My favorites are progressive and symphonic metal.

Dream Theater, Symphony X, After

Forever, A Perfect Circle, Adagio, Evergrey, Pain of Salvation, Nightwish, Therion...

Blues:

● Blues Rock​; Similar to Electric Blues, but sometimes acoustic. Blues Rock
can be played without having the power turned on. And it rocks.
● - Stoneground, Tommy Castro Band, Tom Waits, Jeff Healey, Chris
Whitley, Paul Butterfield Blues Band
● Chicago Blues​; Sort of an urban blues using more piano and saxophone.
These guys are quite often named Willie or "Big" something if not some kind
of dog. Popular in Louisiana, strangely enough.
● - Willie Clarke, Willie Dixon, Willie Kent, Willie Murphy, Willie Nix, Big
Bill Broonzy, Big Joe Turner, Big John Wrencher, Big Moose, Golden "Big"
Wheeler, Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang, Hound Dog Taylor, Howlin' Wolf
● Delta Blues​; One of the earliest blues styles. The roots of the
African-American styles honed in the Delta plains of the US in the midst of
harsh mistreatment and soulful survival. Mostly acoustic guitar and
harmonica. Best if played on the porch of an old, broken down shack.
● - Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Keb 'Mo', Memphis Jug Band, Johnny
Shines, Tommy Johnson, Frank Stokes
● Electric Blues​; Blues that's plugged in and louder. Primarily guitar-based.
When the power goes out it typically becomes Blues Rock.
● - B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Magic Slim, Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, John
Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite
● Jump Blues​; Up-tempo with more swing. upright bass, piano, horns. One
might jump if the mood strikes.
● - Magic Sam, Ruth Brown, Sugar Blue, Hal Singer, Amos Milburn, Ray
Charles, Roy Brown
● New Orleans Blues​; More jazz and island influence. various drums and
keyboard instruments. Popular in Texas, strangely enough.
● - Art Neville, Lloyd Price, Guitar Slim, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, T-Bone
Burnett, Rockin' Sidney, Louisiana Red
● St. Louis Blues​; more piano based. similar to ragtime. Popular in Illinois,
strangely enough.
● - Big Maybelle, Big Walter Horton, Roy Milton, Willie Mabon, Roosevelt
Sykes, Yank Rachell, "Ma" Rainey, Percy Mayfield
● Swamp Blues​; incorporates some Zydeco and more aggressive styles. Best
when heard from the banks of a swamp and followed to an old, broken down
shack.
 ● - Sonny Terry, Smiley Lewis, Luther Allison, Irma Thomas, Clifton
Chenier, Doctor Ross, Bobby Marchan
● Texas Blues;​ more swing than Electric Blues, but more guitar than Jump
Blues. Popular in Missouri, strangely enough.
● - Albert King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Tutu Jones, T-Bone Walker, Smokin' Joe
Kubek, Grady Gains, Lafayette Leake
● Zydeco​; more Creole influence. Accordion and alternative percussion
instruments. You can't understand a word these guys are saying.
● - Al Rapone, Zydeco Boneshakers, Wayne Toups, Dr. John, The Mavericks,
Buckwheat Zydeco

● Gospel​: somewhere between Blues and Country. Dominantly Christian in

lyrical form.
● - The Staple Singers, Shirley Caesar, Mahalia Jackson, Ira Tucker & The
Dixie Hummingbirds, The Golden Gate Quartet, Fisk Jubilee Singers, The
Blind Boys of Alabama

Country:

● Bluegrass;​ up-tempo roots country using fiddle, banjo, jug, washtub bass.
Should wear one-strap overalls and/or chew on a wheat stalk whilst playing.
● - Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Laurie Lewis, The Del McCoury Band, The Cox
Family, Don Reno, Carl Story, New Grass Revival
● Country Pop​; pop-oriented country without the believable sadness.
Mostly fifth and sixth generation Country for the sake of making money.
● - Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Lonestar, Pam Tillis, Juice Newton, Dixie
Chicks, Martina McBride
● Honky Tonk​; up-tempo like Bluegrass, but more party-oriented and
public. Drunken out-of-tune pianos and bar fights abound. Mostly second
generation Country.
● - Rex Griffin, Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Jim Edward
Brown, Red Foley
● Mountain;​ vocal harmonies, fast-pickin', nostalgia, and "ya gotta have a
fiddle in the band". Judging by their names, they're usually related to
someone if not each other.
● - Alabama, Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Acuff, The Forester Sisters, The Louvin
Brothers, The Stanley Brothers, The Burch Sisters, The Cook Family
Singers
● Neotraditional;​ the sort of "we wish we'd been alive before country was
cool" artists. True to their form, but still "new". Mostly fifth generation
Country.
● - Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt
 ● Outlaw​; the real deal. These guys invented the country themes; heartache,
loss, being broke, depressed, lonely and/or in jail. Third and Fourth
generation Country with no fancy band or artist names; just
straight-forward actual names with lots of "N"s and "L"s.
● - Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Hank
Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell, Leon
Russell
● Traditional​; the realer deal. Country for the sake of true
mountain/southern expression. Hard workin' white trash sadness and hard
times with an occasionally poppy feel later in the genre. Third and Fourth
generation Country with lots of steel guitar twang, dobro, wailing fiddle and
soft yet straight-forward 4/4 back beats that keep audiences clappin' on 1
and 3.
● - Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Porter Wagoner, Kenny Rogers, George
Jones, Tanya Tucker, Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton

