This is a partial list of music genres and styles, covering entries for numbers and the letters from A to F.
For the other sections, see Section G–M, Section N–R and Section S–Z.
0–9 2-step garage – a chaotic style of UK garage. 20th-century classical music – a loose term for music in the modern style of European art-music, composed during the 20th century. 4-beat – a breakbeat hardcore style played between 150 and 170 BPM consisting of a fast looped breakbeat and a drum at every 4 beats.
A A cappella – a style of music performed without any background music/instruments and just voices doing the instrumentation. Absolute music – music that is not explicitly "about" anything. Acid house – a psychedelic style of house music, defined primarily by the deep basslines and "squelching" sounds of the Roland TB-303 electronic synthesizer-sequencer. Acid jazz – a psychedelic music genre that combines elements of jazz, soul music, funk, and disco. Acid rock – a harder style of psychedelic rock, characterized by long instrumental solos, few (if any) lyrics and musical improvisation. Acid techno – a style of techno that developed out of acid house. Acid trance – a psychedelic style of trance music. Acousmatic music – a style of electroacoustic music that is specifically composed for presentation using speakers as opposed to a live performance. Acoustic music – a music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. Adult contemporary music – any music with lush and soothing qualities that focuses on melody and harmony. African-American music – any music made by African-Americans. African heavy metal – heavy metal music performed by African musicians. African hip-hop – hip-hop performed by African musicians. Afrobeat – a large-scaled and energetic combination of funk and jazz. Afrobeats – umbrella term for West African pop styles. Afro-Cuban jazz – style of jazz influenced by traditional Afro-Cuban music. Afro house – a South African, sub-genre of house music, developed between the 1980s and 1990s. Afroswing – a genre of music that developed in the UK during the mid-2010s, a derivative of dancehall and afrobeats, with influences from trap, hip-hop, R&B, and grime. Afro tech – a sub-genre of afro house originating and predominantly made in South Africa. Afro trap – a genre that takes inspiration from both Sub-Saharan African music traditions and modern rap music. African popular music – an umbrella term, "afro pop", for all the various, African genres of African Music. Aguinaldo – traditional Latin American Christmas music.
Al-An Alaskan hip-hop – a resurgent subgenre of hip-hop within the state of Alaska, primarily in the metropolitan areas of Anchorage and Fairbanks, and to a lesser extent Juneau. Aleatoric music – music the composition of which is partially left to chance. Alternative country – any style of country music that deviates from the normal, usually by incorporating elements found in alternative rock (particularly its personal lyrics). Alternative dance – a fusion of alternative rock and post-disco; usually contains alternative rock song structures and post-disco beats. Alternative hip-hop – any style of hip-hop that deviates from the norm, usually by possessing lyrics not usually found in mainstream hip-hop as well as musically combining it with other genres; despite its popularity among alternative rock fans, only some alternative rappers actually fuse hip-hop with that genre. Alternative metal – any style of heavy metal music that deviates from the norm, usually by incorporating elements found in alternative rock (particularly its melodic vocals). Many alternative metal bands also tend to either have funk or hip-hop influences. Alternative R&B – any style of contemporary R&B that deviates from the norm, usually by having a more electronic influence. Originally a synonymous term for neo soul, alternative R&B (which now only refers to styles originating from the 2000s), alternative R&B tries to expand beyond the conventions of genres altogether. Alternative reggaeton – any style of reggaeton that deviates from the norm. Alternative rock – any style of rock music that deviates from the norm, usually by having melodic vocals and personal lyrics; often applied to styles that sprang out following the initial punk rock music scene. Ambient music – a style of incredibly slow electronic music that uses long repetitive sounds to generate a sense of calm and atmosphere. Ambient house – a style of house music that contains the atmospheric musical textures of ambient music. Ambient pop – a style of dream pop with heavy ambient influence that developed in the 1980s. Ambient techno – a fusion of techno and ambient music. Ambrosian chant – plainsong used during the Ambrosian rite. American folk music – folk music developed in the United States. American folk-music revival – a musical revival of American folk music that occurred from the 1940s through the 1960s, resulting in contemporary folk music. Americana – music that invokes the musical ethos of the United States (i.e. roots rock). Anarcho-punk – punk rock with anarchist themes. Ancient music – music created in the early stages of literate cultures. Anglican chant – plainsong used by the Anglican church. Anatolian rock – a style of folk rock that fuses Turkish folk music with rock music. Anti-folk – a mocking style of folk that subverts the earnest, politically-informed lyrics of folk-revivalists.
