List of styles of music: A–F
Appearance
#
- 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.
- 12-bar blues – A distinctive form predominantly based on the I-IV-V chords of a key.
- 50s progression
A
- A cappella – any singing performed without any background music/instruments.
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
- Acid techno – a form of techno that developed out of acid house.
- Acoustic – a music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means.
- Adult contemporary – a broad term for any music with lush and soothing qualities, and a focus on melody and harmony.
- 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 – a genre of African popular music.
Al-An
- Aleatoric – music the compositi of which is partially left to chance
- Alternative country – any style of country that deviates from the normal
- 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 R&B – any style of R&B 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.
- Ambient house – a combination of acid house and ambient music.
- Americana – a combination of all forms of roots music – folk, country, and blues
- Anarcho-punk - punk rock with anarchist themes.
- Anasheed – Islamic vocal music, usually sung a capella, or accompanied by a daff.
- Ancient – music created in the early stages of literate cultures.
- Anatolian rock - a fusion of Turkish folk and rock
- 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 pop – experimental or avant-garde pop music
- Art punk – experimental or avant-garde punk music
- Art rock – experimental or avant-garde rock music
- Ashik – music performed by mystic or travelling Turkish, Azerbaijan, Georgian, Armenian, and Iranian bands, using vocals and the saz, performed since ancient times.
- Assyrian pop music - pop, folk and dance music informed by traditional Assyrian styles.
- 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 – music considered to be ahead of its time, often using new, unusual, or experimental elements, or fusing pre-existing genres.
- Avant-garde jazz – experimental or avant-garde jazz music
- Avant-garde metal – experimental or avant-garde heavy metal or hard rock
- Avant-punk – experimental punk music
- 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 – An Afro-Dominican style waltz, consisting of despairing, and romantic ballads, popular among Dominican artists
- 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 polka
- 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
- Baroque – style of Western art music made between the 17th and 18th centuries
- Baroque pop – combination of classical music, orchestral pop, rock, and Baroque music
- Bass – styles of EDM with an emphasis on bass, such as drum and bass, UK garage, and dubstep
- Bassline – 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 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
- Bent edge
- 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, 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
- Boogaloo
- 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
- Breakstep
- 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
- Christmas carol – carols performed during the Christmas season
- Christmas music – any music tied to the Christmas season
- Christian electronic – EDM with Christian themes
- Christian alternative rock – fusion of Christian and alternative rock
- Christian country – fusion of Christian and country music
- 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
- Church music
- 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
- 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 folk – fusion of country and folk music
- Country pop – fusion of country and pop music
- Country rap – fusion of country and hip hop music
- Country rock – fusion of country and rock 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 Aires
- Cybergrind – fusion of grindcore and industrial
D
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 – chaotic and sinister style of jungle, which relied on pitch-shifting and horror movie audio samples
- Dark pop – fusion of industrial/goth rock synthesizers with hip hop/techno drums
- Dark rock – fusion of gothic and alternative rock
- 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 dragote – Romanian love music
- Deathcore – fusion of death metal and metalcore
- Deathgrind – fusion of death metal and grindcore
- 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
- Drill music - Chicago rap, see Drill (music genre) for more
- 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
E
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
- Electronicore – fusion of electronic and post-hardcore/metalcore music
- Electropop – fusion of electronic and pop music
- Electropunk – fusion of electronic and punk 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
- Emo pop – fusion of emo and pop punk
- Enka – a popular, modern adaptation of traditional Japanese music
Ep-Ez
- Epic – modern classical-like music derived from a wide array of genres, primarily trailer music.
- 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 hip hop – fusion of experimental and hip hop music
- Experimental pop – fusion of experimental and pop music
- Experimental rock – fusion of experimental and rock music
- Extreme metal – umbrella term for aggressive, non-commercial forms of heavy metal
F
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 jazz - fusion of folk and jazz music
- 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
- Freestyle – Latin American electro-pop
- Free tekno – style of techno developed by anarchists
- French house – house music produced by French artists
- 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