example, with a Saves The Day T-shirt and Converse shoes. Boot-cut jeans are popular in Midwestern emo fashion.

      What makes someone alternative? ›

      Alternative people also support other subcultures that are seen as "weird" by the mainstream, such as furries and cosplayers. Overall, members of alternative culture tend to have left leaning views. One reason for this is because they support individual artists and often steer clear of big producers where possible.

      What's the difference between goth and alternative? ›

      Final answer: Goth, Emo, and Alt represent different subcultures. Goth refers to a dark, romantic aesthetic from the '80s, Emo emerged from the '90s punk scene and is known for its emotional openness, while Alt broadly represents alternative, non-mainstream subcultures.

      What music do alt girls listen to? ›

      10 Alt-Rock Girl Anthems to Get You Through Your Day
      • 1) "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill. ...
      • 2) "Baptized by Fire" by Spinnerette. ...
      • 3) "Girl Anachronism" by The Dresden Dolls. ...
      • 4) "50 Ft. ...
      • 5) "Sleep to Dream" by Fiona Apple. ...
      • 6) "Army of Me" by Bjork. ...
      • 7) "sh*tlist" by L7. ...
      • 8) "Gold Dust Woman" by Hole.

      What alt life means? ›

      “Alt” is short for “alternative.” Generally there is no such thing as an “alt person” but there are people who live “alternative lifestyles” and people who identify with a group but believe in an alternative narrative or value system rather than narratives or values typically associated with the group.

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