List of styles of music: A–F
A B C D E F
#
- 2-step garage - chaotic style of UK garage.
- 2 Tone - late-1970s UK ska revival which fused ska with punk rock.
- 4-beat - breakbeat hardcore subgenre played between 150 and 170 BPM consisting of a fast looped breakbeat and a drum at every 4 beats.
A
Aa-Ak - Al-An - Ap-Ax
- A cappella - any singing performed without instrumental backing.
Aa-Ak
- Acid house - psychedelic style of house
- Acid jazz - psychedelic style of jazz influenced heavily by funk and hip-hop production
- Acid rock - a form of psychedelic rock, characterized with long instrumental solos, few (if any) lyrics and musical improvisation
- Acoustic - a music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means.
- 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 - umbrella genre term for African popular music.
Al-An
- Aleatoric - music the composition of which is partially left to chance
- Alternative country - any style of country that deviates from the norm
- Alternative dance - any combination of rock and electronic dance music
- Alternative hip hop - any style of hip hop that deviates from the norm
- Alternative metal - any style of heavy metal that deviates from the norm
- Alternative rock - any style of rock that deviates from the norm
- Ambient - a form of incredibly slow electronic music that uses long repetitive sounds to generate a sense of calm and atmosphere.
- Americana - a combination of all forms of roots music - folk, country, and blues
- Anasheed - Islamic vocal music, usually sung a capella, or accompanied by a daff.
- Ancient - music created in the early stages of literate cultures.
- Anime - music, usually J-pop, used in anime soundtracks
- Anti-folk - a mocking subgenre of folk that subverts the earnest, politically-informed lyrics of folk-revivalists.
Ap-Ax
- Apala - Nigerian music originally used by the Yoruba people to wake worshippers after fasting during Ramadan.
- Arabic pop - pop music informed by traditional Arabic styles.
- Argentine rock - rock music informed by traditional Argentine styles.
- Ars antiqua - European music from the Late Middle Ages, which advanced concepts of rhythm.
- Ars nova - style of French music from the Late Middle Ages, rejected fiercely by the Catholic Church.
- Ars subtilior - style of French music from the Late Middle Ages.
- Art punk - experimental or avant-garde punk music
- Art rock - experimental or avant-garde rock music
- Art pop - experimental or avant-garde pop music
- Ashik - music performed by mystic or travelling Turkish, Azerbaijan, Georgian, Armenian, and Iranian bands, using vocals and the saz, performed since ancient times.
- Australian country - country music performed by Australians
- Australian pub rock - style of hard rock founded in and drawing on themes native to Australian inner-city and suburban pubs and drinking establishments
- Australian hip hop - hip hop performed by Australians
- Avant-garde jazz - experimental or avant-garde jazz music
- Avant-garde metal - experimental or avant-garde heavy metal or hard rock
- Avant-garde - music considered to be ahead of its time, often using new, unusual, or experimental elements, or fusing pre-existing genres.
- Axé - style of Salvadorian, Bahian, and Brazilian music informed by Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian styles
B
Bac-Bal - Bam-Bay - Be-Bh - Bi-Bl - Br-Bu
Bac-Bal
- Bachata - Afro-Dominican style of rock music that became popular among Dominican farmers
- Baggy - a British style that combined alternative rock and acid house, often creating a psychedelic and funky sound
- Baião - a Brazilian rhythmic formula built around the zabumba drum that later combined itself with elements of mestizo, European, and African styles
- Bakersfield sound - a raw and gritty country style that acted as a reaction against the slick, overproduced Nashville sound
- Baila - Sri Lankan style that begun among the Afro-Sinhalese (or Kariff) community
- Baisha xiyue - orchestral Chinese style used by the Naxi people, often found in Taoist or Confucian ceremonies
- Bajourou - initially an acoustic style of Malian pop music played at gatherings (particularly weddings), which has since become mostly electronic
- Bal-musette - 19th century style of French accordion-based dance music
- Balakadri - Guadeloupean music made from the quadrille, usually performed at balls
- Balinese Gamelan - Javanese and Balinese style made from xylophones, drums, and plucked strings
- Balearic beat, also known as Balearic house, electronic dance music that was popular into the mid-1990s.