● Western;​ Out on the range/prairie. Cowboy music of the American

Frontier Mostly campfire sing-alongs with little to no percussion. Bouncy
rhythms reminiscent of horse galloping. Mostly second generation Country
and frequently named a group belonging to an individual.
● - Jean Shepard, Kitty Wells, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Skeets McDonald, Bob
Wills & His Texas Playboys, Curly Williams and His Georgia Peach
Pickers, Hank Penny and His Rodeo Cowboys, Leon McAuliffe and His
Western Swing Band, Noel Boggs and His Day Sleepers, Tex Williams and
His Western Caravan, Jack Guthrie and His Oklahomans, Milton Brown
and His Brownies, Johnnie Lee Willis and His Boys

Electronica:

● Acid Breaks; u ​ tilizes breakbeats and sampling of small rhythmic grooves

to create longer song patterns. It is not a complete sentence explaining how
acid reacts when dropped on the floor. - ​Zak Baney, DJ Icey, K-Swing,
NAPT, Vigi, The Sables, Rozalla, C2C
● Aggrotech;​ darker lyrics than most electronica, using high-mixed
synth/saw leads and aggressive bass frequency oscillation. ​- Lights of
Euphoria, Alien Vampires, Amduscia, Cenobita, Unter Null
● Ambient​; emphasizes atmosphere and overall tone over song structure.
Mood music.... if you're in the mood to feel ambient.
● - Etro Anime, Sneaker Pimps, Ceasefire, Aphex Twin, Kinobe, Halcyon
● Coldwave;​ sort of industrial, electronic, punk. Angst ridden and
aggressive, yet nebulous and icy in it’s emotional exposition. Often
 politically or socially oriented; and usually in an irreverent manner. ​-
Artefact, Jacno, Museum of Devotion, Pavilion 7B
● Drone;​ minimalistic, repetitive, clustered patterns sustained throughout a
piece with few, if any, alterations to chord/harmonic structure. Imagine a
100′ diameter, futuristic, spherical, steel eyeball floating around a city. The
sound that would make? That’s drone. ​- Faust, Neu!, Phil Niblock, Yoshi
Wada
● Dubstep​; characterized by sub-bass frequency oscillation and warbling
along with broken beats, syncopation and "the drop". If you don't like it
you're obviously too old.
● - Skrillex, Plastician, Magnetic Man, Nero, Deadmau5, Skream
● Electronicore;​ electronic metalcore. There. make sense? A lot of
sequencing, auto-tuning and screaming. Angry and “in-your-face” lyrics and
breakbeats that figuratively knock your teeth out. But sometimes literally. -
Abandon All Ships, Palisades, Himwaterdragon, Fall Emotions, Eskimo
Callboy
● Electropop;​ Electronic music more accepted by the masses and general
public. Deep, grinding electronic tones, frequencies and breakbeats coupled
with more pop-friendly vocals and lyrics. Usually fronted by a female. ​- Elly
Jackson, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Perfume
● Grime;​ sort of a dirty, wet-floor, smoke-in-the-air, acrid B.O. type of
Jungle or grimey-House music. Not music that might be played in a grimey
house; but House music that is also grimey. ​- Boy Better Know, Ghetts,
Kano, Newham Generals, Ruff Squad, Skepta
● House​; a style of electronic dance music that grew from disco production
and reggae beats. Don't know why it's called "House". Maybe it just sounded
cool.
● - Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, MARRS, Sonique, Dirty Vegas
● Techno​; a form of EDM synthesizing funk, jazz, African rhythms and a
general party-type atmosphere. This music is often directly from the future
or outerspace.
● - Arab Strap, Rednex, Technotronic, LeClick, Culture Beat, Rozalla
● Trance​; repetition repetition repetition. Beats between 125 and 140 with
lots of repetition. Melodic themes slowly layer and build to climaxes and
then, you guessed it, repeat.
● - Life on Mars, Enigma, Blue States, B12, Craig Armstrong, Air

