Meanings
noundieselpunk (uncountable)
- uncountableA genre of science fiction and art that combines fictional retrofuturistic elements with the technology, culture, and aesthetics of the period of history beginning in the interbellum between World War I and World War II and ending around the 1950s (known as the "diesel era" within the dieselpunk community).
BioShock isn't steampunk, it's dieselpunk.
2010 March 19, Teresa Lott, “Re: I hate steampunk...”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet)2 more examples
In other words, steampunk explores adjustment to an industrial culture from the opposite direction to cyberpunk -- but has very much the same agenda. Me, I'm trying to write dieselpunk ...
2002 November 20, Charlie Stross, “Re: What "steampunk" genre?”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet)[…] post-apocalyptic dieselpunk action adventure […]
2007, Sean Demory, quoted in Brian McTavish, "Kansas City writer, artist publish digital comic book for cell phones", in The Kansas City Star, 2007 July 25, page F3
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
dieselpunk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dieselpunk
MLA
“dieselpunk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dieselpunk. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dieselpunk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dieselpunk.
Source: dieselpunk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.