Rare Aesthetic
What is the Rare Aesthetic trend?
Creators name oddly specific emotional states, social dynamics, or niche behaviors that feel rare because they are unspoken, not uncommon, setting text overlays against footage that matches the vibe. Set to "Crimewave" by Crystal Castles in its classic form, though the format has drifted well beyond that audio. Brands use this to call out the specific kind of customer behavior or product ritual that their community recognizes instantly and no one else would understand.
Origin
The "Rare Aesthetic" trend originated on TikTok in early 2020 in sincere form, with users posting videos under the hashtag #rareaesthetic documenting real but obscure visual subcultures set to the song "Crimewave" by Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles. An early example was posted by TikToker rissaduh on February 18, 2020, gaining over 2.3 million views. The format shifted to ironic parody by mid-2020, when creators began applying "rare aesthetic:" as a caption prefix to hyper-specific mundane or nostalgic scenarios. A pivotal parody post by TikToker swagner365 on September 5, 2020 accumulated 1.9 million views, and by the week of October 26, 2020, #rareaesthetic was trending on TikTok with over 122 million total views. The format also spread to Twitter beginning in March 2020. The trend resurfaced in late 2025 in a second wave predominantly soundtracked by "Gorof (Elixir)" by the Somali group Dur-Dur Band featuring Sahra Dawo, a track originally recorded in the 1980s, 90s and re-released on the 2017 compilation Sweet As Broken Dates, leaning into nostalgia and oddly specific emotional or behavioral observations delivered via caption over B-roll or still imagery.
Great for
Lifestyle b-roll of the specific niche behavior named in the text Product ritual footage that only the core audience would recognize Aesthetic still or slow-motion b-roll with the text overlay doing the work Reaction or behind-the-scenes footage of the brand's own oddly specific habit
Examples
Rare aesthetic: Buying the refill before the original runs out because running out feels like a personal failure Rare aesthetic: Smelling the candle in the store for so long that the sales associate checks on you Rare aesthetic: Keeping the empty jar because throwing it away feels wrong
Sources
Turn a trend into an on-brand short from footage you already have.
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