Originally Posted by Janszoon

It's not the easiest genre to explain because a lot of the biggest goth bands sound fairly different from each other. But the most important frame of reference for understanding it is that, basically, a type of post-punk that embraces a certain aesthetic or set of related aesthetics. Despite it's reputation, that aesthetic isn't by and large about being depressing, it's usually about being kind of sleek and nighttime-sounding with occasional forays into campiness. There also tends to be a pretty strong David Bowie influence on a lot of it, which is probably it's most identifiable characteristic.