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While Solarpunk is currently the most common name for this genre it is quite uncharacteristic because the principles of harmony, natural world, hope & utopian fantasies typically go against the genre of punk and its offshoots.
Solarpunk is quite obviously the antithesis of Cyberpunk which tends to portray the world as divided and dystopian and as a result this genre quickly adopted the same moniker as Cyberpunk and Steampunk, while still diverging from the core principles of punk.
In regards to design, art, philosophy and architecture this solar genre can be most closely linking to the utopian futurism of the 1950's and 60's which occurred as a direct result of the violence and pain of WW2. Which at the time was simply called Futurism. This is why the second most used term today for this genre is called Retro-Futurism, distinguishing it from the original Futurism while still paying homage to its obvious links.
However Retro-Futurism is a bit of a mouthful and I do not think it will take off.
I really love this genre and want to see it accelerate in its adaptation, which is why I propose a new, more identifying name, that does not turn off those who do not care for the punk lifestyle or aesthetic.
I would like to suggest we begin calling this genre Solarwave, keeping the root idea of what it is, while separating it from the fatalism and nihilism of punk. It also falls in line with the practice of affixing wave to other trends and styles in the modern era. Wave also denotes its spread in popularity across the civilized globe.
TL;DR: I'm pretty please asking to call it Solarwave and not Solarpunk because I think it will help accelerate its spread in popularity as well as its adaptation in the real world.