● Trip Hop;​ a more experimental style of electronic music that utilizes soul,
funk, jazz, and blues forms. Sometimes danceable. Sometimes commercial.
But always 100% hip-hop/ambient/soul/jazz/acid/dub/electronica. Or
something...
 ● - Moby, Bossa Nostra, Fatboy Slim, Vanja Lazarova, Seph, Electric Chairs

Folk:

● American Roots​; 1800s' pre-Country acoustic. Not as upbeat as

bluegrass. More akin to Mountain ballads stemming from Irish/Scottish
roots in the Appalachian Mountains of the USA.
● - The Civil Wars, Mac Wiseman, Pete Seeger, The Wallin Family, Bass
Mountain Boys, The Chuck Wagon Gang
● Folk Pop​; softer than folk rock. Folk music that people actually like while
sober.
● - John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, Don McLean, Leonard Cohen, Sonny
and Cher, Partridge Family
● Folk Rock;​ slightly heavier than Folk Pop. Somewhat more
instrument-based yet audience-friendly.
● - Dave Matthews Band, Indigo Girls, Joan Osborne, Mumford & Sons, KT
Tunstall, Suzanne Vega

● Jam;​ 20 minute dual guitar solos while singer stands, looking at the stage
floor, head-bobbing slightly using the microphone stand to keep from falling
over. Best enjoyed while under the influence of some sort of psychotropic
substance. If sober, turn around and watch the crowd. Usually pretty fun
shows but pretty boring albums.
● - The Grateful Dead, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Phish, Sister Hazel, The
Pat McGee Band

Jazz:

● Acid Jazz;​ Jazz....on acid. Or with acid poured over it. I can't quite figure
out which but there's definitely some form of actual acid involved and it's
likely more potent than lactic or citric. Plus "acid" is a really cool word. Even
cooler than "house".
● - Exodus Quartet; Medeski, Martin & Wood; DJ Logic, Count Basie, Quiet
Boys, Rad
● Bebop;​ up-tempo, exemplifying instrumental mastery while not actually
showing off. Lots of improvisation and elements that leant themselves
eventually to the progressive rock styles; unison melodies, shrink/grow
rhythm backings, solo breaks, etc.
● - Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell
Trio
● Big Band;​ larger than a small band. Incorporating strong brass,
woodwinds and dominant percussion throughout. Typically more happy
and bouncy. And big.
● - Squirrel Nut Zippers, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Duke Ellington,
Chickenhawks, Benny Goodman
● Jazz Funk​; more of a solid back-beat groove than other jazz styles. Makes
use of synthesizers and analog tone generation. More groove than pure jazz
but more jazz than pure funk.
● - Wynton Marsalis, Grover Washington, The Whitefield Brothers, The Woo
Woos, Entourage, Joe Augustine
● Jazz Fusion​; sort of Progressive Jazz. Fuses jazz with other styles like
funk, R&B, rock, etc. "Fuse" is a cool jazzy sounding word. Almost as cool as
"acid".
● - Plunge, Soulive, Tom Scott, Weather Report, Manhattan Transfer, Niacin
● Latin Jazz​; exactly that. Utilizes latin beats and rhythms along with
multiple and various percussion-centric structures. Incorporates anything
from Bolero to Rhumba but doesn't quite "fuse" them.....I guess....
● - Acoustic Alchemy, Gare Du Nord, Yutaka, Mas Mamones, Kim Pensyl, Al
Di Meola, Brasilia
● Ragtime​; socially and chronologically bridged the gap between classical
and jazz. Strong syncopated rhythms and metric patterns pulled from
African-American music from the early 20th Century. Primarily piano
based.
● - Scott Joplin, Gene Austin, Ernest Hogan, Dorsey Brothers, Nora Bayes,
Ted Lewis
● Smooth Jazz;​ the music you listen to when you're winding down after a
hard day of yoga classes and meditation. Relaxation akin to whale sounds
and trickling rivers.
● - Yellowjackets, Kenny G, Where There's Smoke, J. Spencer, Ricky Ford,
Dave Koz
● Soft Jazz​; see Smooth Jazz, but softer. Imagine winding down after a day
of winding down after a day of yoga classes and...... you get the picture.
● - Mark Baldwin, Victor Goines, Ziggy Elfman, Eric Darken, Pat Coil, Phil
Woods
● Traditional Jazz​; music for music's sake. The guys who originally broke
the rules and continue to do so. They even broke the rules of jazz itself with
their category name; since "Traditional Jazz" is itself oxymoronic.
● - Dave Brubeck, Lord Buckley, Diana Krall, Al Jolson, Elmer Bernstein,
Chick Webb
 ● Vocal Jazz;​ not all scat and beedoppadoops. The voice as an instrument.
Focus on virtuosity of the voice and expression through vocal timbre and
fluidity. The best ones were female. Sorry, Louis.
● - Nina Simone, Etta James, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ethel Waters,
Nat King Cole

