AltComedy.com

A broad label for comedy that exists outside mainstream conventions, typically characterized by experimentation, personal voice, and rejection of traditional joke structures. The term originated in the UK in the late 1970s to describe politically progressive comedy that opposed the racist, sexist material common in working men's clubs.

In contemporary usage, "alternative comedy" encompasses diverse approaches united by their departure from conventional comedy formats and content, often involving greater experimentation, more personal perspectives, and a willingness to challenge audience expectations.

Comedy that deliberately subverts conventional setup-punchline structures and audience expectations about what is supposed to be funny. Anti-comedy often involves intentionally awkward delivery, non-sequiturs, or deliberately failed jokes, creating humor through the violation of comedy norms rather than through traditional joke mechanics.

See also: Deadpan, Meta-Comedy, Cringe Comedy

A comedic approach centered on illogical scenarios, surreal imagery, and deliberate violation of rational thinking. Absurdist comedy often creates dreamlike or nonsensical situations that operate according to their own internal logic (or lack thereof).

While often associated with European artistic traditions, absurdism has become a significant element of alternative comedy, particularly in sketch comedy and certain types of character work.

See also: Non-Sequitur, Surrealism

A performance venue for alternative comedy that exists outside the traditional comedy club circuit. Alt rooms are typically smaller spaces (bookstores, theaters, music venues, art galleries) that foster experimentation and often have different audience expectations than conventional clubs.

These spaces historically served as incubators for alternative comedy voices, providing performance opportunities for comedians whose material might not fit the format or content expectations of mainstream venues.

See also: Micro-Venue, Pop-Up Comedy

A discrete segment of comedy material, usually centered around a specific premise or idea. In alternative comedy, bits often have more complex structures and may extend beyond conventional joke formats to include character work, storytelling elements, or conceptual humor.

The term is also used as a verb ("doing a bit") to describe when someone is performing or extending a comedic premise, either on stage or in everyday life.

A moment of pause, emphasis, or transition in a comedy performance. Comedians use beats to control timing, emphasize punchlines, or create space for audience reaction. In writing, the term can also refer to distinct moments or units within a comedic scene or bit.

Performing comedy to little or no laughter from the audience, typically considered a failure in conventional comedy. In alternative comedy contexts, however, bombing may sometimes be intentional or incorporated into the performance itself as meta-commentary.

Some alternative comedians deliberately play with audience discomfort or silence, blurring the lines between successful performance and bombing.

See also: Anti-Comedy, Cringe Comedy

A reference to previous material later in a performance, creating humor through recognition and context. While callbacks exist in traditional comedy, alternative comedians often use them in more complex or layered ways, sometimes referencing material across different performances or media.

Comedy performed through a fictional persona or character rather than as oneself. Character comedy has been particularly important in alternative comedy, allowing performers to explore unusual perspectives, behaviors, or comedic premises that would be difficult to present as themselves.

In the alternative comedy context, character work often involves deeper commitment to the persona, exploration of the character's psychology, and may blend with performance art approaches.

See also: Persona, Transformation

Comedy that deliberately creates uncomfortable or awkward situations, deriving humor from the audience's empathetic discomfort. This approach often involves characters who violate social norms, misread situations, or demonstrate painful self-delusion.

Cringe comedy has become particularly associated with alternative comedy in both British and American contexts, representing a willingness to explore discomfort rather than simply generating pleasant laughter.

See also: Awkward Pause, Discomfort Humor

Comedy driven primarily by ideas or concepts rather than traditional jokes or observations. Conceptual comedy often prioritizes originality of premise over conventional laugh density, sometimes blending with performance art or experimental theater approaches.

This approach is particularly associated with alternative comedy's interest in formal experimentation and pushing the boundaries of what can be considered comedy.

See also: Experimental Comedy, Performance Art

A deliberately expressionless or flat delivery style that contrasts with the absurd or extreme content being described. Deadpan delivery is particularly common in alternative comedy, where the contrast between serious presentation and bizarre content creates tension and comedic effect.

See also: Anti-Comedy, Irony

The process of analyzing, questioning, or breaking down comedy conventions and assumptions within a performance. Deconstructive comedy often draws attention to the mechanics of comedy itself, creating meta-commentary on the expectations and structures of humor.

This approach is closely associated with alternative comedy's interest in formal experimentation and self-awareness. It may involve commenting on joke structure, audience-performer relationships, or the social function of comedy.

