Internet Culture
Sounds grown from short video, livestream rooms and SoundCloud: the phonk family, Chinese DJ edits, hanmai and kawaii future bass.
This group is sorted by where things blew up, and the sounds differ a lot. Phonk comes from Memphis underground rap, slow and eerie; drift phonk is its high-speed offshoot, cowbell plus blown-out 808, the staple of drift and gym edits; Brazilian phonk brings in Brazilian funk drums and Portuguese vocal chops. Chinese DJ edits are the thumping sound of Douyin and car stereos, hanmai is rhymed chanting from livestream rooms, and kawaii future bass backs cute characters and VTubers. Chinese internet songs capture the 2000s internet-café and ringtone era; nightcore speeds songs up and raises their pitch; dreamcore turns empty childhood spaces into dreams.
What they share
- Born for short video
- Strong hit points
- Memes and community culture
How to choose
- Late-night tapes and underground rapPhonk
- Drift and gym editsDrift Phonk
- Hypnotic Portuguese chopsBrazilian Phonk
- Car-stereo DJ and livestream hanmaiChinese DJ RemixHanmai (Chinese MC Shout-Rap)
- Cute charactersKawaii Future Bass
- Chinese viral songs of the 2000sChinese Internet Song
- Sped-up, pitched-up anime editsNightcore / Sped Up
- Empty, nostalgic, uneasy dreamsDreamcore
Starter prompt
Drift phonk, 140 BPM, distorted cowbell melody, aggressive 808 bass, Memphis-style vocal chops, dark and hypnotic, short-video energyA general starting point for this family; swap in a specific style’s keywords for sharper results.
Side by side
| Style | Era | BPM | Mood | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phonk | 1990s; revived in the 2010s | 60–80 | Dark & heavyCity nightMystic & ritualRebellious & boldHype & thrill | Night drives & city walks · Horror & thriller |
| Drift Phonk | Late 2010s–present | 130–150 | Dark & heavyRebellious & boldHype & thrillTense & suspense | Night drives & city walks · Battle & action |
| Brazilian Phonk | 2020s–present | 125–135 | Dark & heavyGroove & energyHype & thrillCity night | Party & dance floor · Short video & beat sync |
| Chinese DJ Remix | 2000s–present | 125–150 | Groove & energyBright & sweetCity nightHype & thrill | Party & dance floor · Short video & beat sync |
| Hanmai (Chinese MC Shout-Rap) | 2010s | 120–140 | Epic & vastGroove & energyHype & thrill | Short video & beat sync · Party & dance floor |
| Chinese Internet Song | From around 2001 | 70–130 | NostalgicMelancholy & lonelyRomantic | Memories & farewells · Short video & beat sync |
| Kawaii Future Bass | Mid-2010s–present | 140–170 | Bright & sweetDreamy & floatingWarm & intimate | Everyday & school · Short video & beat sync |
| Nightcore / Sped Up | Named 2001; 2020s comeback | 160–180 | Hype & thrillBright & sweetGroove & energy | Short video & beat sync · Stage & idols |
| Dreamcore | Late 2010s onward | 60–90 | Dreamy & floatingNostalgicTense & suspenseCalm & focused | Memories & farewells · Horror & thriller |
All styles
- Phonk
Tape hiss, eerie samples and slow, hazy rap: dark hip-hop grown from '90s Memphis underground rap.
- Drift Phonk
Distorted cowbell melodies, blown-out 808s and relentless drive: the go-to soundtrack for drift edits and gym montages.
- Brazilian Phonk
Brazilian funk's bouncing drums meet phonk's cowbell: hypnotic Portuguese vocal chops, dark yet danceable.
- Chinese DJ Remix
Chinese pop songs remixed into pounding slow-rock and car-stereo DJ edits, cheesy yet addictive.
Hanmai (Chinese MC Shout-Rap)Half-shouted, half-chanted bravado from livestream rooms: four syllables at a time, all swagger, so over-the-top it becomes addictive.
Chinese Internet SongNo record label and no packaging, spread through websites and ringtones to every street: Chinese viral songs of the 2000s.
Kawaii Future BassFuture bass's soft chords plus bells, toy sounds and cute vocals, like a trampoline in candy clouds.
Nightcore / Sped UpSpeed a song up, raise its pitch, add an anime picture: an online remix culture that grew out of a Norwegian school project.
DreamcoreEmpty pools, corridors with no way out and warped old records: an internet aesthetic that turns childhood memory into a dream.