Which book is credited with popularizing the cyberpunk genre?
Last updated: June 4, 2024
With any genre, there’s never really a singular moment that creates it, but more like a series of moments leading up to it.
This holds true for the cyberpunk genre, which rose to prominence largely in the late ‘80s and is still pretty darn popular today. Before Blade Runner, there was the science fiction of the '50s and '60s that laid the groundwork for cyberpunk’s unique mix of ‘80s aesthetics with dystopia and futuristic technology.
But while it didn’t pop out of thin air, there is one book that is often seen as at the very least popularizing, if not finally putting the pieces together, for a genre that had been trying to be born for at least a few years. Which book is it?