List of Genres and Styles of Music

* 2-step garage - chaotic style of UK garage.
* 2 Tone - late-1970s UK ska revival which fused ska with punk rock.
* 4-beat - breakbeat hardcore subgenre played between 150 and 170 BPM consisting of a fast looped breakbeat and a drum at every 4 beats.

A

Aa-Ak - Al-An - Ap-Ax

* A cappella - any singing performed without instrumental backing.

## Aa-Ak

* Acid house - psychedelic style of house
* Acid jazz - psychedelic style of jazz influenced heavily by funk and hip-hop production
* Acid rock - a form of psychedelic rock, characterized with long instrumental solos, few (if any) lyrics and musical improvisation
* Acoustic - a music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means.
* Afrobeat - a large-scaled and energetic combination of Yoruba, highlife, jazz, and funk music.
* Afro-Cuban jazz - style of jazz influenced by traditional Afro-Cuban music.
* Afropop - umbrella genre term for African popular music.

## Al-An

* Aleatoric - music the composition of which is partially left to chance
* Alternative country - any style of country that deviates from the norm
* Alternative dance - any combination of rock and electronic dance music
* Alternative hip hop - any style of hip hop that deviates from the norm
* Alternative metal - any style of heavy metal that deviates from the norm
* Alternative rock - any style of rock that deviates from the norm
* Ambient - a form of incredibly slow electronic music that uses long repetitive sounds to generate a sense of calm and atmosphere.
* Americana - a combination of all forms of roots music - folk, country, and blues
* Anasheed - Islamic vocal music, usually sung a capella, or accompanied by a daff.
* Ancient - music created in the early stages of literate cultures.
* Anime - music, usually J-pop, used in anime soundtracks
* Anti-folk - a mocking subgenre of folk that subverts the earnest, politically-informed lyrics of folk-revivalists.

## Ap-Ax

* Apala - Nigerian music originally used by the Yoruba people to wake worshippers after fasting during Ramadan.
* Arabic pop - pop music informed by traditional Arabic styles.
* Argentine rock - rock music informed by traditional Argentine styles.
* Ars antiqua - European music from the Late Middle Ages, which advanced concepts of rhythm.
* Ars nova - style of French music from the Late Middle Ages, rejected fiercely by the Catholic Church.
* Ars subtilior - style of French music from the Late Middle Ages.
* Art punk - experimental or avant-garde punk music
* Art rock - experimental or avant-garde rock music
* Art pop - experimental or avant-garde pop music
* Ashik

 - music performed by mystic or travelling Turkish, Azerbaijan,
Georgian, Armenian, and Iranian bands, using vocals and the saz,
performed since ancient times.

* Australian country - country music performed by Australians
* Australian pub rock

 - style of hard rock founded in and drawing on themes native to
Australian inner-city and suburban pubs and drinking establishments

* Australian hip hop - hip hop performed by Australians
* Avant-garde jazz - experimental or avant-garde jazz music
* Avant-garde metal - experimental or avant-garde heavy metal or hard rock
* Avant-garde - music considered to be ahead of its time, often using new, unusual, or experimental elements, or fusing pre-existing genres.
* Axé - style of Salvadorian, Bahian, and Brazilian music informed by Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian styles

B

Bac-Bal - Bam-Bay - Be-Bh - Bi-Bl - Br-Bu

## Bac-Bal

* Bachata - Afro-Dominican style of rock music that became popular among Dominican farmers
* Baggy - a British style that combined alternative rock and acid house, often creating a psychedelic and funky sound
* Baião

 - a Brazilian rhythmic formula built around the zabumba drum that later
 combined itself with elements of mestizo, European, and African styles

* Bakersfield sound - a raw and gritty country style that acted as a reaction against the slick, overproduced Nashville sound
* Baila - Sri Lankan style that begun among the Afro-Sinhalese (or Kariff) community
* Baisha xiyue - orchestral Chinese style used by the Naxi people, often found in Taoist or Confucian ceremonies
* Bajourou

 - initially an acoustic style of Malian pop music played at gatherings
(particularly weddings), which has since become mostly electronic

* Bal-musette - 19th century style of French accordion-based dance music
* Balakadri - Guadeloupean music made from the quadrille, usually performed at balls
* Balinese Gamelan - Javanese and Balinese style made from xylophones, drums, and plucked strings
* Balearic beat, also known as Balearic house, electronic dance music that was popular into the mid-1990s.
* Balkan Brass Band - Serbian music made by soldiers that combined military brass with folk music
* Ballad - generic term for usually slow, romantic, despairing and catastrophic songs
* Ballata - 13th-15th century Italian musical and poetic form based on an AbbaA structure that acted as a form of dance music
* Ballet - specific style of French classical music created to accompany the ballet dance
* Baltimore Club - combination of hip hop and house music

## Bam-Bay

* Bambuco - Colombian style based on waltz and polska
* Banda - brass-based Mexican music
* Bangsawan - style of Malay opera based on Indian styles introduced by immigrants
* Bantowbol - Cameroonian style of accordion music
* Barbershop - an art song in four part harmony in a capella styling
* Barn dance - folk music played in a barnhouse
* Bassline - style of speed garage that combines elements of dubstep, particularly its emphasis on bass
* Baroque - style of Western art music made between the 17th and 18th centuries
* Bass - styles of EDM with an emphasis on bass, such as drum and bass, UK garage, and dubstep
* Batá-rumba - Cuban rumba music that incorporates bata and guaguanco
* Batucada - an African-influenced style of Brazilian sumba
* Baul - A style of folk music, specially in Bengali region.

## Be-Bh

* Beach

 - Californian genre from the 1950s that combined elements of all
popular genres at the time, particularly big band and shag jazz

* Beat- British fusion of all popular 1960s American styles - R&B, pop, jazz, rock
* Beatboxing - a capella music created to emulate hip hop beats
* Beautiful - term of endearment for various easy listening genres
* Bebop - fast paced style of jazz popular in the 1940s and 1950s
* Beiguan - style of Chinese traditional music popular in Taiwan and the province of Zhangzhou
* Bel canto - a light, sophisticated style of Italian opera singing
* Bend-skin - urban Cameroonian music
* Benga - Kenyan popular music based on Luo and Kikuyu folk music
* Berlin School

 - heavily experimental electronic music that acted as a more
avant-garde form of Krautrock and inspired ambient and New Age music

* Bhajan - Hindu religious music
* Bhangra

 - fusion of South Asian and British popular styles, initially developed
 by Punjabi Indian-English as a combination of their respective cultural
 styles, but later used to refer to any South Asian/European fusion

* Bhangragga - a fusion of bhangra and reggae and dancehall

## Bi-Bo

* Big band - large orchestras which play a form of swing music
* Big Beat - 1990s electronic music based on breakbeat with other influences
* Biguine - Guadeloupean folk music
* Blackened death metal - a fusion between death and black metal
* Black metal

 - Extreme metal known for its lo-fi recording, shrieking vocals,
unconventional song structures and dark or supernatural lyrics.

* Bluegrass - American country music mixed with Irish and Scottish influences
* Blue-eyed soul - rhythm and blues or soul music performed by white artists.
* Blues - African-American music from the Mississippi Delta area
* Blues ballad - fusion of blues and folk
* Blues-rock

 - a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the
12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles.

* Biomusic - a form of experimental music which deals with sounds created or performed by living things.
* Bitpop

 - electronic music, where at least part of the music is made using old
8-bit computers, game consoles and little toy instruments. Popular
choices are the Commodore 64, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and Nintendo
Entertainment System.

* Bihu - a popular folk music of Assam, India
* Boi - Amazonian folk music
* Bossa Nova - a well-known style of Brazilian music, a lyrical fusion of samba and jazz.
* Bounce - energetic hip-hop music, native to New Orleans, frequently characterized by chromatic tics and "call and response" lyrics
* Bouncy techno - an upbeat form of electronic dance music.

## Br-Bu

* Brass - music performed with brass instruments, prior to the advent of jazz
* Breakbeat - a style of EDM known for its 4/4 drum pattern and heavy use of turntable scratching
* Breakbeat hardcore - a fusion of breakbeat and acid house
* Breakcore

 - fast and frantic style of breakbeat known for its intentionally
diverse range of samples, which make it a hard-to-define genre

* Brega
* Breton - folk music of Brittany, France, known for its use of woodwind
* Brill Building Sound - a distinct style of jazz and Latin-inspired pop developed in the Brill Building of New York, USA
* Brit funk - funk performed by the British, often influenced by soul, jazz, and Caribbean music
* Britpop

 - British rock music from the 1990s that subverted the depressing
themes of the then-popular grunge movement in favor of jangly,
optimistic, guitar-pop, often touching on the themes of partying and
working class life.

