List of styles of music: A–F


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  • Bachata – an Afro-Dominican style waltz, consisting of despairing and romantic ballads, popular among Dominican artists.
  • Baggy – the main music style of the Madchester scene that incorporates the psychedelic elements of acid house (particularly its deep bassline) into alternative rock.
  • 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 music style significantly influenced by rock and roll that acted as a reaction against the slick, overproduced Nashville sound.
  • Baila – a Sri Lankan style that began among the Afro-Sinhalese (or Kariff) community.
  • Baisha xiyue – an orchestral Chinese style used by the Naxi people that is 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 – a style of house music that originated from the Balearic Islands.
  • Balkan brass – a Serbian music style made by soldiers that combined military brass with folk music.
  • Ballad – 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 – a specific style of French classical music created to accompany the ballet dance.
  • Baltimore club – a music style originated from Baltimore that combines hip hop music, breakbeat, and house music.

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  • Beach music – Californian genre from the 1950s that combined elements of all popular genres at the time, particularly big band and shag jazz.
  • Beat music – a style of rock and roll developed in the United Kingdom characterized by its strong, driving beat that emphasizes all the beats of a 4/4 bar; unlike British rock and roll, beat music was seen as being musically on par with American rock and roll and found success in the United States following the British Invasion.
  • Beatboxing – a capella music created to emulate hip hop beats.
  • Beatlesque – artists who musically resemble the Beatles, such as Electric Light Orchestra, Oasis, and many power pop bands.
  • Beautiful music – term of endearment for various easy listening genres.
  • Bebop – a fast-paced style of jazz popular in the 1940s and 1950s that replaced the dance-oriented swing music; known for its complex chord progressions, instrumental virtuosity, and the predominant role of the rhythm section.
  • Beguine/Biguine – a style from French territory in the Caribbean, Martinique island and precursor of jazz.
  • Beiguan music – a 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.
  • Beneventan chantplainsong originated from Benevento.
  • Benga music – Kenyan popular music based on Luo and Kikuyu folk music.
  • Bent edge
  • Berlin School of electronic music – heavily experimental electronic music that acted as a more avant-garde style of Krautrock and inspired ambient and New Age music.
  • Bhajan – Hindu religious music.
  • Bhangra – a popular style of Punjabi dance music that uses western instruments along with traditional Punjabi instruments; named after the dance of the same name.
  • Bhangragga – a fusion of bhangra, reggae and dancehall.

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  • Brass – music performed with brass instruments, prior to the advent of jazz.
  • Breakbeat – a style of electronic dance music built on previously recorded breaks.
  • Breakbeat hardcore – a fusion of breakbeat and acid house.
  • Breakcore – a fast and frantic style of breakbeat influenced by hardcore and industrial music that is known for its intentionally diverse range of samples.
  • Breakstep
  • Brega – a genre of Brazilian popular music.
  • Breton – folk music of Brittany, France, known for its use of woodwind.
  • Brill Building Sound – a distinct style of pop music developed in the Brill Building using Tin Pan Alley songwriting.
  • Brit funk – funk performed by British musicians, often influenced by soul, jazz, and Caribbean music.
  • Britpop – British alternative rock from the 1990s that subverted the depressing themes of the then-popular grunge movement in favor of jangly, optimistic music with lyrics often touching on the themes of partying and working class life. Despite its name, it is rarely viewed as a style of pop music.
  • British blues – a style of electric blues developed by British musicians.
  • British folk rock – associated with the folk revival of the 1960s, British folk rock tends to use modern, often electric, instruments alongside or in place of traditional and acoustic folk instruments.
  • British Invasion – refers to a period where British musicians, primarily of the beat music movement along with some pop acts, became popular in America during the 1960s.
  • British hip hophip hop music originating from the United Kingdom.
  • British rhythm and bluesrhythm and blues (as in the blues style) originating from the United Kingdom; usually more guitar driven than its original form.
  • British rock musicrock music originating from the United Kingdom.
  • British rock and rollrock and roll originating from the United Kingdom; commonly viewed as being an inferior version of its original counterpart, its popularity was almost completely replaced by the much more lively beat music.
  • Broken beat – a style of breakbeat 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 soulsoul music performed by Latinos.
  • Brukdown – Belizean music inspired by European harmonies, African rhythms, and the call-and-response format.
  • Bubblegum pop – pop music known for its simplicity, happy and cute lyrics, and emphasis on image rather than substance.
  • Buddhist music
  • Bullerengue – a style of Colombian music with African rhythms and chants.
  • Bikutsi – Cameroonian EDM, originating in the Beti community.
  • Bulerías – fast-paced flamenco music.
  • Bunraku – Japanese folk music often played at puppet theaters.
  • Burger-highlife – a style of highlife played by Ghanaian-Germans.
  • Burgundian School – a 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 music – Greek music performed during the age of the Byzantine Empire; known for its ecclesiastical form (i.e. chants).

