Notions like 'DIY cultures' and 'scenes' usually describe the relationship of certain kinds of popular culture, their social and political contexts of production and participation as well as their connection to dominant social and economic structures. As the history of research in this realm shows, groups referred to as scene or DIY are changeable and linked to social developments of certain times. Regarding changes and challenges like neoliberalism, digitalization, climate crisis and the increasing number of players in the sphere of cultural and socio-political life, a distinct definition of social groups as scene or DIY seems to get more and more complex. In this paper, some questions regarding the relationship between those theoretical terms and their current empirical realities will be raised and discussed. How can Scenes and DIY Cultures still be understood as grassroots collectives in a field of culture that is more and more driven by the ideals of neoliberalism and the creative industries? Which of the positive images of independent and DIY might still hold a closer look at developments like selfmarketing and the changing roles of artists and individualized consumption? Is there a need for adjusting current concepts in order to research their relation to present social challenges?
Keywords: DIY, scenes, concepts, future research.