* British blues - blues performed by British musicians
* British Invasion - British musicians, primarily of the beat movement, who became popular in America during the 1960s
* Broken beat - EDM played in a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, with punctuated snare beats
* Brostep - an aggressive and metal-influenced style of dubstep popular in America
* Brown-eyed soul - soul music performed by Latinos
* Brukdown - Belizean music inspired by European harmonies, African rhythms, and the call-and-response format
* Bubblegum dance - fusion of Eurodance and bubblegum pop
* Bubblegum pop - pop music known for its simplicity, happy and cute lyrics, and emphasis on image rather than substance.
* Bikutsi - Cameroonian EDM, originating in the Beti community
* Bulerías - fast-paced flamenco music
* Bunraku - Japanese folk music often played at puppet theaters
* Burger-highlife - style of highlife played by Ghanaian-Germans
* Burgundian School - group of French, Belgian, and Dutch composers active in the 15th century, known for their secular forms
* Bush ballad - Australian folk music often dealing with themes of Australian spirit and rebellion
* Byzantine - Greek music performed during the age of the Byzantine Empire, known for its ecclesiastical form

C

Ca - Cc-Ce - Ch - Ci-Cl - Co - Cr-Cu

## Cad-Cam

* Ca din tulnic - Romanian folk music played with the alpenhorn
* Ca trù

 - a style of Vietnamese chamber music performed by one lute player and a
 geisha-esque female singer, used to entertain wealthy audiences, who
would be included in the performances, and to perform in religious
ceremonies

* Cabaret - an often jazz-informed style of music played at upbeat stageplays or burlesque shows
* Cadence-lypso - fusion of kadans and calypso
* Cadence rampa - upbeat style of kadans
* Cải lương - modern Vietnamese folk opera
* Cajun - roots music of Louisiana, USA, inspired by Acadian ballads and Creole
* Calinda - Trinidadian folk music played during practices of the martial art of the same name
* Čalgija - Macedonian folk style
* Calypso

 - Trinidadian folk music, inspired by both African and French styles,
and known for its lyrics dealing with the racist oppression of native
Trinidadians at the time

* Calypso-style baila - fusion of baila and calypso
* Campursari - Indonesian fusion genre, combining several folk styles with pop music

## Can-Car

* Candombe - fusion of African and Uruguayan styles developed by African-Uruguayan slaves in the 19th century
* Canon - any music that combines a melody with copies of itself
* Cantata - any music sung by a choir with instrumental backing
* Cante chico - the vocal component to flamenco music
* Cante jondo - flamenco music that incorporates deep vocals
* Canterbury scene - group of British avant-garde, progressive rock, and jazz fusion musicians based in the English city of Canterbury, Kent
* Cantiñas - upbeat form of Andalusian flamenco music
* Cantiga - Portuguese ballad style from the Middle Ages
* Canto livre - Portuguese folk music known for its far-left political messages
* Cantopop - any Chinese pop music sung in Cantonese
* Canzone Napoletana - Italian music sung in Neapolitan
* Capoeira - Brazilian music played during performances of the martial art of the same name
* Cariso - Trinidadian folk music, often considered an early form of calypso
* Carnatic - southern Indian classical music
* Carol - a festive song, often sung on Christmas or, rarely, Easter
* Cartageneras - a style of flamenco known for its focus on folklore

## Cas-Cav

* Cavacha - style of rhythm popular in Kenyan and Zairean music

## Cc-Ce

* Celempungan - Sudanese folk music
* Cello rock - rock music that incorporates cellos
* Celtic

 - folk music of the Celts, an ethnic group inhabiting Scotland,
Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, some parts of France and Spain, and
once England

* Celtic fusion - popular music that includes a Celtic influence
* Celtic hip hop - fusion of Celtic and hip hop music
* Celtic metal - fusion of Celtic and heavy metal music
* Celtic punk - fusion of Celtic and punk rock music
* Celtic reggae - fusion of Celtic and reggae music
* Celtic rock - fusion of Celtic and rock music

## Cha

* Cha-cha-cha - Cuban folk music
* Chacarera - Argentinian folk and dance music
* Chakacha - music of the Swahili people of Kenya and Tanzania
* Chalga - fusion of Bulgarian etno-pop and dance music with Eastern and Arab elements, popular in Southern Bulgaria
* Chamamé - style of Argentinian, Mesopotamian, and Brazilian folk music
* Chamber - classical music performed for a small audience by a small orchestra
* Chamber jazz - fusion of chamber and jazz music
* Chamber pop - Fusion of alternative rock and chamber music
* Champeta - African-Colombian folk music
* Changüí - Cuban music that fused African and Spanish styles
* Chanson - French vocal-driven music
* Chant - singing or speaking rhythmically to a very small number of pitches
* Chap hop

 - a variety of music originating from England that mixes the hip hop
genre with elements from the Chappist or steampunk subcultures

* Charanga - traditional Cuban dance music
* Charanga-vallenata - fusion of charanga, vallenata, and salsa
* Charikawi - music accompanying of the dance of the same name of the Garifuna people of west Africa
* Chastushka - humorous and fast-paced Russian and Ukrainian folk music
* Chầu văn - a downtempo, trance-inducing style of Vietnamese folk music

## Che-Chi

* Chèo - a style of musical theater performed by Vietnamese peasants
* Children's music - any music marketed towards children
* Chicago blues - blues music performed by Chicago inhabitants
* Chicago house - house music performed by Chicago inhabitants
* Chicago soul - soul music performed by Chicago inhabitants
* Chicken scratch

 - fusion of Native American, White American, Mexican, and European
styles, performed by the Native American Tohono O'odham people

* Chill-out - umbrella term for electronic music with a slow tempo, designed to calm people after raves
* Chillwave - indie pop style known for its looped synths and calming effects
* Chinese music - any music performed by Chinese people
* Chinese rock - rock music performed by Chinese people, often fused with traditional styles
* Chiptune

 - Electronic music that is made on vintage computers/game systems or
emulations thereof. May also refer to electronic music that uses samples
 from video games or vintage computers.

## Cho-Chr

* Chouval bwa - Martinican folk music
* Chowtal - north Indian folk music performed during the Phagwa or Holi festival
* Choro - fast-paced Brazilian pop music
* Christian alternative rock - fusion of Christian and alternative rock
* Christian country - fusion of Christian and country music
* Christmas carol - carols performed during the Christmas season
* Christmas music - any music tied to the Christmas season
* Christian electronic - EDM with Christian themes
* Christian hardcore - fusion of Christian and hardcore punk rock
* Christian hip hop - hip hop with Christian themes
* Christian metal - fusion of Christian and heavy metal rock
* Christian music - any music with overt Christian themes
* Christian punk - fusion of Christian and punk rock
* Christian rock - rock music with Christian themes
* Christian ska - ska music with Christian themes
* Chylandyk - style of throat singing performed by the Tuva people of Siberia, created to mimic the chirps of crickets

## Chu

* Chumba - folk and dance style of the Garifuna people of west Africa
* Chut-kai-pang - fusion of chutney, calypso, and parang
* Chutney - Caribbean pop music that fuses calypso and cadence with several Indian styles
* Chutney Soca - fusion of chutney and soca music

## Ci-Cl

* Classic country - umbrella term for country music released before the use of the term to describe it
* Classic female blues - an early form of blues music known for its female vocalists
* Classic rock

 - umbrella term for rock music released before the use of the term to
describe it, but often referring to hard and blues rock of the 1960s and
 1970s

* Classical - umbrella term for Western art music known for its use of large orchestras and staff notation
* Classical period

 - a clearer, slicker form of Western art music performed in the 18th
and 19th centuries, known for its emphasis on homophones and melody

* Close harmony - any music with notes performed in a close range

## Coc-Cor

* Coladeira - Cape Verdean folk music
* Coldwave - French post-punk
* Combined rhythm - Dutch Antillean folk music inspired by zouk, merengue, and soca
* Comedy music - any music that incorporates heavy themes of humor and comedy
* Comedy rap - fusion of comedy and hip hop music
* Comedy rock - fusion of comedy and rock music
* Comic opera - fusion of comedy and opera music
* Compas - a modernized form of Haitian meringue music
* Concerto - a three-part classical piece in which one instrument takes lead and is backed by an orchestra
* Concerto grosso - a form of baroque concerto in which the soloists and orchestra alternate playing
* Conga - Cuban music played to accompany the dance of the same name
* Conjunto - fusion of Mexican and German styles developed by Mexican-Americans who had bought German instruments in Texas
* Contemporary Christian music - pop music with overt Christian themes
* Contemporary R&B