Metal:

● Avant-Garde Metal​; the weird crap. The stuff that people either love or
hate. Typically not as talented as the Progressive guys, but less heavy and
hardcore than the pure metal guys.
● - System of a Down, Faith No More, Buckethead, King Crimson, Sikth,
Intronaut
● Black Metal; s​ imilar​ ​to death metal, but slightly more atmospheric and
extreme. These guys wear skull face-paint and dress like dead demons and
other scary stuff. Lo-fi recordings with tremolo guitar and screeching,
wailing vocals atop fast tempos/beats and low, thrumming bass. ​-Aurora
Borealis, Behemoth, Setherial, Satanic Slaughter, Noctuary, Watain,
Ethereal Woods
● Classic Metal​; where it all started. The first down-tuned, high-action riffs
building from the oppressive industrial age in mid-century Great Britain.
And the need to kick ass following all that rockabilly crap.
● - Scorpions, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Rainbow, Iron
Butterfly, Motörhead
● Death Metal;​ metal about death. Or metal that sounds like it's dying or
killing. Lots of blast beats and atonalities. Fast double-bass drums and
down-tuned guitars. Screaming and growling. These guys don't play too
many Bar Mitzvahs.
● - Napalm Death, Abysmal Dawn, Mortification, Dethklok, Fleshgore,
Beneath the Massacre
● Doom Metal​; like death metal but more ominous using slower tempos and
more atmospheric tones. Lyrics are typically depressing and morose and
will leave you feeling like killing yourself.
● - Thergothon, Orodruin, The Hidden Hand, Mindrot, The Obsessed,
Unholy, Witchfinder General
● Funk Metal;​ relatively self-explanatory. Metal, with some funk. Or funk
with a heavier vibe. Heavy crunchy; yet funky and danceable; grooves. Slap
bass and wah-wah guitar often rear their heads. Tightly tuned snare drums
and snappy bass drums with a lot of emphasis on the hi-hat; usually.
-​Infectious Grooves, Living Colour, Mordred, Primus, Fishbone, Mind
Funk
● Glam Metal​; all about glitz and glamour. Make-up, hair-spray, tight red
leather pants and ripped-off blues riffs. I love it.
● - Poison, Whitesnake, Ratt, Def Leppard, Great White, Bon Jovi, Saigon
Kick
● Goth Metal;​ somewhat of a horror theme pervades this category. Often
times skull makeup or zombie/vampire/werewolf themes will be prevalent.
Names often include prepositions.
● - In This Moment, Cradle of Filth, Within Temptation, Motionless In White,
Theatre of Tragedy, Agathodaimon
● Industrial Metal​; more digital sound than raw analog metal. Sometimes
just one or two guys doing it all. Can become over-commercialized due to
it's attainability by the masses.
● - Rob Zombie, Front Line Assembly, God Lives Underwater, Skinny Puppy,
NIN, Filter, The Union Underground
● Jazz Metal​; metal with an air of pretense. Not as esoteric as Avant-Garde
Metal and more artsy than Funk Metal. Elements of Jazz like improvisation
and off-kilter chord structures prevail. -​Conflux, Gru, Sithu Aye, Shining,
Naked City
● Metalcore​; growling, screaming and yelling. Angry people reside here;
somewhere between extreme metal and hardcore punk. Hey
wait.....Metalpunk? no....Extrard? no.....Punkstreme? no. Metalcore! There.
That works.
● - SOiL, Drowning Pool, Biohazard, The Agonist, Trivium, Helmet
● Neoclassical Metal; t​ hese guys would be composing for their respective
local monarchs had they lived 200 years ago. This is metal with classical
tendencies, but not necessarily classical instrumentation. Mostly guitar
virtuosos hang out here. Their bands are typically comprised of musical
over-achievers who don’t quite have what it takes to be fully progressive.
-​Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Timmo Tolkki, Joshua Perahia, Marty
Friedman
● Nu Metal;​ guys who use digital production techniques and a more refined
sound. Good hardcore stuff, but not raw and dirty. Often have numbers in
their names.
● - Korn, 10 Years, 3 Days Grace, 30 Seconds To Mars, Breaking Benjamin,
Shinedown, Sevendust, Finger Eleven
● Power Metal;​ metal that combines the powerful elements of classic metal,
speed metal and a bit of symphonic metal for added drama. These guys are
in your face but not in a Death/Doom/Black Metal way. There’s more life
and less death here. Not always happy, but driven and motivational.
-​Alestorm, Powerwolf, Metal Church, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Helloween
 ● Progressive Metal;​ - Heavy, yet classical virtuosity runs rampant.
Complex orchestrations and thematic derivatives abound. Their album
covers are usually pretty Dungeons & Dragons-esque.
● -Dream Theater, Symphony X, Nevermore, Shadow Gallery, Tool, Pain of
Salvation, Iced Earth
● Rap Metal​; Pretty self-explanatory. Combines rap and metal.
● - Linkin Park, P.O.D., Kid Rock, Rage Against The Machine, Papa Roach,
Crazy Town, Limp Bizkit
● Sleaze Metal​; akin to Glam Metal, but with more grime. More about sex
and drugs in the deviant and slimy way. Not really about partying, but about
the actual sex and drugs. More leather and fringe than hairspray and
makeup. Though you will find some makeup. -​Billy Idol, Guns ’n’ Roses,
Skid Row, Mötley Crüe
● Sludge Metal;​ usually has a somewhat dirtier, grimier feel to it. Slower
deep-tuned crunchy riffs and distortion. Sometimes screaming and growling
mixed with somewhat southern rock feeling styles. Themes include
pessimism, hopelessness, anger.
● - Black Label Society, Rollins Band, Mastodon, Corrosion of Conformity,
Haste, Soilent Green, Eyehategod
● Speed Metal;​ exactly that. Speed. Even the band names are so fast they
only use one word.
● - Helloween, Overkill, Impellitteri, Cranium, Atomkraft, Annihilator,
Sodom, Kreator, Gravedigger
● Symphonic Metal​; - again, pretty self-explanatory. Metal guys don't like
to waste time with esoteric nomenclature like "Trip Hop" or "Bluegrass".
● - After Forever, Dimmu Borgir, Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Seraphim,
Interfector, Ayreon
● Thrash Metal​; the guys you likely know best. The original Bay-Area
metalheads themselves.
● - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Sepultura, Pantera, Slayer, Metal Church,
Exodus, Testament

