Synthwave CSS button
Magenta to blue retro-future gradient with a pink glow. Hover, click and tab to it to see every state.
CSS
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Orbitron:wght@400;500;600;700;800;900&display=swap');
.btn {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
gap: .5em;
padding: 14px 28px;
font-family: 'Orbitron', sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 800;
line-height: 1.2;
letter-spacing: 0.179999999999999993338661852249060757458209991455078125em;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #ffffff;
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #ff00cc 0%, #3333ff 100%);
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 153, 238, .6999999999999999555910790149937383830547332763671875);
border-radius: 6px;
box-shadow: 0 0 22px 0 rgba(255, 0, 204, .59999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375), 0 0 44px 0 rgba(51, 51, 255, .40000000000000002220446049250313080847263336181640625);
text-shadow: 0 0 8px rgba(255, 255, 255, .59999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375);
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: none;
white-space: nowrap;
-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
transition: transform 200ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1), box-shadow 200ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1), filter 200ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1);
}
.btn__icon {
display: inline-block;
transition: transform 200ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1);
}
.btn:hover {
filter: brightness(1.1999999999999999555910790149937383830547332763671875);
box-shadow: 0 0 22px 0 rgba(255, 0, 204, .59999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375), 0 0 44px 0 rgba(51, 51, 255, .40000000000000002220446049250313080847263336181640625), 0 0 40px 0 rgba(255, 0, 204, .6999999999999999555910790149937383830547332763671875);
}
.btn:hover .btn__icon {
transform: translateX(3px);
}
.btn:active {
transform: translateY(1px) scale(0.979999999999999982236431605997495353221893310546875);
transition-duration: 100ms;
}
.btn:focus-visible {
outline: 3px solid #ff00cc;
outline-offset: 3px;
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.btn,
.btn__icon {
transition: none;
animation: none;
}
}HTML
<button class="btn" type="button">
Play
<span class="btn__icon" aria-hidden="true">★</span>
</button>How this button is built
- Background: a 2-stop
linear-gradient()at 90° (#ff00cc → #3333ff). - Type: Orbitron, weight 800, 14px, uppercase, letter-spacing 18px, in #ffffff.
- Shape: 6px rounded corners with 14px × 28px padding, plus a 1px solid border.
- Depth: a coloured glow and a text shadow.
- Interaction: on hover it brightens slightly, glows and nudges its icon, and it squishes slightly when clicked, with 200ms transitions.
- Accessibility: a visible
:focus-visiblering for keyboard users, and all motion turns off underprefers-reduced-motion.
How to use it
- Copy the CSS into your stylesheet. The
@importline loads the Orbitron font from Google Fonts. Move it to the top of your file, or drop it if you already load the font. - Paste the HTML where you want the button. It works on
<button>,<a>and<input type="submit">. - Change the label, or rename the
.btnclass if it clashes with your framework. Want a different colour or size? Open it in the editor, change it visually, and copy the new code.