Why not start with the obvious question? While I personally have a good feel for what Twee entails, I would be hard-pressed to articulate a concise definition, let alone explain what differentiates it from other similar musical styles or genres. Delving a bit deeper into the origins and evolution of Twee music, I'd be even more at sea, flailing about in a froth of half-remembered facts, haphazard guesses, and harebrained speculation.
All of this is to say, "Let's explore together and see what we can find."
Like any modern person with access to the internet, my go-to opening move is a simple web search. When prompted with the word alone, Google provides a simple definition from Oxford Languages. This led me down a blessedly shallow rabbit hole to determine that Oxford Languages is indeed the source of the Oxford English Dictionary. It's a relatively recent rebrand of the former Oxford Dictionaries, still overseen by Oxford University Press, and still considered an authoritative source for defining English words and tracing their evolution over time.
That settled, on to the substance:
/twē/
adjective
BRITISH
excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental.
Similar: quaint, sweet, bijou, dainty, pretty, pretty-pretty, cute, cutesy, sentimental, oversentimental, mawkish, affected, precious, soppy
There's a lot to unpack there. What strikes me is that we're immediately situated in the UK, and we're dealing with a few qualities that are positive or neutral (pretty, sentimental, and quaint) taken to such an extreme that they become notable and possibly objectionable. As exhibit A, may I submit the similar words of "pretty," "pretty-pretty," "cute," and "cutesy." Clearly, we're in the realm of "I love you very, very, very, very... (etc., ad nauseam, and so on)... much!" Going a bit too far, trying too hard, or (dare I say it?) doing too much. Much like this belabored initial blog post, come to think.
A few other British sources echo what the OUP has to say, and checking what the lads across the pond have to say only sheds a bit of extra light. According to Merriam-Webster, the term originated as a baby talk version of "sweet." It was initially used as a positive word or compliment, as in, "Who's a twee, twee little angel? Mommy's darling lamby-kins, that's who?" However, the term is less appealing now, more often referring to "things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying." Duly noted.
So, what does this tell us about the Twee music genre? How does it relate to other modern manifestations of twee in realms such as fashion and design? I'm deeply curious about the answer to the first question and mildly interested in the second (largely as relates to the first), but this post has already gone on long enough. A bit too long, in fact. We've passed well beyond "sweet," and I daresay we may be edging past "twee." 'Til next time, then!
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