The term "indie sleaze" is being retroactively applied to late-'90s/early 2000s bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes and Interpol, who adopted the fashion of their punk-rock heroes to fit their musical aesthetic. By the mid-2000s the sound had gone mainstream and a new batch of indie sleaze artists had emerged, including MGMT, Peaches, LCD Soundsystem and Crystal Castles.

In 2021, the term was popularized by TikTok creator Mandy Lee, who's credited with correctly forecasting the trend, furthered by such outlets as Vogue.

TikTok is now experiencing another indie sleaze boom, with producer The Dare leading the charge. The Republic signee, perhaps best known for producing "Guess" from Charli xcx's BRAT—more than 85k posts on TikTok, with the Billie Eilish remix over 477k—has also enjoyed success with single "Girls," which has been used in more than 102k posts and currently sits at #18 on the TikTok Viral 50. Creators are using the song for everything from choreographed dances to concert footage from The Dare's shows.

The Dare himself has been busy of late promoting his own album, What's Wrong With New York?, teasing new singles and interacting with fans.

Meanwhile, genre-adjacent groups like rockers The 1975, Oasis, MGMT, Arctic Monkeys and Blood Orange are seeing a surge in activity; the 1975's "About You" has been used in 1.7m+ posts, for instance, and Arctic Monkey's "I Wanna Be Yours" boasts a staggering 7.5m.

We were considering doing our own TikTok dance video to "Girls" but decided you really don't want to see that. You're welcome.