● Viking Metal​; metal having to do with Vikings (mostly lyrically.); whom

are likely the most "metal" culture in the history of the world.
● - Mortiis, Heidevolk, Hel, Turisas, Wolfchant, Grand Magus, Borknagar

Orchestral:

● Broadway;​ the music that's played during those plays on Broadway in

NYC. ​- Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ
Superstar
● Classical​; the dominant Western music from 1750 to 1830.
 ● - (composers) Antonin Dvořák, Claude Debussy, Franz Schubert, Hector
Berlioz, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Mozart, Frédéric Chopin
● - (performers) Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Wollenberg, Lang Lang, Andre Rieu, The
London Philharmonic, Woody Phillips
● Movie Scores​; the music that's played during those movies you watch
sometimes. Either in NYC or elsewhere.
● - Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump); Danny Elfman
(Batman, Beetlejuice, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure); James Horner (Titanic,
Braveheart); John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws,
Jurassic Park, Superman); Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Rock); Harold
Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills Cop, Fletch, Top Gun)
● New Age;​ the music you listen to during your hard day of yoga classes and
meditation.
● - Andreas Wollenweider, Jordan Rudess, Turin Brakes, Yanni, Gordon
Hempton

● Vocal​; the vocal instrument applied to the rigors of Classical

instrumentation
● - Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman, Luciano Pavarotti, Il
Divo, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Pop:

