Ethereal wave, also called
ethereal darkwave,
ethereal goth or simply
ethereal, is a subgenre of
dark wave music and is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the
UK as an outgrowth of
gothic rock, ethereal was mainly represented by
4AD bands such as
Cocteau Twins and early guitar-driven
Dead Can Dance.