Manga depicting female homoeroticism began to appear in the 1970s in the works of artists associated with the Year 24 Group, notably Ryoko Yamagishi and Riyoko Ikeda. Themes associated with yuri originate from Japanese lesbian fiction of the early twentieth century, notably the writings of Nobuko Yoshiya and literature in the Class S genre. Yuri is most commonly associated with anime and manga, though the term has also been used to describe video games, light novels, and literature.

While lesbianism is a commonly associated theme, the genre is also inclusive of works depicting emotional and spiritual relationships between women that are not necessarily romantic or sexual in nature. ' lily'), also known by the wasei-eigo construction girls' love ( ガールズラブ, gāruzu rabu), is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters.