genrejen

Genrejen is a term used in media theory to describe the deliberate blending of conventions from multiple established genres to create a new hybrid category. It refers not to a single genre, but to a process and outcome where tonal cues, narrative structures, and audience expectations are combined to produce a recognizable but distinct form.

Origins and usage: The term is a relatively recent neologism in English-language discourse and has circulated mainly in academic articles, conference papers, and creator-critical essays since the mid-2010s. It is often used to analyze films, television series, video games, or novels that deliberately fuse elements from two or more genres—for example, a detective story set in a space opera world, or a romance framed as a thriller with cyberpunk aesthetics.

Characteristics: Genrejen works typically exhibit modular blending, where recognizable tropes are retained but reordered or reframed to create new meaning. They may employ transgeneric marketing signals to set audience expectations while still delivering hybrid experiences. They are discussed as a phenomenon rather than a fixed catalog.

Reception and critique: Critics note that genrejen can expand narrative possibilities and attract diverse audiences, but can also complicate cataloging, marketing, and critical appraisal when boundaries blur too much.

See also: cross-genre, mashup, hybrid genre, genre-blending.