Grunge isn’t just a hashtag for Cailin Russo—it’s a lived-in ethos. While the internet may reduce it to flannels and Nirvana posters, Russo sees it as a tension between comfort and chaos, aesthetics and honesty. Born out of Tumblr’s golden age (pre-algorithm, pre-#spon), her style—dubbed Cai-Core—draws from moody architecture blogs, Eastern European influences, and late-night fashion rabbit holes she fell into while living in Osaka. Cai-Core is old money with a chipped nail—deep blues, tarnished silvers, and DIY everything.

 

“Being lighthearted is cool,” she says, “but acknowledging the dark is necessary too.”

 

It’s fashion as storytelling, with no filter. Russo’s music and style both live in that messy, magnetic space between cringe and courage. She’s not afraid to name her discomfort, whether it’s a song about a DUI or an awkwardly honest sex confession. In a hyper-curated world of “clean girl” aesthetics and algorithm-chasing, she swerves. Her ultimate grunge icon? Doja Cat. Not for the look, but for the energy: “Bitch, I said what I said.”

 

For Russo, grunge today isn’t about looking the part—it’s about owning your weird, telling your truth, and refusing to be edited for comfort.