In comments, Eldritch and I were discussing why some bands seem reluctant to call themselves "goth" even though they seem to have that style.
Eldritch gave the example of Dr Arthur Krause who said "Some people call it goth and we are fine with that."
I note that the TRAITRS song I just posted sounds a lot like early Cure, but their bandcamp page labels it as "punk / coldwave / post-punk".
Is that kinda thing common? If so why?
Look Siouxsie straight in the eye and tell her why.
Well I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that no artist sets out to create for a specific genre usually. They are just out to create art. Genres are usually an afterthought created by people trying to categorize things. The term goth was popular back in the '80s and '90s but was often assigned to people Etc who were considered outcasts by popular culture. Most don't willingly seek to be outcast. Or considered outcast. Even though many of us have chosen to embrace It ultimately.
I don't think post-punk was anything that was ever widely used in the time a lot of music that started it was created. The name itself literally meaning after the punk explosion of the 1970s. Itself splintering into not only the goth movement, but also new wave, industrial, and this little known genera that popped up in the 90s called alternative. Another non descript nom de plum. Post punk is a bit more embraced today I think because it's a bit more artsy and catch all.
But for me if you're in a minor key, or you wail like Andrew Eldritch or Siouxie and her Banshees. You're in goth territory. If your subjects are introspective, dark and emotional, as bill engval might have said. You might be a ~~redneck~~ goth.