>>7385216The aesthetics of vaporwave typically revolve around satirizing the fleeting feelings associated with materialism (which that bathroom could be representative of). There is the "hypnagogic" branch of vaporwave too, which focuses on a more introspective approach towards the feelings of emptiness and sadness that stem from a purely materialistic focus. There are other branches as well (such as "oceangrunge", which doubles down on the depressive aspect) and many genres have borrowed heavily from the visual and audio cues of vaporwave and its sentiments. It's a lot more than just glitched Japanese text on a sunset, which seems to be the more popular representation of it.
Now on the other hand, if you have an affinity for the '80s aesthetic and want to experience a sense of nostalgia, the retrowave (which stems from outrun) genre might be more up your alley. There is a lot of crossover between the two and they feed off of each other like yin and yang. Where retrowave encourages a yearning for a society and culture which will never return (and may never have truly existed), vaporwave is a reminder of the inherent shallowness associated with such a society.
Pic related is a retrowave take on the subject. Note the solemn happiness between the two, holding hands while stranded in the rain. The "no entry" street sign is indicative of a "you can't have this" to the viewer, because that society doesn't exist. The alien text reinforces that. This piece is designed to make you actively desire such a society and romanticizes it, whereas vaporwave implies that not only is it implausible but that the feelings of detachment and destitution we experience now would only be amplified in a setting like that.