- Balkan Brass Band - Serbian music made by soldiers that combined military brass with folk music
- Ballad - generic term for usually slow, romantic, despairing and catastrophic songs
- Ballata - 13th-15th century Italian musical and poetic form based on an AbbaA structure that acted as a form of dance music
- Ballet - specific style of French classical music created to accompany the ballet dance
- Baltimore Club - combination of hip hop and house music
Bam-Bay
- Bambuco - Colombian style based on waltz and polska
- Banda - brass-based Mexican music
- Bangsawan - style of Malay opera based on Indian styles introduced by immigrants
- Bantowbol - Cameroonian style of accordion music
- Barbershop - an art song in four part harmony in a capella styling
- Barn dance - folk music played in a barnhouse
- Bassline - style of speed garage that combines elements of dubstep, particularly its emphasis on bass
- Baroque - style of Western art music made between the 17th and 18th centuries
- Bass - styles of EDM with an emphasis on bass, such as drum and bass, UK garage, and dubstep
- Batá-rumba - Cuban rumba music that incorporates bata and guaguanco
- Batucada - an African-influenced style of Brazilian sumba
- Baul - A style of folk music, specially in Bengali region.
Be-Bh
- Beach - Californian genre from the 1950s that combined elements of all popular genres at the time, particularly big band and shag jazz
- Beat- British fusion of all popular 1960s American styles - R&B, pop, jazz, rock
- Beatboxing - a capella music created to emulate hip hop beats
- Beautiful - term of endearment for various easy listening genres
- Bebop - fast paced style of jazz popular in the 1940s and 1950s
- Beiguan - style of Chinese traditional music popular in Taiwan and the province of Zhangzhou
- Bel canto - a light, sophisticated style of Italian opera singing
- Bend-skin - urban Cameroonian music
- Benga - Kenyan popular music based on Luo and Kikuyu folk music
- Berlin School - heavily experimental electronic music that acted as a more avant-garde form of Krautrock and inspired ambient and New Age music
- Bhajan - Hindu religious music
- Bhangra - fusion of South Asian and British popular styles, initially developed by Punjabi Indian-English as a combination of their respective cultural styles, but later used to refer to any South Asian/European fusion
- Bhangragga - a fusion of bhangra and reggae and dancehall
Bi-Bo
- Big band - large orchestras which play a form of swing music
- Big Beat - 1990s electronic music based on breakbeat with other influences
- Biguine - Guadeloupean folk music
- Blackened death metal - a fusion between death and black metal
- Black metal - Extreme metal known for its lo-fi recording, shrieking vocals, unconventional song structures and dark or supernatural lyrics.
- Bluegrass - American country music mixed with Irish and Scottish influences
- Blue-eyed soul - rhythm and blues or soul music performed by white artists.
- Blues - African-American music from the Mississippi Delta area
- Blues ballad - fusion of blues and folk
- Blues-rock - a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles.
- Biomusic - a form of experimental music which deals with sounds created or performed by living things.
- Bitpop - electronic music, where at least part of the music is made using old 8-bit computers, game consoles and little toy instruments. Popular choices are the Commodore 64, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System.
- Bihu - a popular folk music of Assam, India
- Boi - Amazonian folk music
- Bossa Nova - a well-known style of Brazilian music, a lyrical fusion of samba and jazz.
- Bounce - energetic hip-hop music, native to New Orleans, frequently characterized by chromatic tics and "call and response" lyrics
- Bouncy techno - an upbeat form of electronic dance music.
Br-Bu
- Brass - music performed with brass instruments, prior to the advent of jazz
- Breakbeat - a style of EDM known for its 4/4 drum pattern and heavy use of turntable scratching
- Breakbeat hardcore - a fusion of breakbeat and acid house
- Breakcore - fast and frantic style of breakbeat known for its intentionally diverse range of samples, which make it a hard-to-define genre
- Brega
- Breton - folk music of Brittany, France, known for its use of woodwind
- Brill Building Sound - a distinct style of jazz and Latin-inspired pop developed in the Brill Building of New York, USA
- Brit funk - funk performed by the British, often influenced by soul, jazz, and Caribbean music
- Britpop - British rock music from the 1990s that subverted the depressing themes of the then-popular grunge movement in favor of jangly, optimistic, guitar-pop, often touching on the themes of partying and working class life.