 - a style of R&B music popular in the 21st century that combines
soul-inspired vocals with hip-hop and EDM-inspired production

* Contradanza - 19th century Cuban dance music
* Cool jazz - a relaxed, downtempo form of jazz heavily inspired by classical music, that existed as a reaction to the fast-paced bebop
* Coon song - music about black stereotypes
* Corrido - Mexican storytelling ballad

## Cou-Cow

* Country - American roots music played with acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas
* Country blues - fusion of country and blues music
* Country rap - fusion of country and hip hop music
* Country rock - fusion of country and rock music
* Country pop - fusion of country and pop music
* Coupé-Décalé - Ivorian-French EDM drawing on zouk and African influences
* Cowpunk - fusion of country and punk rock music

## Cr-Cu

* Cretan - Greek folk music performed by inhabitants of the island of Crete
* Crossover thrash - fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk
* Crunk - fusion of hip hop and EDM, known for its heavy basslines and shouted, call-and-response vocals
* Crunkcore - fusion of crunk and screamo
* Crust punk - fusion of anarcho- and hardcore punk and extreme metal
* Csárdás - Hungarian folk music
* Cuarteto - Argentinian merengue music, originating in the city of Cordoba, and influenced also by Spanish and Italian styles
* Cueca - umbrella term for Argentinian, Chilean, and Bolivian styles
* Cumbia - fusion of Colombian folk music and African and Spanish styles bought from slaves and colonists, respectively
* Cumbia villera - cumbia performed by inhabitants of the shantytowns of Buenos Ares
* Cybergrind - fusion of grindcore and industrial

D

Da - De-Dh - Di-Dr - Du-Dz

Da
--

* Dabke - Arabic folk dance music, often played at weddings
* Dadra - light vocal style of Hindustani classical music, originating from the Bundelkhand region
* Dadra tala - a style of Hindustani classical music which utilizes six beats in two equal rows of three
* Daina - Latvian folk music
* Daina - Lithuanian folk music
* Dance

 - any music designed to make the listener dance. Also known as club
music, an offshoot to electronic music which gave rise to EDM.

* Dance-pop - pop music with an emphasis on dance rhythms, fusion of dance and pop musical styles.
* Dance-punk - a grittier and rawer form of new wave music, linked heavily to the contemporary indie scene
* Dance-rock - fusion of post-punk and post-disco, linked heavily to the new wave
* Dancehall - Jamaican pop music that abandons reggae's roots influences for a slicker, EDM-inspired production
* Dangdut - melodic and heavily optimistic form of Indonesian pop
* Danger - any music that will, somehow, potentially harm either the performers or the audience, linked heavily to noise rock
* Dansband - Swedish folk music
* Danza - Puerto Rican style of music that accompanies the ballroom-influenced dance of the same name
* Danzón - Cuban dance music
* Dappan koothu

 - Indian folk dance music, popular in the states of Karnataka and Tamil
 Nadu, often used as filmi music in the movies produced in those states

* Dark ambient - style of ambient music that creates a feeling of dread and foreboding, rather than the relaxation given off by most ambient
* Dark cabaret - fusion of cabaret and gothic rock
* Darkcore - techno with a dark and foreboding feel, acting as a reaction to the optimism of rave music in general
* Darkcore - chaotic and sinister style of jungle, which relied on pitch-shifting and horror movie audio samples
* Darkstep

 - style of darkcore jungle that takes its signature sinister feel and
fuses it with upbeat breakbeats and ambient noises, creating an
excessively chaotic tone

* Dark wave

 - excessively pessimistic style of post-punk, which relied on tales of
realistic sorrow, rather than the fantasy elements of the then-popular
gothic rock

## De-Dh

* De dragoste - Romanian love music
* Deathcore - fusion of death and punk metal
* Deathgrind - fusion of death metal and grindcore
* Deathstep - a subgenre of Dubstep and D&B style
* Death industrial - fusion of death and industrial metal, linked heavily to the power electronics scene
* Death metal - Extreme metal known for its distorted guitar structure, growling vocals, blast beat drumming and dark or violent lyrics.
* Death-doom - fusion of death and doom metal
* Death rock

 - style of gothic rock known for its scratchy guitars, and lyrics
focusing on supernatural and pessimistic themes, sometimes delving into
intentionally campy horror themes

* Décima - Hispanic genre of sung poetry
* Delta blues - blues music performed by inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta
* Deep house - form of Chicago house, inspired by jazz and soul music
* Dementia - bizarre form of comedic avant-garde played by Dr. Demento
* Descarga - a genre of improvised Afro-Cuban music
* Desi - a style of Hindustani classical raga, associated with the Asavari and Kafi thaat
* Detroit blues - blues music performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
* Detroit techno - techno performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
* Dhamar - a tala used in Hindustani classical music, associated with the dhrupad style, and played on a pakhawaj
* Dhrupad - vocal style of Hindustani classical music, considered the oldest still being performed today
* Dhun - a light instrumental form of Hindustani classical music

## Di-Dr

* Digital hardcore - fusion of hardcore punk and hardcore techno, known for its far-left lyrics
* Dirge - a song of mourning, often played at a funeral
* Dirty rap - hip hop with sexual and pornographic themes
* Disco - a form of music to dance to with elements of soul, pop and salsa.
* Disco polo - Polish disco music
* Diva house - style of house popular in LGBT nightclubs
* Dixieland - an early form of jazz developed in New Orleans, USA
* Djent - subgenre of progressive metal known for its elastic power chords
* Doina - Romanian folk music, informed by Middle Eastern styles
* Dondang Sayang - love ballads from the Malaysian state of Malacca, influenced by Portuguese styles
* Donegal fiddle tradition - an Irish style of fiddle-playing from the Donegal county
* Dongjing - Chinese traditional music of Nakhi people of the Yunnan province
* Doo-wop - a simplistic and pop-oriented form of R&B known for its vocal harmonies and little to no instrumentation
* Doom metal - A style of heavy metal known for its low-tuned sound, slow tempos, clean and non-growled vocals and pessimistic lyrics
* Downtempo - a slow-paced style of electronic music that differs from ambient in that it also has a beat and rhythm
* Dream pop - an atmospheric and melodic style of indie pop that makes the audience feel dreamy
* Drone metal - fusion of drone and heavy metal music
* Drone - experimental style of minimalism, known for drawn-out and repetitive tones, giving it a droning feel
* Drum and bass - style of EDM known for rapid-fire breakbeats and heavy basslines
* Drumstep - fusion of drum and bass and dubstep

## Du-Dz

* Dub - subgenre of reggae in which pre-existing tracks are heavily remixed, emphasizing the drum and bass (or riddim) and dubbing snippets from other works
* Dubtronica - fusion of dub and EDM
* Dubstep - dub-inspired subgenre of UK garage known for its heavy basslines and reverberant drums
* Dubstyle - fusion of dubstep and hardstyle
* Dunun - family of west African drums
* Dunedin Sound - style of indie pop based in Dunedin, New Zealand
* Dutch jazz - jazz performed by Dutch musicians

## Ea-En

* Early - umbrella term for any music made from the prehistoric era until the advent of baroque music
* East Coast blues

 - umbrella term for any blues music made by inhabitants of the American
 East Coast, usually used to refer to the New York or Piedmont scenes

* East Coast hip hop - any hip hop produced by inhabitants of New York
* Easy listening - pop style aimed at older listeners
* Electric blues - style of blues played with electric instruments, most notably the electric guitar
* Electric folk

 - associated with the folk revival of the 1960s, electric folk was a
style of folk in which modern, often electric instruments, were
substituted for classic folk instruments

* Electro - early form of EDM which made its sounds intentionally robotic and computer-like, usually to channel a theme of transhumanism
* Electro backbeat - any EDM which utilizes a 4/4 drum pattern
* Electro-industrial - a style of post-industrial which used heavily produced and layered synths
* Electro swing - fusion of EDM and swing-jazz
* Electroclash - fusion of 1980s synthpop and 1990s techno
* Electronic body music - EDM-informed style of post-industrial
* Electronic dance - EDM; a fusion of electronic and dance music
* Electronic music - music that utilizes electronic instruments, such as the synthesizer, Theremin, and computer
* Electronic rock - fusion of electronic and rock music
* Electronica - popular music that includes electronic instruments
* Electropop - fusion of electronic and pop music
* Elevator music

 - comfortable and soothing music designed for and played in shopping
malls, usually elevators therein, to create a sense of ambience and
comfort

