The influence of the first-wave playwrights on contemporary Asian American drama has been substantial and enduring. Themes of history, autobiography, assimilation, and racism usually associated with first-wave playwrights would continue to be dramatized and investigated by second- and third -wave playwrights. Starting in the late 1990s, third-wave playwrights began to debut in theater in large numbers. The plays by third-wave Asian American playwrights reflect the overall trend in contemporary American drama, which emphasizes experimentation in form and social issues in content. Many American plays since the 1990s have been about politics of race, gender, and sexuality. In the twenty-first century, Asian American playwrights have increasingly found inspiration in popular culture, avant-garde performance, social media and the effects of globalization. Asian American plays can be seen in multiple cities in the country, and the range of genres, styles and topics varies as widely as the growing diversity of Asian Americans.