● Adult Contemporary​; a fancy name for the lame music your parents
probably listened to. Mostly maudlin tunes about the lives and thoughts of
privileged, white, middle-aged hipsters.
● - Anne Murray, Barry Manilow, Wilson Phillips, Neil Diamond, Carly
Simon
● Beat Pop​; the British invasion of back-beat driven pop icons of the late 50s
and early 60s. Most bands are "The" something.
● - The Beatles, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Kingsmen, The Turtles, The Byrds,
The Cuff Links, The Hollies, The Newbeats, The Left Banke, The Zombies,
Gunhill Road
● Dance Pop​; the popular music to dance to. Not as counter-culture as
EDM, but slightly heavier than Bubble Gum Pop; which I didn't list as a
category.
● - Bananarama, Billy Ocean, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Debbie Gibson, EMF,
Will to Power, Tiffany
● Disco;​ formed from funk, psychedelic and soul; this style rebelled against
the rock music of the day in a more visceral, primal way. All about body
movement, dancing and the human spectacle, it stole colorful clothing and
drugs from the Hippies, up-beat driven rhythms from the Beatniks and
 combined them in a sexy, seductive libido-based production praising dance
and expressive human life. It is currently "dead".
● - ABBA, The Bee Gees, The Village People, KC & The Sunshine Band, Gloria
Gaynor, Lipps Inc.
● Doo Wop​; yet another mainstream derivative of African-American music,
doo wop uses more nonsensical phrases and sounds to emphasize harmony
and melody over lyrical substance. These names also are often "The"
something.
● - The Dominoes, The Platters, The Tune-Weavers, The Casinos, The
Dreamlovers, The Passions, The Penguins, The Rivieras, The Esquires, Bob
& Earl.
● Indie Pop​; somewhat contradictory, the emphasis on self-reliance and the
whole DIY perspective is exploited to assure popularity and mainstream
success. But somehow it works.
● - The Ting Tings, Fine Young Cannibals, Nil Lara, Karry Walker, Sundays,
Hang Ups
● Latin Pop;​ exactly that. Pop with better beats and more complex rhythms
that actually force you to dance even if you are unwilling.
● - Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Pit Bull, Shakira, Miami Sound Machine,
Lou Bega
● Pop Rock;​ slightly edgier pop. Or slightly more commercialized rock. Take
your pick.
● - Fiona Apple, Jewel, Avril Lavigne, Natalie Imbruglia, Eric Carmen,
Maroon 5
● Power Pop;​ high production music for the sake of performance.
● - Journey, Rick Springfield, Survivor, Duran Duran, Huey Lewis & The
News, Go-Gos, Cutting Crew, The B52s
● Surf Pop;​ the music you listen to while watching people surf. Somehow
this style became separate from other closely related similar styles and is
audibly evident in every group it houses.
● - The Ventures, The Beach Boys, The Surfaris, Jan and Dean, The
Rip-Chords, Dick Dale
● Synthpop;​ like power pop, but with the emphasis on synthesizers.
● - Tears For Fears, OMD, Herbie Hancock, When In Rome, Falco, Dead or
Alive, Thomas Dolby

● Traditional Pop;​ the crooners. The original pop vocalists whose

reputations continue to dazzle and impress. The Rat Pack. The Vegas
Lounge Lizards. No, those aren't band names.
 ● - Perry Como, Wayne Newton, Tom Jones, Bobby Vinton, Frank Sinatra,
Mel Torme

R&B:

● Alternative Hip Hop​; Hip Hop that doesn't quite fit the mold of standard
R&B. Somewhat left of center and progressive by R&B standards.
● - Outkast, Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, Wu-Tang Clan, Jadakiss, N.E.R.D.,
Insane Clown Posse
● Funk​; emphasis on rhythm and groove rather than melody and harmony.
Chords aren't as important as the bass line underneath them or the drum
beat behind them.
● - The Brothers Johnson, Commodores, Kool & The Gang, George Clinton &
the P-Funk All Stars, Curtis Mayfield
● Neo Soul;​ Soul, but newer. Neo is just a cool word for "new". Though not
as cool as "acid". OOH!!! Acid Soul! Is that a genre?! If it isn't then it should
be.
● - Jamiroquai, Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera,
Terence Trent d'Arby
● New Jack Swing;​ "Neo Jack Swing" would sound pretentious and the
R&B genre is anything but pretentious. And "Acid Jack Swing" would sound
like drug or sex slang. These guys combined Urban Contemporary beats and
Dance Pop composition to create a very catchy sound that showcased a lot of
soulful melodies and harmonies. This was "The bomb" in the late '80s and
early '90s.
● - Boyz II Men, Bel Biv DeVoe, En Vogue, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince,
New Edition, Kid 'n' Play, MC Hammer, Paula Abdul
● Rap;​ talking. mostly. Though talking very well and rhyming with complex
rhythms and rhyme schemes on top of looped beats and melody lines.
● - Eminem, Cypress Hill, Timbaland, Snoop Dogg, Grandmaster Flash,
Digital Underground, Ludacris, Beastie Boys
● Soul​; the s%*t that makes you wanna f%*k.
● - Teddy Pendergrass, The Righteous Brothers, Lionel Richie, Aaron
Neville, Hall & Oates, Luther Vandross, John Legend

