Teen Gothic

If you're here, then you probably have a decent idea of what goth is unless you're a newborn baby bat or an emo. If you don't, this subreddit provides a really comprehensive explanation inside of a wonderful history lesson in the "About" tab of the "Community Info" section, and it quickly acknowledges the variety of subgenres that goth has given way to which I appreciate.

We know that the roots of the OG (original goth) sound are in post-punk, but all of the subgenres that have spawned over the years since the 70's have created such a wide range of sounds and aesthetics which are often (not always) organized under a general "goth" category, that what should or shouldn't be tossed into that category these days has become much more open to discussion. Especially with the mess of confusion that industrial music has contributed to the subject.

However, the amount of posts that get deleted in this subreddit tells me that there are people here who have boundaries for goth music that are far more concrete than mine, despite how much the sound has spread out and evolved over the last five decades. I don't mean to pass judgement on anyone who has specific expectations for their choice of music, I just want to understand, so I have a few questions. (And I am speaking specifically about the sound of the music itself. Not its historical place/value/tenure, nor its associations with any visual themes or aesthetics or any physical location or origin.)

What are those boundaries for you? Are you able to identify them?

Especially when listening to something you've never heard before, new or old, what are your thoughts when gauging whether or not a song or band is goth?

If something sounds like gloomy post-punk with haunting vocals and a nice use of flange, what might stop it from passing the goth test?

What are the criteria that must be met or the rules that must be followed in order for it to be considered goth?

Is there a commonly proposed sub-genre or a progression towards a particular sound that you feel goes in an especially ungothic direction or outright betrays something about the OG sound or spirit?