vəɹˈɑːnɪkə vˈæsɪkə, hˌuː kˈɔɪnd "mˈɪnɪməl wˈeɪv", dˈɪd sˌoʊ wɪððɪ ɪntˈɛnt ʌv tˈaɪɪŋ təɡˌɛðɚ tˈɜːmz sˈʌtʃ ɐz "mˈɪnɪməl ᵻlɛktɹˈɑːnɪks", "nˈuː wˈeɪv", ænd "kˈoʊld wˈeɪv" wˌɪtʃ hæd fɹˈiːkwəntli ɐpˈɪɹd ɪn mjˈuːzɪk mˌæɡɐzˈiːnz ʌvðɪ ˈɜːli nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z.
Veronica Vasicka, who coined "minimal wave", did so with the intent of tying together terms such as "minimal electronics", "new wave", and "cold wave" which had frequently appeared in music magazines of the early 1980s.