* Emo - heavily emotional and pessimistic style of post-hardcore punk
* Enka - a popular, modern adaptation of traditional Japanese music

## Ep-Ez

* Eremwu eu - work songs of the female bakers of the Garifuna people of west Africa
* Ethereal wave - atmospheric subgenre of dark wave
* Eurobeat - antecedent to Italo disco
* Eurodance - European dance music and evolution of Euro disco that adapted elements of house and hi-NRG
* Euro disco - European disco music, which incorporated elements of pop rock and synthpop
* Euro house - European house music, usually a house-based form of Eurodance or Euro disco
* Europop - European pop music
* Eurotrance - European trance music, usually a fusion of Eurodance with uplifting trance and/or hard trance.
* Exotica - fusion of many popular international genres from the 1950s marketed at Americans, who were attracted to the exotic label
* Experimental - any music that breaches contemporary standards of music
* Experimental rock - fusion of experimental and rock music
* Extreme metal - umbrella term for aggressive, non-commercial forms of heavy metal

F

Fa - Fr - Fu

## Fa-Fr

* Fado - Portuguese folk music, often touching on the themes of melancholia and working class struggles
* Falak - Afghan, Tajik, and Pakistani religious folk music
* Fandango - Spanish music made to accompany the upbeat dance of the same name
* Farruca - a light form of flamenco
* Filk - style of folk (sometimes expanding to other genres) with heavy science-fiction or fantasy themes
* Film score - any music written to act as a soundtrack to a motion picture
* Filmi - Indian film scores
* Filmi-ghazal - fusion of filmi and ghazal poetry
* Fingerstyle - the act of plucking guitar strings with the fingertips
* Flamenco

 - popular style of Spanish folk dance music developed in Andalusia by
Romani-Spanish (or Gitanos), but latter expanding to the general Spanish
 populus

* Folk metal - fusion of folk and heavy metal rock
* Folk - broad term used to refer to the traditional music of an ethnic group, usually that performed by the working class
* Folk pop - fusion of folk and pop music
* Folk punk - fusion of folk and punk rock
* Folk rock - fusion of folk and rock music
* Folktronica - fusion of folk and electronic music
* Forró - popular Brazilian folk dance music

Fr
--

* Franco-country - style of country music performed by French-Canadians
* Freakbeat - a frantic, raw style of beat and British Invasion music
* Freak folk - experimental style of folk, often folk-rock
* Free improvisation - completely uncontrolled improvisation
* Free jazz - freely improvised jazz music
* Free music - any music released without a pricing
* Freestyle - Latin American electro-pop
* Free tekno - style of techno developed by anarchists
* Frevo - umbrella term for Brazilian dance styles associated with the Brazilian Carnivale

Fu
--

* Fuji - - Nigerian folk music
* Full on trance - style of psychedelic trance known for its rolling baselines and confrontational themes
* Funaná - Cape Verdean accordion-based dance music
* Funeral doom - incredibly slow style of doom metal, made to mimic funeral music
* Funk -

 combination of elements of blues, jazz, and soul with the melodies and
harmonies stripped in order to emphasize the bass guitar

* Funk metal - fusion of funk and heavy metal rock
* Funk rock - fusion of funk and rock music
* Funky house - fusion of funk and house music
* Furniture music - a calming, live form of background music
* Fusion jazz - fusion of jazz and rock music
* Future garage - style of UK garage that fused it with elements of all other contemporary EDM styles
* Futurepop - style of EDM known for its similarities to synthpop and uplifting trance, as well as its heavy sampling

* G-funk - style of West Coast gangster rap
* Grindcore - style of dark metal and crust punk

## Gaa-Gal

* Gaana - upbeat Tamil dance song performed at celebrations
* Gabber - a faster, more anarchistic, form of house music designed to counter the pretentious Dutch house scene of the 1980s
* Gagaku - any Japanese classical music played for the Imperial Court
* Gaita Zuliana - diverse form of Venezuelan folk
* Galant

 - intentionally simplistic style of Western classical music designed to
 counter the increasingly complex Baroque music of the 18th century

## Gam-Gan

* Gamelan - Indonesian classical music
* Gamelan bebonangan - Balinese style of gamelan that utilizes a 7-tone scale and cymbals
* Gamelan degung - Sudanese style of gamelan that uses the pegog scale
* Gamelan gong kebyar - Balinese style of gamelan known for its explosive changes in tempo
* Gamelan salendro - West Javan gamelan
* Gamelan selunding - Balinese style of gamelan
* Gamelan semar pegulingan - Balinese style of gamelan
* Gammaldans - wide variety of traditional Nordic dance music, and modernized versions created by Nordic-Americans
* Gandrung - traditional Indonesian dance music
* Gangster rap - hip hop that deals with illegal activity

## Gar-Gav

* Gar - Tibetan chanting and dancing.
* Garage house - heavily polished style of American house
* Garage rock - raw and energetic style of rock, often practised by high school bands in garages
* Gavotte - traditional French dance music

## Ge-Gn

* Gender wayang - Balinese style of gamelan
* German folk - any folk music performed by Germans
* Ghazal - Arabic (particularly Pakistani) angst-ridden poetry, often accompanied by music
* Ghetto house - form of Chicago house known for its sexually explicit lyrics
* Ghettotech - fusion of Chicago house, Miami bass, electro, glitch, and techno
* Girl group - any all-female pop or rock group
* Glam metal - a subgenre of heavy metal with elements of glam rock, hard rock and pop rock.
* Glam punk - fusion of glam and punk rock
* Glam rock - loosely-defined pop rock which included heavy themes of gender-bending and androgyny
* Glitch - style of EDM based around samples of malfunctioning technology in order to create an intentionally harsh sound
* Gwana - Islamic African religious music

## Go-Gr

* Go-go - style of funk known for its syncopated rhythms and call-and-response vocals
* Goa trance - fusion of trance music and traditional Indian styles
* Gong chime - any music performed with high-pitched pot gongs, usually Southeast Asian styles
* Goombay - Bahamian drum music
* Goregrind - style of grindcore known for its lyrical focus on gore and forensics
* Goshu ondo - traditional Japanese dance music from the Meiji era
* Gospel - an attempt to modernize religious music
* Gothic metal - fusion of gothic rock and heavy metal
* Gothic rock - style of post-punk, heavily inspired by Gothic art
* Grebo - a short-lived British style of garage rock from the 1990s
* Gregorian chant - a capella, monotonic religious chant used by the Roman Catholic Church
* Grime - fusion of hip hop and UK garage
* Grindcore - fusion of death metal and hardcore punk with indecipherable vocals.
* Groove metal - style of heavy metal that took elements of thrash, but played at mid-tempo, making a slower, groovier sound
* Group Sounds - Japanese pop from the 1960s, inspired heavily by British beat and American bubblegum pop
* Grunge - minimalist style of alternative metal, known for its heavily distorted guitars and angst-ridden lyrics
* Grupera - rock-inspired Mexican folk

## Gu-Gy

* Guajira - Cuban country music, performed in rural communities
* Gumbe - Guinea-Bissaun folk music
* Gunchei - Central American music played to accompany the garifauna dance of the same name
* Gunka - Japanese military music
* Guoyue - modernized Chinese traditional music
* Gwo ka - Guadaloupean drum music
* Gwo ka moderne - modernized form of gwo ka
* Gypsy jazz - Roma-French style of jazz
* Gypsy punk - Romani style of punk rock

H

Ha- He-Ho - Hu-Hy

## Hab-Has

* Habanera - African-American style based on Cuban contredanza
* Halling - Norwegian and Swedish folk music made to accompany the dance of the same name
* Hambo - Swedish folk music made to accompany the dance of the same name
* Hamburger Schule - style of alternative rock based in Hamburg, Germany
* Happy hardcore - incredibly fast, upbeat, and optimistic style of hardcore techno
* Haqibah - Sudanese a capella music
* Hardcore hip hop - aggressive and confrontational form of hip hop
* Hardcore punk - heavy metal-informed style of punk
* Hardcore techno - style of techno known for distorted, industrial-esque beats
* Hard bop - style of bebop informed by gospel, R&B and blues
* Hard house - fusion of hardstyle and house music
* Hard rock - Loud, bluesy, distorted, and technically proficient form of rock
* Hardstep - gritty, heavy style of drum & bass
* Hardstyle - intense, heavy style of EDM known for its heavy kick-drums and reversed basslines
* Hard trance - heavy, reverberating style of trance music
* Harmonica blues - blues music that utilizes the Richter-tuned harmonica
* Hasapiko - Greek folk dance music, originating in Constantinople