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  • 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 – a fusion of kadans and calypso.
  • Cadence rampa – an upbeat style of kadans.
  • Cải lương – modern Vietnamese folk opera.
  • Cajun music – a style of American folk music developed by the Cajun people of Louisiana.
  • Cakewalk
  • Calinda – Trinidadian folk music played during practices of the martial art of the same name.
  • Čalgija – Macedonian folk style.
  • Calypso music – a Trinidadian popular music genre inspired by both African (via Kaiso) and French styles and is known for its lyrics dealing with the racist oppression of native Trinidadians at the time.
  • Calypso-style baila – a fusion of baila and calypso.
  • Campursari – Indonesian fusion genre, combining several folk styles with pop music.
  • Can Can
  • Canadian bluesblues performed by Canadians.
  • Candombe – a 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 – a group of British avant-garde, progressive rock, and jazz fusion musicians based in the English city of Canterbury, Kent.
  • Cantiñas – an upbeat style 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.
  • Cantu a tenore – Sardinian style of polyphonic folk singing.
  • Canzone Napoletana – Italian music sung in Neapolitan.
  • Cape Breton fiddling – a Celtic style of fiddle playing.
  • Capoeira music – Brazilian music played during performances of the martial art of the same name.
  • Carimbó – music and dance from the northeast of Brazil.
  • Cariso – Trinidadian folk music, often considered an early form of calypso.
  • Carnatic music – 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.
  • Carnavalito
  • Cha-cha-cha – Cuban folk music.
  • Chacarera – Argentinian folk and dance music.
  • Chakacha – music of the Swahili people of Kenya and Tanzania.
  • Chalga – a fusion of Bulgarian etno-pop and dance music with Eastern and Arab elements, popular in Southern Bulgaria.
  • Chamamé – a style of Argentinian, Paraguayan, Mesopotamian, and Brazilian folk music.
  • Chamarrita – a style of Argentinian and Uruguayan folk music.
  • Chamber music – classical music performed for a small audience by a small orchestra.
  • Chamber jazz – a fusion of chamber and jazz music.
  • Chamber pop – a style of indie pop that incorporates elements of orchestral pop (particularly its usage of an orchestra) in order to recreate the sounds of baroque pop.
  • 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 – a fusion of charanga, vallenata, and salsa.
  • Charikawi – music accompanying the dance of the same name of the Garifuna people.
  • Charleston (dance)
  • Chastushka – humorous and fast-paced Russian and Ukrainian folk music.
  • Chầu văn – a downtempo, trance-inducing style of Vietnamese folk music.

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  • Chèo – a style of musical theater performed by Vietnamese peasants.
  • Chicano rockrock music (often either a form of rock and roll or a style of Latin rock) performed by Mexican-Americans. May or not be considered a form of rock en español, depending on whether the lyrics are sung in English or Spanish.
  • Children's music – any music (mostly folk music) marketed towards children.
  • Chicago bluesblues performed by Chicago inhabitants; considered the first form of electric blues.
  • Chicago househouse music performed by Chicago inhabitants; considered the first form of house music.
  • Chicago soul – soul music performed by Chicago inhabitants.
  • Chicken scratch – a fusion of Native American, White American, Mexican, and European styles, performed by the Native American Tohono O'odham people.
  • Chill-out music – any music with a slow tempo designed to calm people after raves; originally a synonymous term for ambient house.
  • 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.

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  • Chula – dance and music genre which originated in Portugal.
  • Chumba – a folk and dance style of the Garifuna people of West Africa.
  • Church music
  • Chut-kai-pang – a fusion of chutney, calypso, and parang.
  • Chutney music – Caribbean pop music that fuses calypso and cadence with several Indian styles.
  • Chutney Soca – a fusion of chutney and soca music.

