A Guide to Children’s Culture for Out-of-Touch Adults: What Is the “Core of Losers”?
In this edition of “The Loser Core Guide,” we’ll delve into the music genre/subculture of “Loser Core”—a trenchant response to overly polished music and fashion polished to a high shine on Instagram. We’ll also define some slang terms, so if a guy tells you you have EBK or nods and calls you “GiGis,” you’ll know whether you’re being insulted or meant as a compliment. And then there’s Biddy Blas, the latest “Glub Shitto” in Star Wars fandom.
What is Loser Core and the Loser Core playlist?
Loser Core is a growing subculture and musical style among young people. The music draws influences from indie, alternative, and lo-fi, and the lyrics are typically depressive. They typically deal with alienation, teenage angst, and the difficulties of dating. Loser Core is similar to emo, but more homemade and hopeless, or grunge with less anger. Famous Loser Core artists include Memo Boy and Wifiskeleton . Notable influences include Radiohead and Weezer.
The Loser Core look is anti-fashion: baggy, oversized hoodies, anime-print T-shirts, digital watches, and worn-out sneakers. The personality type is an aloof nerd with niche hobbies and few friends. In general, they’re depressed young people attracted to depressing music and a scruffy appearance. No matter your age, I’m sure you knew (or were) someone like this when you were 17.
Here’s a video that explains it in a little more detail:
So, that’s Loser Core—a genre and a lifestyle. Explaining the popularity of the Loser Core playlist is a little more complicated. Created on Spotify by user depay178 , LOSERCORE is a playlist of 155 songs in the Loser Core genre. In June, TikTok user @user406398991 began posting AI-generated cartoons to promote the LOSERCORE playlist. The videos feature recurring characters, typically focus on music, and end with a recommendation to check out the LOSERCORE playlist. Here’s an example:
In October, these videos began appearing in many users’ feeds, increasing the popularity of the musical genre and spawning similar reconstruction videos:
…as well as videos from artists who are perplexed by their inclusion on the list , people selling counterfeit merch , and those trying to obscure the essence of Loser Core and question the inclusion of certain songs on what is becoming a canonical list. Also: a ton of videos asking, “Why does this keep popping up in my feed?”
The playlist has been hotly debated online, largely due to the perceived low quality of the video and the question of why anyone would spend so much time promoting a playlist on Spotify if it’s impossible to monetize its subscribers.
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That’s a good question. There are indirect ways this list could make money for someone—maybe there’s a connection between promotion and the bands on the list getting paid per listen—but I like to think it’s just kids who identify with these artists and want other kids to hear what they like, like fanzines back in the day. We don’t need to monetize everything , right?
What does “EBK” mean?
The acronym EBK stands for “Extreme Baller Knowledge.” It transcends sports terminology and applies to anyone with in-depth knowledge of a particular field. It’s often used ironically.
What does GiGis mean?
Pronounced like the name Gigi, “Gigis” originates from sports via gaming culture. The post-match greeting “good game” has always been an integral part of sports. Gamers adopted it and shortened it to “GG” in text format. Thus, “Gigis” is a way of saying “good game.”
Viral Video of the Week: Biddy Blas
This week’s viral video is a video game intro. Star Wars: Galactic Racer was released on October 6th, and its star is Biddy Blas. You won’t find him in any of the Star Wars films or TV series. Biddy is unique to this game and essentially exists only as an opponent to be defeated in a race. But Biddy is too good to remain obscure. Just look at him:
Soon after the game’s release, fans dubbed Biddy “the best Gloop Shitto (a Star Wars character with a ridiculous name)” and began creating memes in his honor, such as these:
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Biddy Blas’s popularity is a result of the energetic performance of voice actor Richard Summers-Calvert, particularly his rendition of Biddy’s signature phrase, ” scrib doon .” It’s a phrase that gets stuck in your head for a long time.
And there are plenty of instances where “scrib doon” is exactly what you need to say:
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