Unlike many of her peers, Keely carved out a niche by embracing "nerd culture" before it became mainstream. She is an avid gamer, a comic book enthusiast, and a self-proclaimed lover of punk rock music. Her persona blends the fierce independence of 1970s punk with the pixelated nostalgia of 1980s arcade culture.

Ryan Keely has never been a "cookie-cutter" star. From the beginning of her career, she brought a specific visual language to her work that stood out in a sea of blonde, spray-tanned tropes.