● Urban Contemporary​; a combination of EDM, Reggae, Dance Pop, Soul

and Rap that creates a very broad range of styles and expressions.
● - Usher, Nikki Minaj, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, Trey Songz,
Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Flo-Rida, Drake

Reggae:
 ● Dancehall​; Jamaican pop that strips down Reggae to the most crucial
dance vibes necessary, though it added more digital instrumentation and
faster rhythms.
● - Leonard Dillon, Toots Hibbert, Wailing Souls, Ebony Steelband, Aswad,
Big Mountain
● Dub;​ mostly instrumental remixes of existing Reggae recordings.
● - Third World, Black Uhuru, Yellowman, Sly & Robbie, Freddie McGregor
● Ragga;​ primarily electronic Reggae. Slower and more laid back than
Dancehall, but more produced and digitized than Roots.
● - Steel Pulse, Trinidad Steel Drum Band, Inner Circle, Desmond Williams,
Lasana Bandelé, Joe Higgs

● Roots;​ spiritual Rastafarian expression of life and experiences. Primal, raw

and unmistakably catchy.
● - Bob Marley & The Wailers, Greyhound, Dhaima, Crucial Vibes, Kojak &
Liza, Shorty the President

Rock:

● Alternative​; not quite squeezed into the "Rock" definition, but not quite
squeezed out of it either.
● - Soul Asylum, U2, The Wallflowers, Jesus Jones, Beck, Toad the Wet
Sprocket
● Americana​; the music about the working class. The hopes and dreams of
the free American people. Driving rock that you can hear in bars and
stadiums alike.
● - Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, The Traveling Wilburys, John
Mellencamp, Tom Petty, John Fogerty
● Art Rock;​ slightly skewed but still rock. More experimental and "out
there". Costumes are common. As is make-up and characterization.
● - David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Velvet Underground,
Radiohead, Incubus, Talking Heads
● Classic Rock;​ the original rockers. If you haven't heard of these guys you
haven't heard of Rock.
● - Led Zeppelin, The Who, Steve Miller Band, Queen, Eagles, Fleetwood
Mac, The Rolling Stones, The Troggs
● College Rock​; rock for the sake of getting laid in college. These guys
pandered to the more sensitive female audience, thereby creating the
necessity for the male audience to like them as well. Typically pretty stupid
and nonsensical sounding names.
● - Vertical Horizon, Iffy, Counting Crows, Hoobastank, Goo Goo Dolls,
Fastball, Dishwalla, Hootie & The Blowfish, Matchbox 20, Emmet
Swimming
● Dark Wave​; slightly more despondent and depressed. More morose and
well......dark.
● - The Church, The Cure, Blue October, Depeche Mode, The Stone Roses, Joy
Division
● Funk Rock​; pretty self-explanatory.
● - Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Spin Doctors, 311, Mother's Finest, Tina &
The B-side Movement
● Grunge;​ these guys killed Glam Metal. But it was already beginning to
show signs of weakness. <sigh accompanied by single tear> This music
stripped away all image and pretense and left us with guys who were just
good enough at their instrument to still allow every high-school boy in
America to be able to play along...... to all their pretty songs......and shoot his
gun.
● - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Garbage, L7,
Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots, Local H, Love Battery, The Melvins
● Hard Rock​; not Classic. But not Soft. Or Grungy. Just hard. Though not as
hard as Metal. So maybe really hard wood or stone. Yeah that's it. Hard
Rock.
● - Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, Midnight Oil, Pat Benatar, Billy Squier,
Drivin' 'N' Cryin', Loverboy
● Indie Rock;​ rock that does it's own thing despite what the industry tells it
to do.
● - R.E.M., Florence + The Machine, Monks Of Doom, The Connells, Cake,
Juliette & The Licks, They Might Be Giants
● New Wave;​ more frenetic and impulsive than former rock, disco and
punk. More guitar licks and rhythms that didn't just sit you down and leave
you there. Somewhat electronic and experimental. Some might say, "new".
● - INXS, The Police, Crowded House, Spandau Ballet, Oingo Boingo, Shiny
Toy Guns, Corey Hart
● Post-Grunge​; came after grunge, and was slightly more produced than
grunge, but still held on to some of that Grunge angst that made it so
successful.
● - Stone Sour, Ugly Kid Joe, Hinder, Collective Soul, Nickelback, Flyleaf,
Candlebox, Godsmack
● Progressive Rock;​ the overly talented musicians that only cater to other
musicians. Everyone in the crowd is male, plays an instrument, and knows
every musical nuance of every song by heart.
 ● - Bozzio, Levin, Stevens; Rush; Meatloaf; Styx; Frank Zappa;
Mullmuzzler; Genesis; Kansas; Umphrey's McGee
● Psychedelic Rock​; quirky, drugged out hysterical nonsense rock with a
lot of outward expression against normalcy. Fun shows that led to a lot of
deaths; by drug and alcohol consumption; and pregnancies......by drug and
alcohol consumption.
● - Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Doors, Quicksilver Messenger
Service, Moody Blues, Sopwith Camel, Vanilla Fudge, Donovan
● Punk;​ the rebels who hated society and weren't afraid to let it be known.
They'd bleed on stage, rip off their clothes and surf the crowd naked, dump
buckets of sweat and other bodily fluids on the crowd while screaming and
railing against authority and tradition. Oh and they sometimes held
instruments too.
● - Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, Ramones, Iggy & The Stooges, The Clash,
American Hi-Fi
● Rockabilly​; what some call the original Rock & Roll. A combination of
hillbilly and rock containing a western swing and a bouncing party vibe.
With elements of piano-based Jump Blues and electric boogie woogie, it
made it's mark on the music scene indelibly. Almost everyone's named
contained a "Y".
● - Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Tommy Sands, Johnny Rivers,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddy Cannon, Chubby Checker, Little Richard
● Ska​; rock with horns. This provided all those high school kids who chose to
play brass in the school band a way to be cool... For about 18 months in the
late '90s.
● - No Doubt, Fighting Gravity, Dispatch, Blue Meanies, Toots & The
Maytals, Jack Friday
● Soft Rock;​ the rock you listen to on the radio when driving to your yoga or
meditation class.
● - Traffic, Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Kim Carnes, Gerry
Rafferty