See also: Meta-Comedy, Form-Breaking

Comedy that deliberately evokes feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment, or social tension. While traditional comedy often seeks to create comfortable laughter, discomfort humor intentionally creates complicated emotional responses in the audience.

This approach is particularly associated with alternative comedy's willingness to challenge audience expectations and explore more complex emotional landscapes beyond simple pleasure.

See also: Cringe Comedy, Anti-Comedy

Comedy that deliberately tests boundaries, explores new forms, or challenges conventional assumptions about what comedy can be. Experimental approaches prioritize innovation and artistic exploration over reliable laugh generation, often incorporating elements from other art forms.

This term encompasses a broad range of alternative comedy practices united by their emphasis on pushing the form in new directions rather than working within established conventions.

See also: Conceptual Comedy, Form-Breaking

The technique of intensifying a comedic premise through progressive heightening or increasingly extreme examples. While basic escalation exists in traditional comedy, alternative comedy often pushes escalation to absurd extremes or uses it to subvert audience expectations.

Deliberately violating established conventions of comedy performance to create new possibilities or comment on the form itself. Form-breaking is a key aspect of alternative comedy's emphasis on experimentation and challenging audience expectations.

This can include disrupting expected performance structures, violating the fourth wall, or creating unusual relationships between performer and audience.

See also: Meta-Comedy, Deconstruction

Humor derived from real-world materials not originally intended to be funny, such as instructional videos, local commercials, or awkward social media posts. Found comedy involves recontextualizing existing content to highlight its unintentional humor.

This approach is particularly associated with alternative comedy's interest in examining cultural artifacts and finding humor in unexpected places beyond traditional joke creation.

In improvisational comedy, the central pattern of unusual behavior or comedic premise that drives a scene. Alternative comedy approaches often involve finding more unusual or complex games that might not work in more conventional improv formats.

The concept originated with Del Close and the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) improvisational method but has influenced many areas of alternative comedy beyond improv.

The technique of intensifying a comedic premise by raising the stakes, increasing the absurdity, or exploring more extreme examples. Heightening is a fundamental technique in both traditional and alternative comedy, though alternative approaches may push heightening in more surreal or unexpected directions.

See also: Escalation, Game of the Scene

A comedic technique involving a contrast between stated meaning and actual meaning, or between expectation and reality. While irony exists in all forms of comedy, alternative comedy often employs more complex layers of irony that may be challenging to distinguish from sincerity.

In some alternative comedy contexts, irony may be so layered that the distinction between ironic and genuine expression deliberately blurs, creating ambiguity for the audience.

See also: Post-Irony, Meta-Comedy

Comedy created spontaneously without pre-planning or scripting. While improv exists in multiple formats, alternative comedy approaches often involve looser structures, more experimental premises, and deliberate subversion of traditional improv "rules."

Many alternative comedians incorporate improvisational elements into otherwise scripted shows, creating hybrid forms that blend prepared material with spontaneous creation.

Referring to comedy in the style of Andy Kaufman, characterized by elaborate character work, blurring the line between performance and reality, and willingness to alienate or confuse the audience for artistic effect. The term has become shorthand for particularly experimental or audience-challenging comedy.

See also: Anti-Comedy, Performance Art

Comedy that develops over an extended period rather than through discrete jokes or bits. Long-form approaches allow for more complex narrative development, character exploration, or thematic depth than conventional comedy formats.

Alternative comedy has been particularly important in developing long-form approaches across different media, from theatrical one-person shows to narrative podcasts to experimental comedy specials.

Comedy that is self-referential, commenting on its own conventions, construction, or performance. Meta-comedy draws attention to the artifice of performance, often breaking the fourth wall or otherwise acknowledging the constructed nature of the comedy experience.

This self-awareness is particularly associated with alternative comedy's interest in examining and subverting comedy conventions rather than simply using them.

See also: Deconstruction, Form-Breaking

A very small, often non-traditional space for comedy performance, typically holding audiences of 20-75 people. Micro-venues create intimate performance environments that allow for greater experimentation and direct audience connection than larger spaces.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on traditional venues, micro-venues (including shows in bookstores, art galleries, private homes, and repurposed retail spaces) have become increasingly important in alternative comedy scenes.

See also: Alt Room, Pop-Up Comedy

A statement or element that does not logically follow from what preceded it, creating humor through unexpected disconnection. Non-sequiturs are particularly common in absurdist alternative comedy, where they disrupt logical narrative flow and create surprising juxtapositions.

