Steam Punk SyFy sub-genre based on elements of fantasy that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used, but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality. Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion.

Cyberpunk focuses on "high tech and low life", and it features advanced science, such as information technology and cybernetics, coupled with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.