List of music genres and styles

This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise more specific sub-categories.

Classical

Andalusian classical music
Indian classical music
Korean court music
Persian classical music
Kurdish classical music
Ottoman music (Classical Turkish music)
Western classical music Early music Medieval music (500–1400) Ars antiqua (1170–1310) Ars nova (1310–1377) Ars subtilior (1360–1420) Renaissance music (1400–1600) Common practice period (1600-1900) Baroque music (1600–1750) Galant music (1720–1770) Classical period (1750–1820) Romantic music (1780–1910) 20th and 21st-centuries classical music (1900–present): Modernism (1890–1930) Impressionism (1875 or 1890–1925) Neoclassicism (1920–1950) High modernism (1930–present) Postmodern music (1930–present) Experimental music (1950–present) Contemporary classical music (1945 or 1975–present) Minimal music

Ambient Ambient dub Dark ambient Ambient industrial Dungeon synth Isolationism Dreampunk Illbient New-age Neoclassical new-age Space music
Bass music Dubstep Brostep Post-dubstep Reggaestep Riddim Footwork Future bass Kawaii future bass Jungle terror Midtempo bass Trap (EDM) UK bass Wave Hardwave
Breakbeat Acid breaks Baltimore club Jersey club Philly club Big beat Breakbeat hardcore Darkcore Hardcore breaks Broken beat Florida breaks Nu skool breaks Progressive breaks Psychedelic breakbeat[es]
Chill-out Downtempo Psybient Psydub Trip hop Trip rock
Disco fusion genres Afro/cosmic music Electro-disco Hi-NRG Eurobeat Eurodance Italo dance Italo disco Spacesynth Space disco Eurodisco Nu-disco Post-disco Boogie City pop Pop kreatif
Drum and bass Darkstep Drumfunk Drumstep Hardstep Intelligent drum and bass Atmospheric drum and bass Jazzstep Jump-up Liquid funk Neurofunk Sambass Techstep
Dub Dub poetry
Electronic rock Dance-rock Alternative dance Baggy (Madchester) New rave Dance-punk Electronic pop Dance-pop Freestyle Disco polo Hyperpop Sophisti-pop Synth-pop Electroclash Electropop Wonky pop Indietronica Krautrock New wave Cold wave Dark wave Neoclassical dark wave Neue Deutsche Todeskunst Ethereal wave Nu-gaze Minimal wave Neue Deutsche Welle New romantic Post-rock Space rock Synth-metal Electrogrind Electronicore Synth-punk
Electronica Folktronica Live electronic (Livetronica) Laptronica Nu jazz (Jazztronica) Progressive electronic Berlin School Kosmische musik
Ethnic electronica and regional EDM Asian Underground African electronic dance music Afrobeats Azonto Coupé-décalé Kuduro Mahraganat Shangaan electro Budots Changa tuki Dancehall pop Denpa music Guaracha (EDM) Funk carioca Funk melody Funk ostentação Proibidão Rasteirinha Merenhouse Nortec Rabòday Rara tech Russ music Shamstep Tecnocumbia Tribal guarachero Worldbeat Manila sound
Experimental electronic Black MIDI Deconstructed club Drone Electroacoustic music Acousmatic music Electroacoustic improvisation Musique concrète Soundscape Glitch Microsound Noise music Danger music Japanoise Harsh noise Harsh noise wall Power electronics Death industrial Power noise Plunderphonics Sampledelia Reductionism Lowercase Onkyokei
Funk fusion genres Funktronica Synth-funk
Hard dance Hard NRG Hardstyle Dubstyle Euphoric frenchcore Euphoric hardstyle Rawstyle Trapstyle Jumpstyle Lento violento Mákina
Hardcore Bouncy techno Breakcore Raggacore Digital hardcore Frenchcore Gabber Early hardcore Mainstream hardcore Happy hardcore UK hardcore Industrial hardcore J-core Speedcore Extratone Flashcore Splittercore
Hauntology Chillwave Hypnagogic pop Synthwave Darksynth Sovietwave Vaporwave Future funk Hardvapour Mallsoft
Hip-hop fusion genres Afroswing Alternative hip-hop Hipster hop Cloud rap Crunk Crunkcore Snap music Electro Emo rap Glitch hop Instrumental hip-hop Jerk Lofi hip-hop Miami bass Mumble rap Trap Afro trap Drill Brooklyn drill UK drill Latin trap Phonk Drift phonk Brazilian phonk Plugg UK trap
House music Acid house Afro house Afro tech Amapiano Kidandali Ambient house Balearic beat Ballroom Bass house Brazilian bass Slap house Blog house Chicago hard house Chicago house Deep house Disco house Diva house Hardbag Electro house Big room house Future rave Complextro Dutch house Fidget house Melbourne bounce Electro swing Eurohouse French house Funky house Future house Garage house Ghetto house Ghettotech Juke house Gqom Hip house Electro hop Italo house Jackin house Jazz house Kwaito Latin house Melodic house Microhouse Moombahcore Moombahton Moombahsoul New Jersey sound Outsider house Lo-fi house Progressive house Soulful house Stadium house Tech house Tribal house Tropical house Trouse UK hard house Pumping house Hardbass Scouse house
Industrial and post-industrial Electro-industrial Dark electro Aggrotech Electronic body music (EBM) Futurepop New beat Industrial hip-hop Industrial metal Cyber metal Neue Deutsche Härte Industrial rock Martial industrial Witch house
Intelligent dance music (IDM) Algorave Drill 'n' bass
Jungle Ragga jungle
R&B and soul fusion genres Alternative R&B Contemporary R&B Neo soul New jack swing
Techno Acid techno Ambient techno Birmingham sound Bleep techno Detroit techno Dub techno Hard techno Free tekno Jungletek Raggatek Industrial techno Minimal techno Schaffel Toytown techno
Trance music Acid trance Balearic trance Dream trance Eurotrance Hands up Goa trance Nitzhonot Hard trance Progressive trance Psychedelic trance Dark psytrance Full-on Minimal psytrance Progressive psytrance Suomisaundi Tech trance Uplifting trance Vocal trance
UK garage 2-step garage Bassline Breakstep Future garage Grime Grindie Speed garage UK funky Funkstep Wonky
Video game music Chiptune Bitpop Skweee Nintendocore FM synthesis Sequencer music

