“I don’t really think of myself as a [...] Science-Fiction writer. I think of myself as almost a surrealist.”
- William Gibson

Cyberpunk has long been considered a subgenre of science-fiction due to its futuristic and high-tech nature.

Although I am not one to decide what is or isn’t science-fiction, it is important to note that most science-fiction writers and enthusiasts have reproached throughout history that cyberpunk was deeply rooted in techno-babble and pseudo-technological theories, and that it was at its core hardly science.

CThis goes in pair with the saying of several cyberpunk artists and authors that their work prioritizes “form over meaning”. Now, this does not mean cyberpunk is devoid of any essence, far from that, though the most obvious aspects of the style tend to be artistic depictions of concrete but yet obscure realities. This could probably disqualify it from being a subgenre of science-fiction, and make it a genre of its own.

“Form is the essence, brought from the depths.”
- Victor Hugo