The word steampunk is made of the root words steam and punk. This use of punk has nothing to do with the punk rock music of the mid-1970s. A well-known science-fiction author William Gibson, wrote books in the early 1980s that created the cyberpunk style.

Where did the term steampunk come from?

The term Steampunk was first coined in 1987 by K. W. Jeter, the author of the novel Morlock Night. He used the term to describe a genre of speculative fiction in which steam, not electricity, drove technological advancements. Since then it has been used to describe an artistic and cultural movement.

What does steampunk mean?

Steampunk is a literary and aesthetic movement that takes inspiration from 19th-century science fiction and fantasy as well as the technology of that era, especially the steam engine.

What does the punk in steampunk mean?

cyberpunk The “punk” in steampunk is a reference to cyberpunk, because when steampunk first formed it was comprised essentially of cyberpunk (that is, dystopian high tech sci-fi) stories set during the Victorian period.