Los Angeles isn't the first city that comes to mind when people think of goth.
Published July 9, 2026 by Brady Goodman-Williams
Written by Alejandro Cohen, KCRW's Music Director
That honor usually goes to rainy cities in the UK, where the genre emerged from the post-punk underground in the late '70s. But LA developed its own distinct gothic identity, one that exists in beautiful contradiction to the city's image of sunshine, palm trees, and endless summer.
From Christian Death to darkwave dance floors, occult bookstores, cemeteries, underground clubs, and record shops, Los Angeles has cultivated one of the richest goth communities in the world.
To kick off KCRW's monthly collaboration with DoLA, we wanted to celebrate a scene that is artistic, thoughtful, deeply creative, and often misunderstood. Whether you're a lifelong devotee or simply goth-curious, here's how we'd spend seven dark days exploring one of LA's most fascinating subcultures.
No KCRW guide would be complete without music.
Rather than simply assembling two hours of Alien Sex Fiend (tempting as that was), I put together a mix that reflects the breadth of goth music, from the genre's foundational classics to some of my personal favorites and lesser-known gems.
Think of it as the soundtrack to your week. Play it while driving across the city, wandering through cemeteries, flipping through records, or simply sitting at home with the lights low.
The mix is available exclusively for KCRW members.
Become a member today and make it the soundtrack to your own seven days of goth.
Monday: Dress the Part
If you're going to spend a week immersed in goth culture, you might as well look the part.
Start by browsing Memento Mori in Hollywood for candles, home décor, taxidermy, jewelry, and beautifully macabre objects that blur the line between art and ritual.
Memento Mori, credit David Sprague via Los Angeles Business Journal
Then head over to Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank for goth-friendly clothing shops or Melrose Avenue in Hollywood for shops like Foxblood, that has become one of LA's defining modern goth brands, while Posers remains a longtime institution for everything from classic black boots to vintage-inspired accessories.
As night falls, make your way to The Mermaid Bar in Little Tokyo for Tiki Goth, where tropical cocktails meet darkwave, post-punk, and goth classics.
KCRW soundtrack: Before you head out, tune into Olive Kimoto on KCRW (Mondays, 8–10 p.m.), whose adventurous selections are the perfect bridge into the evening.
Tuesday: Read Before You Dance
Every music scene has its mythology.
Spend the afternoon at the beautiful Memorial Branch Library, built in 1930 based on a Gothic Revival design by architects John C. Austin and Frederic M. Ashley, reading Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst, founding member of The Cure (who, btw lives in LA.) Pair it with Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace, Andi Harriman and Marloes Bontje's remarkable visual archive documenting goth scenes from around the world throughout the 1980s.
Bar Sinister
Later, reward yourself with cocktails and dancing at Bar Sinister in Hollywood, where the atmosphere feels perfectly aligned with the week's mood.
Wednesday: Goth Pilgrimage
Some of LA's most important goth landmarks are surprisingly quiet.
Visit the historic Spadra Cemetery in Pomona, where Christian Death photographed some of their most iconic images. Afterwards, head to Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City to pay respects to Bela Lugosi, whose portrayal of Dracula became one of goth culture's defining visual references.
Holy Cross Cemetery via Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries
Listen on the drive:
Christian Death — Only Theatre of Pain
Bauhaus — 1979–1983
When night arrives, head east for Breakfast Klub, where you'll find one of LA's best dance floors for classic new wave, post-punk, and darkwave.
Thursday: Vampires by the Ocean
Spend the afternoon visiting Hudson's Bluff Sea Cave in Rancho Palos Verdes, made famous by The Lost Boys. Few films capture California goth mythology quite like this 1987 cult classic.
The drive practically demands you listen to the film’s soundtrack.
Later, make your way to Gothicumbia or Obelisk at Risky Business in North Hollywood, two of the city's most respected recurring goth nights.
Obelisk via Instagram
Friday: Hollywood After Dark
No music pilgrimage is complete without a stop at Amoeba Music. While not exclusively devoted to goth, its selection of post-punk, industrial, darkwave, vinyl, books, and posters remains one of the city's best.
Amoeba Music, credit Ricardo DeAratanha for the LA Times
Then start your evening with Sexbeat, a long-running party that continues to celebrate the darker corners of alternative music.
Before heading out: Make KCRW your Friday night soundtrack beginning at 8 p.m. with Henry Rollins, followed by LUXXURY, and the legendary archive of Deirdre O'Donoghue.
Saturday: The Dance Floor Awaits
Ease into the evening with a drink at The Burgundy Room, one of Hollywood's classic neighborhood bars.
The Burgondy Room via Instagram
Then choose your destination.
For goth and darkwave, check out DracHaus, where contemporary goth culture thrives.
If your tastes lean more industrial, EBM, and harder electronic sounds, spend the night with Das Bunker, still one of America's defining industrial music institutions.
Listen on the way: Any archived show by dublab DJ Jenny NONO, whose selections beautifully weave together post-punk, experimental music, ambient, and leftfield electronics.
Sunday: Records and Reflection
Begin your final day at Mount Analog, one of LA's finest independent record stores. Their carefully curated selection of new releases, rare records, ambient, experimental, post-punk, and leftfield music makes it almost impossible to leave empty-handed.
Mount Analog, credit Peter Holslin via Red Bull Music Academy
Spend your afternoon at Skirball Cultural Center touring the Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos exhibit, on display through September 6.
Then head home to watch Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983), starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon—a film whose style continues to influence goth aesthetics decades later.
End the week with Coil's Musick to Play in the Dark Volumes 1 & 2 and let the lights slowly fade.
Tune in next month another 7-day guide from KCRW! Wonder what subculture they'll choose next...
