The cocaine boom of the mid-1970s to mid-1980s saw a dramatic increase in cocaine use in the United States, fueled by a surge in smuggling from Latin America, particularly through Miami. Initially associated with the wealthy and elite, cocaine became more widely available and affordable, leading to widespread use and the subsequent crack epidemic.

The cocaine boom is vividly depicted in the literature of the era, from the glamorized portrayals in the works of Bret Easton Ellis to the more critical explorations in the poetry of the New York School. The drug's association with 1980s excess became a symbol of the decade's materialism and moral vacuity, a theme that continues to resonate in contemporary poetry and fiction.