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  • Crabcore
  • Creole musicfolk music developed by the Louisiana Creole people.
  • Cretan – Greek folk music performed by inhabitants of the island of Crete.
  • Crossover thrash – a fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk.
  • Crunk – known for its heavy basslines and shouted, call-and-response vocals.
  • Crunkcore – a fusion of crunk and screamo.
  • Crust punk – a 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 – Argentinian, Chilean, and Bolivian styles.
  • Cumbia – a 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 Aires.
  • Currulao
  • Cyber Metal
  • Czech bluegrassBluegrass music performed by Czech musicians.

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  • Dabke – Arabic folk dance music, often played at weddings.
  • Dadra – light vocal style of Hindustani classical music, originating from the Bundelkhand region.
  • Daina – Latvian folk music.
  • Daina – Lithuanian folk music.
  • Dance music – any music designed to make the listener dance.
  • Dance-pop – a danceable style of pop music that contains post-disco rhythms.
  • Dance-punk – a danceable style of post-punk and a form of electronic rock that contains disco rhythms.
  • Dance-rock – a fusion of post-disco and post-punk; usually contains post-punk instrumentation and post-disco rhythms.
  • Dancehall – Jamaican pop music that abandons reggae's roots influences for a slicker, EDM-inspired production.
  • Dangdut – melodic and heavily optimistic style of Indonesian pop.
  • Danger music – 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.
  • Dappankuthu – 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 – a style of industrial music that takes elements from ambient music to create a feeling of dread and foreboding, rather than the relaxation given off by most ambient music.
  • Dark cabaret – a fusion of cabaret and gothic rock.
  • Darkcore – a chaotic and sinister style of jungle, which relied on pitch-shifting and horror movie audio samples.
  • Darkstep – a 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 – an excessively pessimistic style of post-punk, which relied on tales of realistic sorrow, rather than the fantasy elements of the then-popular gothic rock.

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  • De dragoste – Romanian love music.
  • Deathcore – a fusion of death metal and metalcore.
  • Deathgrind – a fusion of death metal and grindcore.
  • Death industrial – a 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 – a fusion of death and doom metal.
  • Death rock – a 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 bluesblues performed by inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta; considered the first form of blues.
  • Deep funk
  • Deep house – a style of Chicago house, inspired by jazz and soul music.
  • 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.
  • 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 – a vocal style of Hindustani classical music, considered the oldest still being performed today.
  • Dhun – a light instrumental style of Hindustani classical music.

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  • Diablada – Telluric Bolivian folk music style.
  • Digital hardcore – a 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 style of dance music with elements of soul music, pop music and salsa music that originated from music venues that were popular with African Americans, Latino Americans, Italian Americans, LGBT people, and psychedelic hippies.
  • Disco polo – Polish disco music.
  • Diva house – a style of house popular in LGBT nightclubs.
  • Dixieland – an early, possibly the first, style of jazz developed in New Orleans.
  • Djent – a style of progressive metal known for its elastic power chords.
  • Doina – Romanian folk music, informed by Middle Eastern styles.
  • Dolewave – a style of alternative rock developed in Melbourne, Australia during the 2010s.
  • 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 the Nakhi people of the Yunnan province.
  • Doo-wop – a simplistic style of music known for its vocal harmonies and usually slow and smooth upbeat 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 music in that it also has a beat and rhythm. Sometimes treated as a synonym for trip hop, it differs from that genre by having a less "earthy" sound.
  • Dream pop – an atmospheric and melodic style of neo-psychedelia designed to make the audience feel dreamy; despite its name, it is usually not considered a form of pop music.
  • Drone metal – a fusion of drone and heavy metal music.
  • Drill music – Chicago rap, see Drill (music genre) for more.
  • Drone music – an experimental, minimalist style of ambient music, known for drawn-out and repetitive tones, giving it a droning feel.
  • Drum and bass – a jungle-derived style of electronic dance music known for rapid-fire breakbeats and heavy basslines.
  • Drumstep – a fusion of drum and bass and dubstep.
  • Dub music – an electronic offshoot of reggae in which pre-existing recordings (usually the instrumental track of said recordings called riddim) are heavily remixed, resulting in an echoey, reverberating sound.
  • Dub techno – a fusion of dub and techno.
  • Dubtronica – a fusion of dub and EDM.
  • Dubstep – a style of music that is known for its sparse, heavy basslines and dub-inspired reverberating drums.
  • Dubstyle – a fusion of dubstep and hardstyle.
  • Dungeon synth – an electronic genre fusing black metal and dark ambient.
  • Dunun – family of West African drums.
  • Dunedin Sound – a style of indie pop based in Dunedin, New Zealand.
  • Dutch jazz – jazz performed by Dutch musicians.

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