## He-Ho

* Heartland rock - style of rock known for its minimalism, straightforwardness, and concern with the American working class
* Heavy metal - technically proficient, fast-paced, aggressive form of hard rock
* Hi-NRG - uptempo, fast-paced style of EDM known for a reverberating, four-on-the-floor rhythm
* Highlife - Ghanan style that married traditional African forms with Western pop
* Hiplife - fusion of highlife and hip hop
* Hip hop - combination of funk, poetry and innovative DJ techniques, particularly sampling of pre-recorded material
* Hip house - fusion of hip hop and house music
* Hindustani classical - Northern Indian classical music
* Hiragasy - style of music and dance performed by troupes of relatives for day-long periods by the Merina people of Madagascar
* Honky-tonk - crisp, clean form of country
* Honkyoku - religious music performed by Japanese Zen Buddhists
* Hora lungă - improvisational Romani folk music
* Hornpipe - music played to accompany the British naval dance of the same name
* Horrorcore - hip hop known for dark, horror-inspired lyrics
* Horror punk - punk that is lyrically inspired by 1950s horror B-movies, often in an ironic way
* House - a relaxed, disco-informed style of EDM

## Hu-Hy

* Huayño - Peruvian folk music
* Hula - Hawaiian folk music made to accompany the dance of the same name
* Humppa - Finnish jazz style
* Hunguhungu - folk music performed by Garifuna women
* Hyangak - Korean court music from the Three Kingdoms period
* Hymn - any religious song
* Hyphy - fast-paced style of hip hop from the San Francisco Bay Area

I

* Icaro - music sung in healing ceremonies of the Shipibo-Conibo people of Peru
* Igbo - any music performed by the Igbo people of Nigeria
* Illbient - form of ambient inspired by dub in its use of layering and hip hop in its use of sampling
* Impressionist - style of Western art music inspired by the visual arts movement of the same name
* Improvisational - any kind of music that is made up on the spot
* Incidental - music played in the background of a film or play
* Indietronica - fusion of indie rock and EDM
* Indie folk - fusion of indie rock and folk music
* Indie - music that is formed around an idea of remaining on the underground and a DIY ethic
* Indie pop - a melodic, often angst-free and optimistic, form of pop-rock associated with the indie scene
* Indie rock - generic term for rock music linked to the indie subculture
* Indo jazz - fusion of jazz and traditional Indian music
* Industrial death metal - fusion of industrial and death metal
* Industrial hip hop - fusion of industrial and hip hop music
* Industrial

 - early form of electronica that linked avant-garde electronic
experimentation to punk rock energy, vocalisation, and ethics.
Industrial spawned an indulgence in darkness, horror, and even fascism
(although often not seriously) that carried over into goth, emo, and
metalhead culture

* Industrial musical - musical theater performed by the workers of a company to promote teamwork
* Industrial metal - fusion of industrial and heavy metal music
* Industrial rock - fusion of industrial and rock music
* Instrumental - music that had no lyrics
* Instrumental rock - any rock music that neglects vocals
* Intelligent dance

 - more experimental and intellectual form of electronica so called to
distinguish itself from the commercialist trends in rave music

* Inuit - any music performed by the Inuit people of Greenland and Canada
* Irish folk - traditional music of the Irish people
* Irish rebel - Irish folk with an emphasis on Irish republicanism
* Isicathamiya - a capella form of singing used by the Zulu people of South Africa
* Isolationist - style of ambient that uses repetition and dissonance to create a sense of uneasiness
* Italo dance - an optimistic form of Eurodance that developed in Italy
* Italo disco - form of disco developed in Italy that lead to the creation of modern EDM
* Italo house - Italian house music that followed on from Italo disco
* Izvorna bosanska - Bosnian rural roots music

J

Ja-Je - Ji-Ju

* J-Pop - pop music made by the Japanese
* J-Rock - rock music made by Japanese performers

## Ja-Je

* Jaipongan - music made to accompany the dance of the same name of Sundanese people of Indonesia
* Jam - a type of band that plays long instrumental tracks, often improvised, called 'jams'
* Jamrieng samai - Cambodian pop music
* Jangle pop - style of indie pop known for its uplifting, 'jangly' sounds
* Jarana yucateca - traditional Yucatán dance music
* Jarocho - Mexican dance and song style from Veracruz
* Jawaiian - fusion of Hawaiian traditional music and reggae
* Jazz - a type of music that originated in the late 19th and early 20th century in the Southern United States
* Jazz blues - fusion of jazz and blues music
* Jazz-funk - fusion of jazz and funk music
* Jazz fusion - any music that fuses something with jazz, particularly jazz-rock
* Jazz rap - fusion of jazz and hip hop
* Jegog - gamelan played with bamboo-based instruments
* Jenkka - Finnish folk dance music
* Jesus - style of CCM developed by the American hippie-based Jesus Movement

## Ji-Jt

* Jig - uptempo Irish folk dance music
* Jing ping - Dominican folk dance music developed by slave during European colonialism
* Jingle - short, catchy song used in advertising
* Jit - Zimbabwean pop music
* Jitterbug - any music that accompanied the dance of the same name
* Jive - swing music used to accompany the African-American ballroom dance of the same name
* Joged - Balinese dance music
* Joged bumbung - fusion of gamelan and joged
* Joik - style of Sami folk music
* Joropo - Venezuelan waltz
* Jota - Spanish folk dance music
* Jug - African-American folk music made from household objects such as jugs, spoons, and washboards
* Juke joint blues - fusion of blues and soul
* Jùjú - Nigerian pop music
* Jump blues - uptempo blues music played with horns
* Jumpstyle - faster form of progressive house
* Jungle - style of EDM known for fast tempo, breakbeats, samples, and dub-inspired layered synths
* Junkanoo - Bahamas folk dance music

K

Ka - Ke-Kh - Ki-Kp - Kr-Kw

K-
--

* K-pop - Korean pop music

Ka
--

* Kaba - Southern Albanian instrumental folk music
* Kabuki - form of Japanese musical theatre known for its elaborate make-up and costuming
* Kagok - Korean folk music
* Kaiso - Trinidadian folk music
* Kalamatianó - Greek folk music
* Kan ha diskan - Breton folk music
* Kansas City blues - blues music performed by Kansas City inhabitants
* Kantrum - fast-paced Khmer-Thai folk music
* Kargyraa - deep, growling form of Tuvan throat singing
* Kaseko - Surinamese music that fuses African, European, and American styles
* Kachāshī - fast-paced Ryukyuan festive folk music
* Kawachi ondo - Japanese folk music from the Osaka region
* Kayōkyoku - an early form of J-Pop

## Ke-Kh

* Kecak - Balinese folk opera
* Kacapi suling - Sundanese folk music
* Kertok - Malay musical ensemble utilizing xylophones
* Khaleeji - Arab folk music
* Khene - Malay woodwind music
* Khyal - North Indian form of Hindustani classical music
* Khoomei - soft, droning form of Tuvan throat singing

## Ki-Kp

* Kirtan - Indian drum music performed during Hindu bhakti rituals
* Kiwi rock - rock music performed by New Zealanders
* Kizomba - Angolan folk dance music
* Klapa - Croatian a capella music
* Klasik - Afghan classical music
* Klezmer - Jewish classical music
* Kliningan - Sundanese folk dance music
* Kolomyjka - tongue-in-cheek Hutsul folk dance music
* Komagaku - Japanese court music from the Heian period
* Kpanlogo - Ghanan folk dance music

## Kr-Kw

* Krakowiak - fast-paced Polish folk dance music
* Krautrock - highly experimental form of German art rock that incorporated electronic influences
* Kriti - Indian classical music
* Kroncong - Indonesian folk music utilizing the ukele
* Kuduro - Angolan folk music
* Kulintang - ancient gong music of the Filipinos, Indonesians, Malays, Bruneian, and Timorese
* Kundiman - Filipino love songs
* Kvæði - Icelandic folk music
* Kwaito - South African house music
* Kwassa kwassa - Congolese folk dance music
* Kwela - South African skiffle music

L

La - Le-Lo - Lu

La
--

* Lambada - Brazilian dance music
* Latin metal

 - A genre of heavy metal with Latin origins, influences, and
instrumentation, such as Spanish vocals, Latin percussion and rhythm
such as Salsa rhythm

* Latin pop - fusion of pop music and traditional South American styles
* Lavani - style of traditional Indian music performed in Maharashtra

## Le-Lo

* Legényes - Hungarian and Romanian folk dance music performed by the inhabitants of Transylvania, now modern-day Cluj-Napoca
* Letkajenkka - Finnish folk dance music
* Lhamo - Tibetan folk opera
* Lied - German poems spoken to music
* Light - soft, non-confrontational British orchestral music
* Liquid funk - form of drum and bass with a heavy emphasis on melody
* Liquindi

