The 2010s Party Pop Revival
Looking at the resurgence of party-hard dance pop led by queer artists.
collage by Jina Jeon.
“I knew my rent was gon' be late about a week ago/I worked my ass off, but I still can't pay it though,” Ne-Yo sings in the 2014 hit “Time Of Our Lives.” The track, a Gen-Z nostalgia staple, exemplifies the addictive dance pop that characterized the early 2000s and 2010s. Those decades, marked by pop icons like Kesha, Pitbull, and Rihanna, are remembered for their messy and unapologetic music and the “I don’t care if I have no money—I’ll party anyway” mentality. With repetitive dance beats and earworm synths, the era of music offers a fun kind of cliché slicked in a rosy remembrance.
It’s felt like forever since we’ve had a wave of fun, trashy party pop songs taking over the radio. The top songs of 2025 have been relatively acoustic and laid-back, with tracks like “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish topping charts. But just beneath the charts lies a goldmine of artists keeping fiery electronic music alive, many riding on the coattails of the 2020 hyperpop surge. Despite its emergence in the early 2010s, hyperpop took the internet by storm during the pandemic and broke more firmly into the mainstream with the success of Charli xcx’s brat in 2024. Pioneered primarily by LGBTQ+ musicians like SOPHIE and 100 gecs, the hyperpop and electronic scenes prove that dance music isn’t dead—it’s just been buried beneath the surface.
Frost Children - Sister
When up-and-coming electronic duo Frost Children came out with their 2025 album Sister, they took the electronic music scene by storm. With their previous successes such as “FOX BOP” and “FLATLINE,” the sibling duo became acclaimed for their fusion of hyperpop and energetic dance music reminiscent of the early 2010s. Album singles “WHAT IS FOREVER FOR” and “FALLING” in particular feature an overproduced, overstimulating EDM sound with basic pop chords that evoke the likes of Cobra Starship and 3OH!3. “Cause one thing always leads to another, baby/Two drinks in, I think I'm your lover/We got three more days, three times the trouble,” the siblings sing in the chorus of “WHAT IS FOREVER FOR,” which utilizes trite rhyming schemes and lyricism that would be unremarkable if not for the album’s addicting, future-bass-esque construction. “BLUE EYES,” my favorite track on the album, harkens back to Breathe Carolina’s sound, featuring high-pitched vocal chops, a heavy kick drum, and pulsating foregrounded synths.
Sister is an unserious album meant to remind our bodies what it’s like to dance without reservation. The album is cliché in all the right ways as it toes the line between experimental hyperpop and familiar club pop. The aforementioned tracks are somewhat of a departure from the duo’s previous projects as they combine the sound of EDM giants like Skrillex and Zedd with pop choruses reminiscent of mid-2010s radio hits. Still, the outcome is wholly compelling: simultaneously nostalgic and fresh in the current musical landscape.
Kim Petras - “Freak It” and “I Like Ur Look”
Singer Kim Petras pours me right back into the music of my childhood years in all its 2015-esque glory. Petras has seemingly been around forever. Operating across in the mainstream pop and electronic worlds, her 2022 EP Slut Pop confirmed her spot in the trashy pop scene alongside artists like Slayyyter and Ayesha Erotica. Petras features on the track “RADIO” by Frost Children, who also produced her singles “I Like Ur Look” and “Freak It.” These three tracks, alongside Petras’ single “Polo,” undoubtedly connect with fans of electrocrash and experimental EDM while bearing strong connections to early-2010s pop culture. “Freak It,” one of the best songs released this year (in my opinion), boasts familiar, grating synths and a boom-clap kick and snare pattern that leaves the listener with no choice but to dance. Petras’ voice oscillates between anthemic, higher-pitched choruses and monotonic verses drowned out in layers of autotune. “Freak it cause you got no job, freak it/Freak it I could hook you up, freak it,” Petras sings in the second verse, followed by “Kiss print, on your jeans/Fishnets, pull 'em off for me” in the chorus. Her writing is undeniably reminiscent of Kesha and Pitbull’s party-hard attitude, building on the unserious and unabashedly sexual lyricism of Slut Pop.
Petras’ most recent single, “I Like Ur Look,” is a quintessential pop track comparable to Teenage Dream-era Katy Perry. It is not unlike “Freak It” but lacks the massive synths dominating the soundscape. “She wears you well, but can't you see?/That you definitely look better on me,” Petras sings in the chorus. I might’ve assumed the track was released ten years ago if I hadn’t known any better, but the datedness somehow doesn‘t take away from the listening experience. Rather, it evokes a sweet and sentimental fondness.
Slayyyter - “BEAT UP CHANEL$” and “CRANK”
I think Slayyyter is only a couple of releases away from breaking into the mainstream. I was a huge fan of her hyperpop projects in 2020 and 2021, and following the release of her 2023 album Starfucker, Slayyyter established herself as an electric performer and a club music connoisseur. Her single “BEAT UP CHANEL$,” another contender for my favorite song of the year, features a growling synth bass and classic EDM-warehouse-rave percussion. “Sex, money, drugs, chains on my chest, vintage Celine/Diamond grills, champagne bottles, I get for free,” she chants repeatedly. Slayyyter successfully turns the song into an anthem for party girls that stay up all night hopping from club to club.
Slayyyter’s most recent release, “CRANK,” combines the aggression of previous tracks like “Self Destruct” and “Venom” but blows it up to massive proportions. “Turn up the speakers, do not piss me off/Paris to New York, what you standin' for?/Crank it!” she shouts in the chorus alongside pummeling basses and wailing synths. Slayyyter brings back the early-2000s pop sound with a twist by featuring sexually charged lyrics and trashy-yet-expensive visuals. In the “CRANK” video she wears an outfit made entirely of animal furs, while in “BEAT UP CHANEL$” she boasts, as per the title, dirty designer heels and Lindsay Lohan-inspired ankle bags. The juxtaposition establishes her as a messy pop icon who refuses to stay within the tame, formulaic lines of mainstream pop.
Queer and trans artists have largely pioneered hyperpop and electronica. The hyperpop scene tends to be dominated by queer artists, serving as a liberating space for gender expression with vocal effects and modulation. Implementing experimental, disruptive sounds allows these artists to push back against expectations and forge their own presence free from societal expectations. And their involvement in the “recession pop” resurgence helps them reclaim the narrative that surrounds LGBTQ+ people. By portraying themselves having fun and partying, the aforementioned artists bring back the early and mid-2000s with a twist, particularly timely in an era where queer rights are threatened. Through their music, listeners can experience a touch of maximalist glory that disrupts the mainstream.
edited by Celeste Alcalay.
collage by Jina Jeon.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.