Folk

Hip-hop

Alternative hip-hop Experimental hip-hop Hipster hop
Boom bap
Bounce
British hip-hop Road rap
Chopped and screwed
Chopper
Christian hip-hop
Cloud rap
Comedy hip-hop
Crunk Crunkcore
Digicore
Drill music Brooklyn drill UK drill
East Coast hip-hop
Freestyle rap
Funk carioca Funk ostentação
Frat rap
G-funk
Hardcore hip-hop Dirty rap Gangsta rap Mafioso rap Horrorcore Memphis rap
Hyphy Jerkin'
Internet rap
Jerk
Instrumental hip-hop
Latin hip-hop Chicano rap
Lofi hip-hop
Miami bass
Mumble rap
Nerdcore Chap hop
Political hip-hop Conscious hip-hop
Progressive rap
Religious hip-hop Christian hip-hop Jewish hip-hop
Slab music
Snap music
Southern hip-hop
Sigilkore Krushclub
Trap music Latin trap Phonk Plugg Pluggnb Rage Tread rap
Turntablism
Underground hip-hop
West Coast hip-hop
Country rap
Electro
Emo rap
Hip-hop soul Neo soul
Hip house
Hipdut
Industrial hip-hop
Jazz rap
New jack swing
Pop rap
Psychedelic rap
Punk rap
Ragga hip-hop
Rap opera
Rap rock Rap metal Trap metal Rapcore
Trip hop

Jazz

Pop

R&B & soul

Rock

Metal

Punk

Regional

African

Antarctica

Nunatak (band)

Asian

Central Asian

Shashmaqam
Pashto music
Kazakh folk music
Kyrgyz folk music
Mongolian folk music Tuvan throat singing
Tajik folk music

East Asian

Chinese:

Hong Kong, China:

Hong Kong English pop
Hong Kong hip-hop

Taiwanese:

Japanese:

Korean:

South Asian

Sri Lankan:

Southeast Asian

Malaysian:

Indonesian:

Thai:

Filipino:

Lao:

Vietnamese:

V-pop

Middle Eastern

Australasia & Oceania

European

Balkan States

Balkan music Balkan brass Balkan folk music Music of Albania Music of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sevdalinka Music of Bulgaria Music of Cyprus Music of Greece Music of Kosovo Music of Montenegro Music of North Macedonia Music of Romania Romani music Manele Gypsy music

Baltic States

Caucasus

Central European States

Nordic/Scandinavian States

Nordic folk music Music of Denmark Danish traditional music Music of Finland Jenkka Rautalanka (Finnish surf-rock) Music of Iceland Music of Norway Music of Sweden Music of the Faroe Islands Traditional Nordic dance music Viking metal

Slavic States

Western European

Latin & South American

Brazilian

Caribbean

Hispanic

North American

Religious

Traditional folk

American patriotic music Christmas music Fado Huayno Mele Pastorale Polka Ragtime Son mexicano Música criolla

Other

A cappella Barbershop music Collegiate a cappella
Ballroom dance music: pasodoble, cha cha cha and others Vogue (dance)
Bedroom production
Children's music
Classic hip-hop
Computer music Hyperpop Internet meme
Dance music Slow dance
Drug use in music
Incidental music or music for stage and screen: music written for the score of a film, play, musicals, or other spheres, such as filmi, video game music, music hall songs and showtunes and others
Independent music Multi-instrumentalist Bassist Drummer Percussion Found object (music) Guitarist Pianist Keyboardist One-man band
LGBT music
Patriotic music: military music, marches, national anthems, War songs and related compositions Martial industrial List of war metal bands
Regional and national music with no significant commercial impact abroad, except when it is a version of an international genre, such as: traditional music, oral traditions, sea shanties, work songs, nursery rhymes, Arabesque and indigenous music. In North America and Western Europe, regional and national genres that are not from the Western world are sometimes classified as world music.
Theatre music
Virtuoso
Yodeling

These categories are not exhaustive. A music platform, Gracenote, listed more than 2000 music genres (included by those created by ordinary music lovers, who are not involved within the music industry, these being said to be part of a 'folksonomy', i.e. a taxonomy created by non-experts). Most of these genres were created by music labels to target new audiences, however classification is useful to find music and distribute it.

Bibliography

Borthwick, Stuart, & Moy, Ron (2004) Popular Music Genres: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Fabbri, Franco (1982) A Theory of Popular Music Genres: Two Applications. In Popular Music Perspectives, edited by David Horn and Philip Tagg, 52–81. Göteborg and Exeter: A. Wheaton & Co., Ltd.
Frith, Simon (1996) Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Holt, Fabian (2007) Genre in Popular Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Negus, Keith (1999) Music Genres and Corporate Cultures. London and New York: Routledge.