 - style of percussion performed by the various 'pygmy' peoples of
Africa in which drummers stand in a body of water and hit the surface

* Lo-fi - any music recorded at a quality lower than usual
* Logobi - form of zouglou influenced by the French colonists in the Ivory Coast
* Long song - Mongolian folk music in which each syllable is extended for a longer than average period of time
* Louisiana blues - any blues performed by inhabitants of the state of Louisiana
* Lounge - downtempo music intended to give the listener a sense of being somewhere else, i.e. a jungle or outer space
* Lovers rock - form of reggae fusion known for its romantic lyrics
* Lowercase - extreme form of ambient music consisting of long periods of silence and occasional, very minute sounds

Lu
--

* Lu - Tibetan a capella music
* Lubbock sound - fusion of rock and roll and country music from Lubbock, Texas
* Luk Krung - more polished form of luk thung
* Luk thung - Thai folk music
* Lullaby - soothing song sung to young children to lull them to sleep
* Lundu - harmonious style of Afro-Brazilian music

M

Ma - Mb-Mg - Mi - Min-Mir - Mo-Mp - Mu

* M-Base - style of musical thought and composition developed by Steve Coleman

## Mad-Mam

* Madchester - fusion of EDM, psychedelic rock, and indie rock
* Madrigal - style of classical singing popular in the Renaissance and Baroque eras
* Mafioso rap - subgenre of gangsta rap that focuses on organized crime
* Mahori - form of Thai and Khmer classical music
* Makossa - Cameroonian pop
* Malhun - Arab folk poetry
* Maloya - style of folk developed by the slaves on the French territory of Reunion
* Mambo - Cuban style of jazz

## Man-Map

* Manaschi - Kyrgyz song recital of the Epic of Manas
* Mandopop - style of C-pop sung in the Mandarin language
* Manele - Romani folk music
* Mangue Bit - Brazilian electronic genre played in a fast-paced, punk-informed style
* Manila Sound - fusion of Western rock music and traditional Filipino folk music
* Mapouka - traditional folk dance music of the Aizi, Alladian, and Avikam people of the Ivory Coast

## Mar-Maz

* Marabi - South African style informed by blues and jazz
* Maracatu - Brazilian folk dance music
* Mariachi - fusion of Mexican folk music and pop music
* Marrabenta - Mozambican folk dance music informed by Portuguese styles
* Martial industrial - style of neo-folk informed by military marches and militaristic themes
* Maskanda - South African folk music
* Marinera - romantic Peruvian folk dance music
* Martinetes - a capella flamenco music
* Mass - Christian hymns sung by large vocal groups
* Matamuerte - Garifuna folk dance music
* Mathcore - fusion of metalcore and math rock
* Math rock - rhythmically complex form of experimental rock
* Maxixe - Brazilian folk dance music
* Mazurka - Polish folk dance music

## Mb-Mg

* Mbalax - Senegalese folk dance music that combines traditional sabar drumming techniques with jazz, soul, rock, and Latin music
* Mbaqanga - Zulu jazz style that was one of the first South African genres to achieve intertribal recognition
* Mbube - South African acapella music
* Meditation - any music created to aid meditation procedures
* Medieval folk rock

 - form of folk rock that incorporated elements of earlier folk
traditions, such as Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, despite
what the name may suggest

* Medieval metal - fusion of folk metal and Medieval folk rock
* Medieval - period of Western art music ranging from the 6th to 15th centuries
* Mejoranera - Panaman guitar music
* Malhun - north African style of classical music that borrows from Andalusian traditions
* Melam - Indian drumming style
* Melodic hardcore - style of hardcore punk known for its slower, melodic guitars, juxtaposed with shouted vocals
* Melodic metalcore - fusion of melodic hardcore and metalcore
* Melodic - any music that utilizes melody, the combination of notes so that they are perceived as a single string of music
* Memphis blues - style of blues from Memphis
* Memphis soul - polished, funky style of soul from Memphis
* Mento - Jamaican folk music
* Merengue - Dominican folk dance music
* Merengue típico - style of modern merengue that attempts to sound similar to 19th century merengue
* Méringue - Haitian guitar music
* Metalcore - fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk; often sung melodically
* Mexican rock - rock music performed by Mexicans
* Meykhana - Azerbaijani spoken word music
* Mezwed - Tunisian folk music

## Mia-Mil

* Miami bass - rave-inspired style of hip hop
* Microhouse - minimalist, stripped down form of house music
* Mini-jazz - rock-inspired meringue music
* Minuet - French folk dance music
* Milonga - Argentinian and Uruguayan folk dance music

## Min-Mit

* Min'yō - Japanese folk music
* Minimal - heavily experimental form of orchestral music known for its simplicity
* Minimal trance - fusion of psychedelic trance and minimal music
* Minimal techno - fusion of techno and minimal music
* Minstrel - American folk music which parodied African-American styles
* Minneapolis sound - glam-informed style of dance-rock pioneered by Prince

## Mo-MP

* Modinha - Brazilian folk music
* Modern classical - loose term for orchestral music made during or after the 20th century
* Modern laïka - modernized and pop-informed style of laïka
* Modern rock - any rock music (usually alternative rock) made during or after the 1990s
* Mor lam - Laotian and Thai folk music
* Mor lam sing - fast-paced, sexual, and modernized form of mor lam
* Moombahton - fusion of electro house and reggaeton
* Moombahcore - moombahton incorporating dubstep influences and elements of Dutch house
* Motown - slick, pop-informed form of soul music
* Montuno - loose term for Cuban music and its derivatives
* Morna - Cape Verdean folk music
* Mozambique of Cuba - Cuban folk dance music
* Mozambique of America - American derivative of the Cuban style of the same name

Mu
--

* Mugham - Azerbaijan classical music
* Murga - Uruguayan and Argentinian folk dance music
* Musette - French folk dance music
* Mushroom Jazz - eclectic genre that draws from downtempo, hip hop, and world styles
* Music drama - an artwork that covers all forms of art
* Music hall - English popular music of the 19th century
* Música criolla - Peruvian music informed by African, European, and Andean styles
* Musica llanero - Venezuelan and Colombian folk music
* Música popular brasileira - loose term for Brazilian pop music
* Musiqi-e assil - Persian orchestral music
* Musique concrète - heavily experimental orchestral music known for its use of electronic instruments
* Muwashshah - Arabic musical poetry

Na
--

* Nagauta – Japanese music that accompanies kabuki theater
* Nakasi – Japanese and Taiwanese folk music
* Nangma - Tibetan EDM
* Nanguan (music) - Chinese classical music that is heavily influenced by Western styles
* Narcocorrido - Mexican polka-influenced folk music with lyrics focusing on illegal activity
* Nardcore - hardcore and skate punk subgenre based in Oxnard, California
* Narodna muzika - Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Serbian folk music
* Nashville sound - a slick, pop-informed 'radio friendly' form of American country music that began in Nashville, Tennessee
* National socialist black metal - black metal with lyrics supporting national socialism, fascism, and other far-right ideologies
* Nederpop - Dutch pop music
* Neoclassical - orchestral music of the early 20th century
* Neoclassical dark wave - fusion of neoclassical and dark wave music
* Neo-classical metal - fusion of neoclassical and heavy metal music
* Neoclassical New Age - fusion of neoclassical and new age music
* Neo kyma - style of classical Greek music from the 1960s with French influences
* Neofolk - fusion of folk rock and post-industrial music
* Neo-Medieval - music that attempts to imitate Medieval and earlier periods of classical music
* Neo-progressive rock - highly theatrical, emotional, and clean subgenre of progressive rock
* Neo-psychedelia - loose term for alternative rock inspired by psychedelic and acid rock
* Neo soul - alternative form of hip hop soul that focused on more soulful and emotive vocals and lyrics
* Neotraditional country - alternative country music that attempts to imitate pre-Nashville 'traditional' country
* Nerdcore - hip hop with lyrics concerning typically 'nerdy' subjects
* Neue Deutsche Härte - German fusion style that mainly takes elements of industrial and groove metal, as well as techno and alternative rock
* Neue Deutsche Welle - German punk and new wave music
* Neue Deutsche Todeskunst - German dark wave and Gothic rock
* Neurofunk - more advanced form of techstep
* New-age - form of ambient music intended for use during meditation
* New Beat - Belgian downtempo and acid house
* New jack swing (or swingbeat) - slickly produced fusion of soul, pop, dance, and hip hop music
* New Orleans blues - Dixieland- and Caribbean-informed style of blues from New Orleans
* New prog - more ambitious and alternative rock-inspired form of progressive rock
* New rave - fusion of alternative rock and EDM
* New school hip hop - hip hop music made after the mid-80s
* New Taiwanese Song - Taiwanese pop music
* New wave - early form of punk-informed synthpop
* New Wave of British Heavy Metal - style of heavy metal from the United Kingdom that came with the decline of Led Zeppelin-esque early hard rock
* New wave of new wave - 1990s British revival of new wave music
* New Weird America - term for the, often psychedelic-informed, indie folk music of the 2000s
* New York blues - a jazz-influenced style of blues from New York, New York

