specialize in music-inspired fashion clothing and accessories,
and merchandise, gifts, and music for teenagers and young adults.
 Hot Topic is an American chain store aimed at teenagers and young adults.
It has over 600 chain stores across the United States, the majority
of which are located in shopping malls.
 The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden.
The chain specializes in pop-culture (but mainly music)-related fashion and merchandise, including clothing, books, comics, jewelry, CDs, records,
posters and other paraphernalia. It caters to a number of youth-oriented
subcultures and countercultures, such as metal, punk, emo,
 goth, club,
Otaku and lounge, as well as carries pinstripe suits and a number of general
and 1980s retro pop culture products. It has also backed
major counterculture  concert festivals like Ozzfest,
and recently Sounds Of The Underground.
Products from Tripp NYC and Lip Service can be found.
In the past, major bands such as Korn and Good Charlotte have allowed

Hot Topic to release their concert wear to the general public
before they themselves appear on television or at concerts wearing them.

Hot Topic has also been a heavy promoter of Jhonen
 Vasquez and his various projects, including Invader Zim and Johnny
the Homicidal Maniac.
Hot Topic owns and operates a chain of similarly-themed
plus-size women's clothing stores, Torrid, which began operations in 2001.

The company produces its own line of clothing, Morbid Threads,
whose products may be found in both chains' stores.

Hot Topic was named number 53 on Fortune 100's
Top Companies to Work For list in 2006.
Hot Topic's major rivals in its niche include Spencer Gifts and Manic Panic