See also: Absurdism, Surrealism

A theatrical performance created and performed by a single performer, often blending comedy with storytelling, character work, and sometimes dramatic elements. One-person shows have been particularly important in alternative comedy for allowing extended exploration of personal material and complex themes.

While traditional stand-up is technically performed solo, one-person shows typically involve more theatrical elements, character work, narrative structure, or multimedia components than conventional stand-up.

See also: Storytelling, Long-Form

The intersection of comedy with performance art approaches, often involving conceptual frameworks, durational elements, or interdisciplinary techniques beyond conventional comedy. Performance art comedy may prioritize artistic exploration over consistent laughs.

The boundaries between alternative comedy and performance art have become increasingly porous, with many performers working across both contexts and incorporating elements from each tradition.

See also: Conceptual Comedy, Experimental Comedy

A consistent character or version of oneself that a comedian presents on stage, often heightening or modifying aspects of their actual personality. Alternative comedians frequently play with the boundaries between genuine self and performed persona, sometimes making the distinction deliberately ambiguous.

See also: Character Comedy, Meta-Comedy

Comedy shows that appear temporarily in non-traditional or changing venues rather than permanent locations. Pop-up comedy creates ephemeral performance spaces that may be adapted to specific shows or concepts.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, pop-up comedy has become increasingly common in alternative comedy scenes, allowing for more flexible, lower-overhead show production than traditional venues.

See also: Micro-Venue, Alt Room

An approach that deliberately blurs the boundaries between ironic and sincere expression, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine sentiment and satirical commentary. Post-ironic comedy creates ambiguity about the performer's actual position or intent.

This approach is particularly associated with digital-era alternative comedy and represents a response to the ubiquity of irony in contemporary culture.

See also: Irony, Meta-Comedy

A classic comedy structure where the first two items establish a pattern, and the third breaks it in an unexpected way. While this is a traditional comedy technique, alternative comedians often subvert the rule of three itself by breaking the expected pattern in more radical ways.

Comedy that incorporates dreamlike imagery, impossible scenarios, or deliberately irrational elements. Surrealist comedy often creates its own internal logic that deliberately breaks from conventional reality.

While related to absurdism, surrealism typically emphasizes visual or conceptual strangeness over purely logical disconnection, often creating disturbing, beautiful, or uncanny imagery alongside humor.

See also: Absurdism, Non-Sequitur

Comedy that emphasizes narrative structure and personal experience over traditional joke formats. Storytelling comedy often blends humor with emotional complexity, personal revelation, or social commentary.

While storytelling exists in traditional comedy, alternative comedy approaches often involve more complex narrative structures, greater emotional range, and less emphasis on consistent laugh rates throughout the story.

See also: One-Person Show, Long-Form

Comedy that critiques individuals, institutions, or social phenomena through irony, exaggeration, or ridicule. While satire has ancient roots, alternative comedy often employs more complex, layered satirical approaches that may be less immediately obvious than traditional satire.

In alternative comedy contexts, satire may blur with absurdism, post-irony, or meta-commentary, creating multiple levels of meaning beyond straightforward critique.

The technique of physically, vocally, or psychologically becoming a character different from oneself during performance. Transformation comedy emphasizes the performer's versatility and commitment to embodying different perspectives.

See also: Character Comedy, Persona

An additional punchline or joke that follows the main punchline, extending the humor of a bit. While tags exist in traditional comedy, alternative comedians often use multiple tags to create more complex or escalating comedic structures.

The deliberate use of prolonged silence or pause to create tension, awkwardness, or unexpected rhythmic disruption in comedy. While traditional comedy uses silence sparingly, alternative comedy may lean into extended silences as a comedic technique itself.

See also: Awkward Pause, Discomfort Humor

Comedy performances specifically created for or adapted to virtual reality environments. VR comedy leverages the unique capabilities of the medium, including embodied presence, spatial relationships, and impossible physics.

As VR technology has become more accessible, dedicated comedy venues have emerged within virtual platforms like VRChat and AltspaceVR, creating new possibilities for performance that transcend physical limitations.

Comics published primarily online, often with alternative sensibilities that differ from print comics. Webcomics have been particularly important in alternative comedy for allowing unconventional formats, experimental approaches, and direct creator-audience relationships without publisher interference.

A comedic quality characterized by exaggerated, energetic, and often physically expressive humor that embraces silliness and chaos. While sometimes used dismissively, zaniness has been reclaimed in alternative comedy as a legitimate aesthetic approach that can contain sophisticated ideas beneath its frenetic surface.