Ni
--

* Nintendocore - fusion of chiptune and metalcore
* Nisiotika - Greek folk music from the Agean Islands
* No wave - avant-garde punk subgenre created as a reaction to the commercial new wave
* Noh - long, highly dramatic Japanese opera
* Noise

 - trend in orchestral, rock, and electronic music where harsh,
non-melodic, and often random sounds are used alongside or in place of
conventional sounds

* Noise pop - derivative of noise rock in which noises and feedback are used, but made into a melodic, often relaxing sound
* Noise rock - loud, atonal, dissonant, and unconventional rock music
* Nordic folk - folk music of the Nordic people
* Nordic folk dance - upbeat style of Nordic folk
* Nortec - Mexican EDM
* Norteño - Mexican folk music
* Northern soul - soul music made by northern English
* Nu-disco - modern house music that draws inspiration from disco
* Nu gaze - new form of Shoegaze
* Nu jazz - modern jazz music that borrows from funk and EDM
* Nu metal - fusion of thrash, groove, and alternative metal that also borrows elements from punk, industrial, grunge, and hip hop
* Nu skool breaks - a more abstract and drum & bass-inspired style of breakbeat

O

* Obscuro
* Oi! – 1980s style of British punk rock
* Old school hip hop – generic term for hip hop music recorded before approximately 1989
* Old-time – archaic term for many different styles that were an outgrowth of Appalachian folk music and fed into country music
* Oldies - Popular music from the 50's and 60's.
* Olonkho – Yakut epic songs
* Old Time Radio – Old Time Radio Shows from the 30's - 60's
* Ondo
* Opera – theatrical performances in which all or most dialogue is sung with musical accompaniment
* Operatic Pop – subgenre of pop music that is performed in a classical operatic style (also referred to as "Popera")
* Oratorio – similar to opera but without scenery, costumes or acting
* Orchestra – a large ensemble, especially one used to play European classical music
* Organ trio – a style of jazz from the 1960s that blended blues and jazz (and later "soul jazz") and which was based around the sound of the Hammond organ
* Organic ambient – often acoustic ambient music which uses instruments and styles borrowed from world music
* Organum – Middle Ages polyphonic music
* Oriental metal – a subgenre of folk metal that incorporates elements of traditional Middle Eastern music.
* Ottava rima – Italian rhyming stanzas
* Ottoman military band - the oldest variety of military marching band in the world.
* Outlaw country – late 1960s and 70s form of country music with a hard-edged sound and rebellious lyrics
* Outsider music – generic term for music performed by outsiders

P

Pa – Pi – Po – Pr

* P-Funk – 1970s fusion of funk, heavy metal and psychedelic rock, most closely associated with the bands Funkadelic and Parliament, who shared many members collectively known as *P-Funk*
* PBR&B

Pa
--

* Pagan metal
* Pagan rock
* Pagode – Brazilian style of music which originated in the Rio de Janeiro region
* Paisley Underground – 1980s style of alternative rock that drew heavily on psychedelia
* Palm wine – fusion of numerous West African, Latin American and European genres, popular throughout coastal West Africa in the 20th century
* Panambih – tembang sunda that uses metered poetry
* Panchai baja – Nepalese wedding music
* Panchavadyam – Temple music from Kerala, India
* Pansori – Korean folk music played by a singer and a drummer
* Paranda – Garifuna form of music
* Parranda – Afro-Venezuelan form of music
* Parody – humorous renditions of existing songs or styles
* Patriotic
* Pambiche (Merengue estilo yanqui)
* Paranda – Garifuna music of Belize
* Parang – Trinidadian Christmas carols
* Partido alto
* Pasillo
* Psychobilly – Punk rock and country
* Peace Punk
* Pelimanni music – Finnish folk dance music
* Persian traditional music
* Peruvian cumbia - also known as chicha music.
* Petenera
* Peyote Song – a mixture of gospel and traditional Native American music
* Philadelphia soul – soft 1970s soul that came out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pi
--

* Piano blues
* Pimba – Origin: Portugal.
* Piedmont blues
* Pinoy rock – rock and roll sung in Tagalog from the Philippines
* Pinpeat orchestra
* Piphat – ancient form of Thai classical ensemble
* Piyyutim
* Plainchant (Gregorian chant)
* Plena
* Pleng phua cheewit – Thai protest rock
* Pleng Thai sakorn – a Thai interpretation of Western classical music

Po
--

* Polka French music style originated in paris in 1844
* Polo Venezuelan folk music
* Polonaise
* Pols – Danish fiddle and accordion dance music
* Polska
* Pong lang
* Pop folk
* Pop music
* Pop punk
* Pop rap
* Pop rock
* Pop sunda – Sundanese mixture of gamelan degung and pop music structures
* Pornocore
* Porro – Colombian big band music
* Post-Britpop
* Post-dubstep
* Post-disco
* Post-grunge
* Post-hardcore- Slite mixture of Hardcore and Punk rock
* Post-industrial
* Post-metal
* Post-minimalism
* Post-punk
* Post-rock
* Post-romanticism
* Powada- Marathi Folk
* Power duo
* Power electronics
* Power metal - A style of heavy metal with melodic vocals, symphonic context and with fantastic or mythical lyrics.
* Power noise (or rhythmic noise)
* Power pop
* Power trio
* Powerviolence (also known as power violence)
* Pow-wow – Native American dance music
* Ppongtchak – Korean pop music developed during the Japanese occupation

Pr
--

* Praise song
* Program symphony
* Progressive electronic music
* Progressive folk music
* Progressive house
* Progressive metal - A subgenre of heavy metal and progressive rock.
* Progressive bluegrass
* Progressive rock - A subgenre of rock music with origins of jazz fusion and psychedelic rock.
* Progressive trance
* Protopunk
* Prototype Metalcore - A subgenre of rock and metal music that uses sounds from progressive metal, metalcore, futuristic, electronic, and/or hardcore punk
* Psychedelic music
* Psych folk or Psychedelic folk
* Psychedelic rock - A style of rock music that relates to psychedelia.
* Psychedelic trance (Psy-trance)
* Psychobilly
* Pub rock - back-to-basics rock music, see Pub rock (Australia) and Pub rock (United Kingdom).
* Pungmul - a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing.
* Punk blues – a US music genre that developed in the 1980s, which mixes elements of blues with the aggressive sound of punk.
* Punk Cabaret – a fusion of musical theater and cabaret style music with the aggressive, raw nature of punk rock.
* Punk jazz
* Punk rock A subgenre of rock music known for its raw and distorted sound, usually fast and short songs, and lyrics of angst or anti-establishment.
* Punta
* Punta rock – 1970s Belizean music

Q

* Quan ho – Vietnamese vocal music which originated in the Red River Delta
* Qasidah – Epic religious poetry accompanied by percussion and chanting
* Qasidah modern – Qasidah updated for mainstream audiences
* Qawwali – Sufi religious music updated for mainstream audiences, was originated in India
* Quadrille
* Queercore
* Quiet Storm

R

* Rada
* Raga rock – Swiss soul, rock and Indian music fusion
* Raga
* Raggamuffin (Ragga)
* Ragga Jungle
* Ragtime
* Rai – Algerian folk music now developed into a popular style
* Raicore
* Raï'n'B
* Rake-and-scrape – Bahamanian instrumental music
* Ramkbach
* Ramvong
* Ranchera – pop mariachi from 1950s film soundtracks
* Rap
* Rara
* Rare groove
* Rasiya
* Rave
* Ravanahatha- Ravana music
* Rebetiko
* Red Dirt (music)
* reel
* Reggae
* Reggae dancehall (see Dancehall)
* Reggae fusion
* Reggae highlife
* Reggaeton
* Rekilaulu – Finnish rhyming sleigh songs
* Religious
* Rembetiko
* Renaissance music
* Retro
* Requiem
* Rhapsody
* Rhyming spiritual – Bahamanian hymns
* Rhythm and blues (R&B)
* Ricercar
* Rímur – Icelandic heroic epic songs
* Riot grrrl
* Rock
* Rock opera
* Rock and roll
* Rock en español
* Rockabilly
* Rocksteady
* Rococo
* Romantic period in music
* Ronggeng – a folk music from Malacca, Malaysia
* Roots reggae
* Roots rock
* Roots rock reggae
* Rumba

