80s goth was an accident of sorts. It started off just being another post punk idea or new wave connection then the media called it goth and it stuck. No real written law of what it is or how it should sound but people who had enjoyed the idea of darkness kind of came together and declared a subculture devoted to post punk/ goth music and image. Many bands including the Sisters of Mercy seem to take it as a joke but what they did not realize it became center stage for the biggest subculture around. Goth today compared to the past is very diffrent but many keep the traditions a live. The music change everything from ethreal to industrial to traditional goth seem to be played. Bands like Bella Morte and London After Midnight still high as ever and consider goth. But modern goth seems a bitt shallow to the past. Most goths seem to be stuck in what is goth is what I think and what is not is what I consider poser. It just makes you laugh. I love the subculture today but some people need to lighten up and take thinsg as it is. Is anyone into the goth culture of today?

There are some genuine Goth Rock/Death Rock bands out there, but a lot of the kids also like Synth Pop with an edge. I've heard the term "Dark Wave" being thrown around to refer to bands like VNV Nation, Wolfsheim, Clan Of Xymox, De/Vision, Melotron, and such. It sounds like a good name now that I think about it. Goth music is more in tune with Punk Rock. Bands like Bauhaus, Death In June, Christian Death, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, and NON are Goth bands. The Cure is marginal. Depeche Mode is not. The rest could be termed... Dark Wave (?).