So, Is Scene Dead?: The RAWRing 20s and Scene's Future

The Death of MySpace

MySpace began to decline around 2007-2008, and Facebook quickly overtook it in 2008 as the most popular social networking site
Getting back to my research questions, with MySpace being so integral to the community, where does scene go? Does it die?

I believe instead:

Rather than dying, there was a simply a lack of visibility without MySpace.
A move occurred to Facebook and Tumblr, where the scene community continued to stay in touch and the culture was maintained.
From the Scene Kids on Tumblr came the emergence of the first Tumblr Girls and other subcultures.
Today, scene has had a revival on the popular social media app, Tiktok.

"[Sara Skellington, present-day Scene Queen] uses a mix of platforms to show off her style and her 'lifestyle as a scene kid/scene queen, especially since MySpace isn’t as popular as it used to be,' she said." - Bettina Makalintal, Vice

The Rise of Scene on TikTok

“RAWRing 20s” or “20z” refers to scene culture’s presence in the present decade (hashtag has 183M views on TikTok)
There has been a huge revival in terms of visibility of scene culture on Tiktok, which can possibly be connected to a few different causes:

The curation of the For You Page, allowing people who may have an interest in scene to discover it fairly easily
The audio/visual aspects of it, which was just as is important on MySpace
Multiple communities have found home on the app due to its extreme popularity, especially with Gen Z teens, so why should scene be any different?

Scene Kids on TikTok may combine multiple subcultures, such as emo or anime fandom
Kids that grew up seeing scene culture as young as 9 or 10 while online are now replicating it
Many suggest that there is a level of inclusion that wasn’t present on MySpace in terms of race, body type, and gender identity

"Former scene kids know one thing to be true: scene culture never really died. While Attack Attack! may have called it quits and selfies taken from dizzying heights disappeared with the end of MySpace, scene culture is alive and well. And it has found a new space on TikTok." - Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29 (2021)

"All the original scenes have seemed to move on from the scene culture to go onto other types of fashion or just to get a job, or maybe they just didn't like that look anymore... Either way, there are still scene kids even in 2020. We aren't extinct yet!" - Mad Molly, Tiktok Influencer and present-day Scene Kid

How Do We See Scene Kids Using TikTok?

A common video format for Scene Kids on Tiktok is dancing or singing along to Scene music, both new and old, or trending songs. They often show off their outfits, hair, and accessories.

Example 1.
Example 2.
Example 3.

Another type of video is ones in which Scene Kids make jokes that are meant to be understood only by others within the subculture. This can be about the struggles of maintaining the extravagant look or getting stares from people who don't understand the style.

Example 1.
Example 2.

In the comment sections of these videos, Scene Kids will compliment each other's style and offer/ask for advice on how to style items, where to purchase them, or simply suggest and share music. Aspiring Scene Kids will ask for tips on getting into the subculture or how to find the confidence to wear such unique clothing.

Nostalgia and rediscovery are common themes visible in TikTok comments as well. Former Scene Kids express excitement or disbelief at seeing their previous style and music taste being embraced by Gen Z teens today. Rather wholesome interactions between the past and future of scene can be visible in these comment sections.

SpaceHey: MySpace's Revival

“SpaceHey is a retro social network focused on privacy and customizability. It's a friendly place to have fun, meet friends, and be creative.” (From SpaceHey's website)
Founded in 2020 as an homage to MySpace by a Gen Z teen
It has 500,000 users as of April 4,

"Thanks to older friends and the internet, I heard a lot about [MySpace.] I came to the conclusion that you can't find something like this nowadays, where everyone can be this creative." - Anton Röhm, SpaceHey's founder

While SpaceHey is still in its early days, it has the potential to be a site for all present day Scene Kids to congregate once again
Many pages on the website emulate scene and emo pages from MySpace