What are the most common ideologies associated with right-wing extremism in the USA?

1. White supremacy, neo‑Nazism and race‑based ideologies dominate the discourse

Scholars and official reviews place racial theories—white supremacy and antisemitism—at the center of much U.S. right‑wing extremist activity, citing historic groups (Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations) and contemporary neo‑Nazi networks as primary manifestations of the threat ^{[6] [7] [3]}. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and other research note that “racial or ethnic supremacy” is a core motivating goal for many right‑wing terrorist actors ^[1].

2. Anti‑government extremism, militias and sovereign‑citizen thinking

Anti‑federal, survivalist and militia ideologies—ranging from organized militia movements to sovereign‑citizen legal theories—are repeatedly cited as a mainstream strand of right‑wing extremism; these currents emphasize hostility to government authority and can normalize violence as political action ^{[2] [8]}. Historical and contemporary reporting links these beliefs to sustained organizing and violent plots in the U.S. ^{[7] [8]}.

3. Gender‑based resentment: the incel and misogynist current

Recent analyses explicitly list incel (involuntary celibate) actors as one of three broad categories of right‑wing terrorist individuals and networks in the U.S., describing their ideology as driven by anger at women and related grievances that have motivated violent attacks ^[1]. Commentators and researchers treat the incel phenomenon as distinct but overlapping with other online radical communities ^[5].

4. Conspiracy theories, nativism and authoritarian tendencies

Right‑wing extremism in U.S. contexts routinely incorporates nativist and conspiratorial narratives—New World Order themes, anti‑immigrant tropes, and broader conspiracism—that help bind diverse groups together and justify exclusionary policies, while scholars emphasize authoritarianism and anti‑egalitarianism as conceptual through‑lines ^{[3] [9] [10]}. These ideas also facilitate recruitment and cross‑pollination among groups ^[9].

5. Religious variants: Christian Identity and extreme theocratic claims

Some right‑wing extremist currents fuse race theory with extremist religion; Christian Identity and other apocalyptic or supremacist interpretations of Christianity have historically connected to antisemitic and racist organizing in the U.S., and reviews identify these influences in the composition of several past groups ^{[7] [2]}. Analysts caution these are not representative of mainstream Christianity but are central to particular extremist networks ^[2].

6. Online ecosystems, foreign influence and tactical convergence

Analysts stress that modern right‑wing extremism extensively leverages online platforms for recruitment, radicalization and coordination (Telegram, Gab, Discord, X, Reddit and others), and that some U.S. groups borrow tactics and even training links from foreign actors (e.g., neo‑Nazi networks and paramilitary units abroad), increasing operational sophistication ^{[1] [4] [5]}.

7. Overlap, multiplicity and limits of labels

Multiple sources emphasize that adherents often hold multiple, simultaneous memberships—white supremacist beliefs can co‑exist with militia loyalties, conspiracy thinking and survivalist practices—making neat categorization difficult ^{[8] [1]}. The scholarly distinction between “radical” (illiberal but non‑violent) and “extreme” (anti‑democratic and potentially violent) is useful: many U.S. groups sit on a spectrum where ideology and willingness to use violence vary ^[11].

8. What the reporting doesn’t settle

Available sources do not mention a definitive rank order by membership or violence across every subtype beyond noting that racial and anti‑government currents have produced much of the documented violence; specific, up‑to‑date counts of adherents for all modern groups are not provided in these excerpts and require direct dataset consultation ^{[1] [7]}. Different analysts also emphasize different drivers—some frame violence as concentrated in particular networks while others highlight broader ideological influence on mainstream politics ^{[12] [13]}.

Conclusion: The U.S. right‑wing extremist landscape is heterogeneous but repeatedly anchored in white supremacism, anti‑government/militia ideology, and online‑amplified conspiratorial and gender‑resentment currents; these threads intersect with religious, nativist and survivalist beliefs, complicating policy and law‑enforcement responses ^{[1] [2] [8]}.