Ap-Az Apala – Nigerian music originally used by the Yoruba people to wake worshippers after fasting during Ramadan. Appalachian music – American folk music originated from the Appalachia region that later became the basis for old-time music and country music. Arabesque – an Arabic style of music created in Turkey. Arabic pop music – pop music informed by traditional Arabic styles. Arena rock – any style of rock music inherently designed for large audiences (i.e. an arena); largely used as a pejorative label rather than as a description for an actual genre of rock. Argentine rock – rock music performed by Argentinian musicians. Armenian chant – chants used in the liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ars antiqua – European music from the Late Middle Ages, which advanced concepts of rhythm. Ars nova – a style of French music from the Late Middle Ages, rejected fiercely by the Catholic Church. Ars subtilior – a style of French music from the Late Middle Ages. Art pop – pop music made purposefully to bring the genre to artistic heights. Art punk – punk rock made purposefully to bring the genre to artistic heights; sometimes considered a style of post-punk. Art rock – rock music made purposefully to bring the genre to artistic heights. Ashik – music performed by mystic or traveling Turkish, Azerbaijan, Georgian, Armenian, and Iranian bands, using vocals and the saz, performed since ancient times. Assyrian folk/pop music – pop, folk and dance music informed by traditional Assyrian styles. Atlanta hip-hop – hip-hop music in the music scene of Atlanta. Australian country music – country music performed by Australian musicians. Australian hip-hop – hip-hop performed by Australian musicians. Avant-funk – an avant-garde style of funk made purposefully to challenge the conventions of the genre. Avant-garde music – music considered to be ahead of its time, often using new, unusual, or experimental elements, or fusing pre-existing genres. Avant-garde jazz – an avant-garde style of jazz made purposefully to challenge the conventions of the genre; related and originally synonymous with free jazz, avant-garde jazz still maintains some form of structure and uses composed melodies. Avant-garde metal – an avant-garde style of heavy metal music made purposefully to challenge the conventions of the genre. Avant-pop – any avant-garde form of popular music that is experimental, new, and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener. Avant-prog – a style that appeared in the late 1970s as the extension of progressive rock, chiefly by being a fusion of its two subgenres: Rock in Opposition and the Canterbury scene. Avant-punk – punk rock made purposefully to challenge the conventions of the genre. Axé – a style of Salvadorian, Bahian, and Brazilian music informed by Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian styles. Azonto – a dance and music genre from Ghana.
B Bac-Bal 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. Balearic trance – a trance music subgenre which evolved from Balearic beat. 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, breakbeat, and house music.
Bam-Bay Bambuco – a Colombian music style based on waltz and polska. Banda music – brass-based Mexican music. Bangladeshi hip-hop – a variety of styles of hip-hop music developed in Bangladesh. Bangsawan – a style of Malay opera based on Indian styles introduced by immigrants. Bantowbol – a Cameroonian style of accordion music. Barbershop music – a style of a capella close harmony vocal music that is generally performed in quartets. Barcarolle – a traditional music style from Italy sung by Venetian gondoliers. Bard (Soviet Union) – a style of Russian music made by singer-songwriters during the latter half of the Soviet era. Barn dance – folk music played in a barnhouse. Baroque music – a style of Western art music made between the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by its usage of the harpsichord and contrapuntal melodies. Baroque pop – a style of rock music originating from the 1960s that contains elements of Baroque music (particularly its instrumentation and contrapuntal melodies). As Baroque pop is usually not seen as being a pop music genre, it is sometimes referred to as baroque rock. Barynya – Russian folk music style. Bassline – a style of speed garage that combines elements of dubstep, particularly its emphasis on bass. Batá-rumba – Cuban rumba music that incorporates bata and guaguanco. Batucada – an African-influenced style of Brazilian samba. Baul – a style of folk music, specially in the Bengali region.
Bc-Bh