I was recently researching western steampunk because, well….I’m writing one and I was surprised to see that it’s one of several in the ____punk genre.   I knew about cyberpunk and steampunk, but dieselpunk?

This prompted a trip to Wikipedia where I found out that my punk knowledge was sadly behind the times.  These days there is:

Cyberpunk – encompassing a technologically advanced dystopia and the loners who inhabit it (which also spawned “postcyberpunk” with protagonists who actually have jobs)
Steampunk – a sort of Jules Verne, victoriana, steam-powered technological world
Dieselpunk (or Decopunk) – set between WWI and WWII, it embraces the Art Deco aesthetic and includes pulp magazines, film noir, and movie serials
Biopunk – biotechnology on the rampage – not as many computers as cyberpunk, more genetic enhancements
Nanopunk – similar to Biopunk but with nano machines
Splatterpunk – a horror genre with…well, lots of splattering
Stonepunk – Stone Age technological wonders, in other words, they use the materials of the stone age to make technology we’d see today – like the technology you see in the Flintstones
Clockpunk – similar to Steampunk but relying on more clockwork instead of steam and set in the Middle Ages
Teslapunk – similar to Steampunk but set in the 19th and early 20th centuries when Nikola Tesla was alive
Atompunk – predigital 20th century when the early space race and communism were the big news of the day
Nowpunk – contemporary hacking adventures (very closely related to Steelpunk which focuses on the 20th century)
Rococopunk – for people that like punk in baroque style (sort of new Romantics)
Elfpunk – fairies and elves transplanted from mythology into urban fantasy settings
Mythpunk – mythological creatures plus postmodern fantasy elements

Of course, I don’t see mine.  My story is probably going to land somewhere between Steampunk and Teslapunk. I like to think of it as Wild Wild West punk after the old television series and the outrageous technology they had surfacing in the Old West.  After all, what’s better than Steampunk and Cowboys? Western Steampunk for the win!

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(photo by SoulStealer.co.uk)

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