● Southern Rock;​ rock from the south. Lots of twang and rough gravelly
vocals mixed with two-step rhythms that keep audiences head-bobbin' and
wavin' confederate flags. When "Free Bird" is yelled at one of these shows, it
will be played.
● - Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Blackfoot, Pride & Glory, Molly Hatchet,
The Georgia Satellites

World:​ (please forgive my American/Euro-Centric categorizations. And please don't be

offended if I've misplaced something that you feel should go elsewhere; in all the previous
categories or in the following geographic generalizations. These are mostly all regional folk
or traditional music of general locations named accordingly, and just those that I am
familiar with and like. I know full well that many and various styles and cultures exist within
the overall regions I’ve specified here.)

● African
● - Zap Mama, Zwabesho Sibisi, Eleja Choir, Turtle Island String Quartet,
Habib Koité and Bamada, Coco Lee
● Middle Eastern
● - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; Kaila Flexer; Ilhan Ersahin; Ighigou Haile;
S-Tone, Inc.
● Asian
● - Liu Huan, Yungchen Lhamo, Itsuki No Komoriuta, Bhoora Singh and
Party, Hoang Vuy, Imperial Household Orchestra
● Eastern European
● - Goralska Orkestra, Stephanya G. Penchevya, Nikollë Nikprelaj,
Raderman Beckerman Orchestra, Efta Botoca, Petrică Paşca
● Irish/Celtic/Gaelic
● - Loreena McKennitt, Michael O'Suilleabhain, The Pogues, Enya, The
Chieftains, The Tannahill Weavers, Wolfstone
● Island
● - Sean Na'auao, Les Tamaru, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Andi Thakambau,
Lord Composer, Kealoha Kono
● Latin/Hispanic
● - Ruben Blades, Tu Abandono, Adam Del Monte, Brian Keane, Elvis
Crespo, Los Umbrellos
● Mediterranean
● - Triki Triki, Stellákis Perpiniádhis, La Nina Del Los Peines, Márkos
Vamvakáris, Effisio Melis, Marika Kanaropoulou

● Scandinavian
● - Värttinä, Hållbus Totte Mattson, Arto Järvelä, Gjallarhorn, Angelit,
Annbjørg Lien, Sari Kaasinen