Speculative fiction with an interwar-era aesthetic, combining 1920s-1940s technology and culture with fantastical elements.
Dieselpunk draws its aesthetic from the period between World War I and the early Cold War: Art Deco architecture, diesel-powered machinery, jazz, propaganda posters, and the gritty optimism of wartime industry. It can be alternate history, science fiction, or fantasy, but the technology and culture are rooted in that specific era. The tone ranges from pulpy adventure to dark political commentary.
If your story's aesthetic leans toward the 1920s-1940s with speculative elements, dieselpunk gives you a community and a set of conventions to work within. It's a niche genre but a passionate one, and understanding its boundaries helps you write for readers who specifically seek it out.
Alternate history where Adolf Hitler became a pulp science fiction author, using dieselpunk aesthetics for savage satire.
An underwater Art Deco city powered by a libertarian philosophy gone wrong. Though a game, it defined dieselpunk for many.
Write a scene set in a 1930s-era city where one piece of technology is far more advanced than it should be: a radio that shows images, a car that flies, a factory that builds itself. Ground it in the period's language and social norms. The anachronism should feel both impossible and inevitable.