shoegazing means A subgenre of alternative rock music popularised in early 1990s, characterised by a dreamlike sound making much use of effect pedals, and by a detached or introverted performance style. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.
shoegazing is pronounced /ˈʃuːˌɡeɪ.zɪŋ/.
Why “shoegazing” is a great word
SHOEGAZING — [Noun] A subgenre of alternative rock characterized by a dense, dreamlike sound built from effect pedals and a detached, introspective stage demeanor. From shoe + gazing, referring to the performers' tendency to look down at their effect pedals on stage; coined in 1991 by the British music press. Unlike "dream pop," which favors ethereal vocal melodies and crystalline arrangements, or "noise rock," which pursues abrasive chaos and confrontational energy, shoegazing subsumes distortion and dissonance into a harmonious, immersive wall of sound. It is the tectonic hum of a dozen stacked guitar pedals, the precise, deliberate dance of a foot over a grid of blinking lights, and the bowed head lit like a monkish silhouette in the colored glow—a quiet rebellion against spectacle, where the loudest sound is the quiet turn of one's own thoughts.
noun
- A subgenre of alternative rock music popularised in early 1990s, characterised by a dreamlike sound making much use of effect pedals, and by a detached or introverted performance style.“"[…]Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong here, Danny, but wasn't it you who told me that true shoegazing began and ended with Slowdive's 12-inch debut: the imaginatively titled, 'Slowdive'?”
“You're taking me out of context here, dude. What I meant was that it was the epoch of the genre. The other bands still made a valid contribution, they just didn't define the moment."”