diff --git a/config/config.example.toml b/config/config.example.toml
index dd075c67..a1bc6345 100644
--- a/config/config.example.toml
+++ b/config/config.example.toml
@@ -246,10 +246,12 @@ allowed_mime_types = [
 visibility = "public"
 # Default language for new notes (ISO code)
 language = "en"
-# Default avatar, must be a valid URL or "" for none
+# Default avatar, must be a valid URL or "" for a placeholder avatar
 avatar = ""
 # Default header, must be a valid URL or "" for none
 header = ""
+# A style name from https://www.dicebear.com/styles
+placeholder_style = "thumbs"
 
 [federation]
 # This is a list of domain names, such as "mastodon.social" or "pleroma.site"
diff --git a/database/entities/User.ts b/database/entities/User.ts
index 3f3aa4e7..0e42d084 100644
--- a/database/entities/User.ts
+++ b/database/entities/User.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,11 @@ export type UserWithRelations = Prisma.UserGetPayload<typeof userRelations2>;
  * @returns The raw URL for the user's avatar
  */
 export const getAvatarUrl = (user: User, config: Config) => {
-    if (!user.avatar) return config.defaults.avatar;
+    if (!user.avatar)
+        return (
+            config.defaults.avatar ||
+            `https://api.dicebear.com/8.x/${config.defaults.placeholder_style}/svg?seed=${user.username}`
+        );
     return getUrl(user.avatar, config);
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/config-manager/config.type.ts b/packages/config-manager/config.type.ts
index 0b004ef5..0d542d93 100644
--- a/packages/config-manager/config.type.ts
+++ b/packages/config-manager/config.type.ts
@@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ export interface Config {
 
         /** @default "" */
         header: string;
+
+        /** @default "thumbs" */
+        placeholder_style: string;
     };
 
     federation: {
@@ -540,6 +543,7 @@ export const defaultConfig: Config = {
         language: "en",
         avatar: "",
         header: "",
+        placeholder_style: "thumbs",
     },
     federation: {
         blocked: [],