Back to grunge: Why '90s aesthetics are making a comeback in 2025

Dark aesthetics are back. From Gothic to Dark Baroque, Noir, and Grunge, retro styles that can be described as gloomy, mysterious, and a little pessimistic are increasingly becoming favorites for social media users of all ages. Millennials perceive them through the prism of nostalgia, while Gen Z values their potential to express uncertainty about the future.

The annual flagship report by Depositphotos, Creative Trends 2025, also noted dark aesthetics as a trend that will dominate visual communications and marketing in the coming months. To help you select an aesthetic that will resonate with your audience and wisely combine it with your existing branding, we’ve collected some data- and expert-driven tips below. For more inspiration, take a look at Creative Bloq's roundup of 2025 design trends.

Creativity & Design Trends 2025 Report by Depositphotos / 7 Trends, Experts, and File Collections - YouTube

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The dark aesthetics set to dominate 2025

01. Gothic

This mysterious aesthetic concerns elegant dark-coloured clothing with velvet and silk elements, lace details, vintage jewellery, and heavy makeup. Abandoned Gothic mansions or cemeteries become the scene of events. Gothic-style visuals often include a contrasting colour scheme built around black, red, and purple.

02. Grunge

Grunge emerged as a rebellious aesthetic in the 1990s and can still be recognised by attributes such as ripped jeans, dark heavy combat boots, and light flannel shirts. Its colour scheme most often features colours like black and grey, as well as other earthy hues. Grunge visuals are muted, gloomy, and full of freedom of spirit.

03. Noir

Noir aesthetics came from cinema of the 1950s, in particular, detective stories with romance elements. This style has many iconic visual elements: foggy streets, bars in cigarette smoke, the shine of revolvers on tables, sharp shadows, women in red dresses, and much more. Colour solutions in the noir style are built on contrasts between white, black, and red, and the plot of the visuals often touches on issues of moral choice.

04. Dark Femininity

This aesthetic works with ​​mysterious and powerful feminine energy, and operates with visual attributes such as smoky makeup, translucent fabrics, corsets, and other clothing that emphasizes one’s silhouette. The heroes of this aesthetic are not necessarily women, but the vibe is usually soft and feminine with an enigmatic touch. The dominant colours of this style are rich, deep red, plum, and purple tones.

All dark aesthetics have something in common. With their help, you can show how important it is to have an optimistic goal in front of us—something that inspires us to fight, work on ourselves, and ultimately move forward. In 2025, we want your brand to become a source of this life-giving light for customers, and hope your campaigns not only attract audience attention but also fill them with ideas about improving their lives.