### Sa

* Sabar - drumming style found in Senegal
* Sacred Harp
* Sadcore
* Saibara
* Salegy
* Salsa - fusion of multiple Cuban- and Puerto Rican-derived pop genres from immigrants in New York City
* Salsa erotica - lyrically explicit form of salsa romantica
* Salsa romantica - a soft, romantic form of salsa music
* Saltarello
* Samba - form of Brazilian popular music
* Samba-canção - traditional samba in slow tempo and with romantic lyrics. influenced by bolero
* Samba-reggae - a genre of samba with a choppy, reggae-like rhythm.
* Samba-rock
* Sambai
* Sambass
* Sanjo - Korean instrumental folk music
* Sardana - Traditional Music Catalonia
* Sato kagura
* Sawt - urban music from Kuwait and Bahrain
* Saya - Bolivian music derived from African rhythms

### Sc

* Schlager
* Schottisch
* Schranz
* Scottish Baroque music
* Scrumpy and Western - folk music from West Country of England
* Scuff
* Sea shanty
* Sean nós - Sean-nós singing style of Ireland
* Seapunk
* Second Viennese School
* Sega music
* Seggae
* Seis
* Semba
* Sephardic music
* Serialism
* Sertanejo
* Set dance
* Sevdalinka - Bosnian urban popular music
* Sevillana
* Shabad
* Shalako - Armenian folk dance
* Shan'ge - Taiwanese Hakka mountain songs
* Shango
* Shape note
* Shibuya-kei
* Shidaiqu - Hong Kong-based form of traditional music updated for pop audiences and sung in Mandarin
* Shima-uta - folk songs from the Amami Islands, Japan
* Shock rock
* Shoegaze - British pop
* Shoka - Japanese songs written during the Meiji Restoration to bring Western music to Japanese schools
* Shomyo - Japanese Buddhist chanting
* Show tune

### Si

* Sica
* Siguiriyas
* Silat - Malaysian mixture of music, dance and martial arts
* Sinawi - Korean religious music meant for dancing; it is improvised and reminiscent of jazz
* Singer-songwriter
* Situational - pertaining to songs describing the current situation; most prevalent in films
* Ska
* Ska punk
* Skald
* Skate punk
* Skiffle
* Skullstep
* Slack-key guitar (kihoalu) - Hawaiian form invented by retuning open strings on a guitar
* Slängpolska
* Slide
* Slowcore
* Sludge metal - A subgenre of heavy metal with slow-tuned tempos, abrasive distortion and harsh vocals
* Smooth jazz

### Sk

* Ska
* Skweee

### So

* Soca
* Soft rock
* Son-batá (batá rock)
* Son montuno - Cuban folk music
* Sonata
* Songo - a mixture of changuí and son montuno
* Songo-salsa - a mixture of songo, hip hop and salsa
* Sophisti-pop
* Soukous
* Soul blues
* Soul jazz
* Soul music - form of African-American music with elements of gospel and doo-wop
* Soundtrack
* Southern Gospel
* Southern Harmony
* Southern hip hop
* Southern metal
* Southern rock
* Southern soul
* Space age pop
* Space music
* Space rock
* Spectralism
* Speedcore
* Speed garage
* Speed metal
* Spirituals
* Spouge - Barbadian folk music
* Sprechgesang
* Square dance

### St

* St. Louis blues
* Steelband
* Stoner metal
* Stoner rock
* Straight edge
* Strathspeys
* Street bass
* Stride
* String - 1980s Thai pop music
* String quartet
* Sufi music
* Suite
* Sunshine pop
* Suomirock
* Super Eurobeat
* Surf ballads
* Surf instrumental
* Surf music
* Surf pop
* Surf rock
* Swamp blues
* Swamp pop
* Swamp rock
* Swing music

### Sy

* Sygyt - type of xoomii (Tuva throat singing), likened to the sound of whistling
* Symphonic black metal
* Symphonic metal
* Symphonic poem
* Symphonic rock
* Symphony
* Synthpop
* Synthpunk

T

* Taarab
* Tai tu - Vietnamese chamber music
* Taiwanese pop - early Taiwanese pop music influenced by enka and popular with older listeners
* Tala - a rhythmic pattern in Indian classical music
* Talempong - a distinct Minangkabau gamelan music
* Tambu
* Tamburitza
* Tamil Christian keerthanai - Christian devotional lyrics in Tamil
* Táncház - Hungarian dance music
* Tango - Argentine popular music that spread internationally in the 1920s
* Tanguk - a form of Korean court music that includes elements of Chinese music
* Tappa
* Tarana - form of vocal music from northern India using highly rhythmic nonsense syllables
* Tarantella
* Taranto
* Tech House
* Tech Trance
* Technical death metal
* Technical metal
* Techno
* Technoid
* Technopop - a fusion of techno and pop music styles; Japanese-language electropop / synthpop
* Techstep
* Techtonik
* Tecno brega
* Teen pop - A subgenre of pop music targeted towards pre-teen and teenage listeners
* Tejano music or "Tex-Mex", sometimes confused with norteño
* Tekno
* Tembang sunda - Sundanese sung free verse poetry
* Texas blues
* Theme music
* Thillana - form of vocal music from South India using highly rhythmic nonsense syllables
* Thrashcore
* Thrash metal - A heavy metal subgenre known for its fast tempos, screaming vocals, extended guitar solos and aggressive lyrics.
* Thumri - a type of popular Hindustani vocal music
* Tibetan pop - pop music heavily influenced by Chinese forms, emerging in the 1980s
* Tientos
* Timbila - form of folk music in Mozambique
* Tin Pan Alley
* Tinga
* Tinku - traditional music and dance from Potosi Bolivia
* Toeshey - Tibetan dance music
* Togaku
* T'ong guitar - acoustic guitar pop music of Korea
* Traditional pop music
* Trallalero - Genoese urban songs
* Trance
* Trap music
* Trival
* Tribal house
* Trikitixa - Basque accordion music
* Trip-hop
* Tropicalia
* Tropical music - Música tropical
* Tropipop
* Truck-driving country
* Tumba
* Turbo-folk - aggressive form of modernized Serbian music
* Turkish Music
* Turntablism
* Tuvan throat-singing
* Twee pop
* Twist (also a dance style, early 1960s)
* Two Tone)

U

* UK garage
* UK hard house
* UK pub rock
* Unblack metal (also known as Christian black metal)
* Underground music
* Uplifting Trance
* Urban Cowboy
* Urban Folk

V

* Vallenato - accordion-based Colombian folk music
* Vaporwave
* Vaudeville
* Verbunkos - Hungarian folk music
* Verismo
* Video game music - Melodic music as defined by its media.
* Viking metal
* Villanella - 16th century Neapolitan songs
* Virelais
* Visual Kei
* Visual music
* Vocal house
* Vocal jazz
* Vocal music
* Vocaloid
* Volksmusik

W

* Waila (chicken scratch) - a Tohono O'odham fusion of polka, norteño and Native American music
* Waltz
* Wangga - Australian aboriginal music genre
* Warabe uta
* Wassoulou
* Were music
* West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music which originates in the westernmost region of the United States
* Western blues
* Western swing
* Witch house
* Wizard rock
* Women's music or womyn's music, wimmin's music—1970s lesbian/feminist
* Wong shadow - 1960s Thai pop music
* Wonky
* Work song
* Wood Sounds of organic synthesis recorded on organic medium such as tape.
* Worldbeat
* World music

X

* Xoomii (khoomii, hoomii) - a type of Tuvan throat singing
* Xote - is a Brazilian music genre and dance for pairs or groups of four.
* Xhosa music

Y

* Yass - a style of Polish jazz music from the 1980s and 1990s.
* Yayue
* Yé-yé
* Yo-pop
* Yodeling
* Yukar

Z

* Zajal
* Zamrock
* Zapin - derived from ancient Arabic music, zapin is popular throughout Malaysia
* Zarzuela - a form of Spanish operetta
* Zeuhl
* Zeibekiko - Greek Dance 9/8 Rytmus
* Zef - South African music based in both rap & rave
* Ziglibithy
* Zouglou
* Zouk - French Caribbean (Guadeloupean) dance music
* Zouklove - Guadeloupean Music
* Zulu music
* Zydeco - popular Louisianan Creole music