The 'stomp Clap Hey' Hate Is Back

The summertime of millennial nostalgia is still going beardown arsenic pop civilization and younger generations look to beryllium celebrating each things early 2000s. But location is 1 Obama-era euphony infinitesimal that nan net is hopeless to time off successful nan past: nan “stomp clap hey” genre.

It’s a distaste that has been percolating online for years, only to burst crossed societal media successful caller days.

“This full procreation of stomp clap Ho hey indie people was terrible,” one X personification wrote this week. “It is responsible for immoderate of mankind’s worst mistakes specified arsenic pumpkin lattes, Brooklyn’s gentrification and Taylor Swift.”

The rustic pop-indie people subgenre that dominated nan early to mid-2010s has ever been a arguable infinitesimal successful euphony history, champion defined by its anthemic, often percussion-heavy sound made celebrated by The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Of Monsters and Men. It’s nan benignant of quirky euphony tailor-made for Coachella and Bonnaroo, group sing-alongs, manus claps, and, yes, virtually stomping and shouting “Hey!” that reigned ultimate successful nan millennial-hipster zeitgeist.

Over nan past week, a clip of 1 of nan defining moments of nan subgenre has been making nan rounds online: Edward Sharpe and nan Magnetic Zeros performing “Home” successful their 2009 NPR “Tiny Desk” concert. In nan clip, nan 2 lead singers of nan 10-person troupe are dancing and singing successful faux-Appalachian accents to their deed opus that serves arsenic nan unofficial anthem of nan era’s hipster Americana aesthetic.

And nan net is riled up astir nan reminder of nan “worst opus ever made” successful nan “worst genre ever.”

“Go ahead. Put nan ‘Alabama, Arkansas’ stomp clap video successful my TL again. Do it,” Semafor authorities newsman David Weigel posted connected X this week, referring to a lyric from “Home.”

Outrage complete nan short-lived subgenre has been successful nan zeitgeist for a while, pinch nan euphony moreover earning its nickname from a 2021 viral tweet that featured a image of a man wearing a stereotypically corny hipster outfit. Since then, Reddit threads, TikToks and articles person emerged astir “stomp clap hey,” which immoderate judge is 1 of nan much cringeworthy moments of millennial culture. Comedian Kyle Gordon even made a parody euphony video a-la “stomp clap hey” group successful Brooklyn, New York, complete pinch a chant, skinny jeans and tons of hats.

“The conflict complete what’s ‘stomp clap hey’ is simply a awesome illustration of Twitter euphony sermon because it wasn’t coined by a musician aliases euphony journalist: it was a tweet that wasn’t moreover astir a set aliases circumstantial subgenre but a type of guy,” one personification wrote connected X.

For immoderate haters, nan genre is simply a reminder of a taste and governmental flash point, erstwhile Americans were grappling pinch nan aftermath of nan 2008 financial situation and hopeless for nan hope-filled Obama era arsenic millennial hipsterdom deed its peak. Others, however, judge nan genre is fun and represents a fleeting infinitesimal of societal escapism, and nan sermon is par for nan people for varying euphony tastes.

“Stomp Clap Hey euphony is nan cleanable relic of nan Obama era: inexplicably ascendant activity built from nan worst bits and pieces of nan past, cobbled together into vaguely hopeful yet yet meaningless chants and slogans,” an X personification said successful consequence to nan “Tiny Desk” clip.

Martin Scherzinger, an subordinate professor of media, civilization and connection astatine New York University, described nan “stomp clap hey” genre arsenic “a marque of invented nostalgia, coopted, connected nan 1 hand, by nan euphony manufacture and nan bland firm logic of euphony streaming; but also, connected nan different hand, evidently continuous pinch (and legible to) a marque of genuine folkish (if globalized) Americana.”

“The periodic eruptions of collectivized hating connected a euphony genre — branding ‘stomp clap hey’ arsenic indie gentrification, nan commercialization of whimsy, nostalgic inauthenticity, etc. — is often a benignant of inclination of its own, a somewhat misguided target for a larger rumor concerning societal and people resentment,” he wrote successful an email to NBC News. “Like truthful galore different taste eruptions, this is identifying a dated genre arsenic a bigger problem than it ever was; a taste consequence to a structural rumor facing america today.”

The re-emerged dislike for “stomp clap hey,” however, is still somewhat astonishing fixed nan newfound societal take of each things millennial crossed generational lines and nan ironic coolness that has returned to antecedently critiqued bands for illustration Limp Bizkit and Korn. And arsenic caller artists, specified arsenic Noah Kahan, seem to invoke nan aforesaid folksy soul, immoderate are questioning whether “stomp clap hey” is back.

Gen Zers, who erstwhile mocked millennial civilization arsenic “cheugy,” are now glamorizing it online, arsenic hundreds of TikTok users salary tribute to each things early 2000s. Reboots of millennial classics specified arsenic “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Freaky Friday” are now driving Hollywood, while nan Backstreet Boys are playing sold-out shows astatine nan Sphere successful Las Vegas.

Kate Kennedy, writer of “One successful a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In,” previously told NBC News that this caller surge of millennial-focused popular civilization serves arsenic “the adjacent level of escapism” for nan generation. And if location is thing “stomp clap hey” provided for fans successful nan 2000s — and could soon do again — it’s nostalgia escapism.

“The past 2 days of stomp clap chat was nan first budding of 2010s nostalgia btw. Strap in,” one X personification wrote.