Shoegaze, so named for the motionless and downward-looking performance style of its practitioners, was popularized in the UK between the mid-80's and early 90's. Taking cues from both Dream Pop and Noise Rock, the typical Shoegaze sound is a wash of instruments blending together. Guitars are typically distorted into droning or feedback drenched textures, and the group itself strives to create a 'wall-of-sound' atmosphere that takes a noisy, distorted approach and/or a lusher, more 'dreamscape' sensation. While vocals and melodies do exist, they are subordinate to the overriding sensation of the song, and melt into the background.