- British blues - blues performed by British musicians
- British Invasion - British musicians, primarily of the beat movement, who became popular in America during the 1960s
- Broken beat - EDM played in a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, with punctuated snare beats
- Brostep - an aggressive and metal-influenced style of dubstep popular in America
- Brown-eyed soul - soul music performed by Latinos
- Brukdown - Belizean music inspired by European harmonies, African rhythms, and the call-and-response format
- Bubblegum dance - fusion of Eurodance and bubblegum pop
- Bubblegum pop - pop music known for its simplicity, happy and cute lyrics, and emphasis on image rather than substance.
- Bikutsi - Cameroonian EDM, originating in the Beti community
- Bulerías - fast-paced flamenco music
- Bunraku - Japanese folk music often played at puppet theaters
- Burger-highlife - style of highlife played by Ghanaian-Germans
- Burgundian School - group of French, Belgian, and Dutch composers active in the 15th century, known for their secular forms
- Bush ballad - Australian folk music often dealing with themes of Australian spirit and rebellion
- Byzantine - Greek music performed during the age of the Byzantine Empire, known for its ecclesiastical form
C
Ca - Cc-Ce - Ch - Ci-Cl - Co - Cr-Cu
Cad-Cam
- Ca din tulnic - Romanian folk music played with the alpenhorn
- Ca trù - a style of Vietnamese chamber music performed by one lute player and a geisha-esque female singer, used to entertain wealthy audiences, who would be included in the performances, and to perform in religious ceremonies
- Cabaret - an often jazz-informed style of music played at upbeat stageplays or burlesque shows
- Cadence-lypso - fusion of kadans and calypso
- Cadence rampa - upbeat style of kadans
- Cải lương - modern Vietnamese folk opera
- Cajun - roots music of Louisiana, USA, inspired by Acadian ballads and Creole
- Calinda - Trinidadian folk music played during practices of the martial art of the same name
- Čalgija - Macedonian folk style
- Calypso - Trinidadian folk music, inspired by both African and French styles, and known for its lyrics dealing with the racist oppression of native Trinidadians at the time
- Calypso-style baila - fusion of baila and calypso
- Campursari - Indonesian fusion genre, combining several folk styles with pop music
Can-Car
- Candombe - fusion of African and Uruguayan styles developed by African-Uruguayan slaves in the 19th century
- Canon - any music that combines a melody with copies of itself
- Cantata - any music sung by a choir with instrumental backing
- Cante chico - the vocal component to flamenco music
- Cante jondo - flamenco music that incorporates deep vocals
- Canterbury scene - group of British avant-garde, progressive rock, and jazz fusion musicians based in the English city of Canterbury, Kent
- Cantiñas - upbeat form of Andalusian flamenco music
- Cantiga - Portuguese ballad style from the Middle Ages
- Canto livre - Portuguese folk music known for its far-left political messages
- Cantopop - any Chinese pop music sung in Cantonese
- Canzone Napoletana - Italian music sung in Neapolitan
- Capoeira - Brazilian music played during performances of the martial art of the same name
- Cariso - Trinidadian folk music, often considered an early form of calypso
- Carnatic - southern Indian classical music
- Carol - a festive song, often sung on Christmas or, rarely, Easter
- Cartageneras - a style of flamenco known for its focus on folklore
Cas-Cav
- Cavacha - style of rhythm popular in Kenyan and Zairean music
Cc-Ce
- Celempungan - Sudanese folk music
- Cello rock - rock music that incorporates cellos
- Celtic - folk music of the Celts, an ethnic group inhabiting Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, some parts of France and Spain, and once England
- Celtic fusion - popular music that includes a Celtic influence
- Celtic hip hop - fusion of Celtic and hip hop music
- Celtic metal - fusion of Celtic and heavy metal music
- Celtic punk - fusion of Celtic and punk rock music
- Celtic reggae - fusion of Celtic and reggae music
- Celtic rock - fusion of Celtic and rock music
Cha
- Cha-cha-cha - Cuban folk music
- Chacarera - Argentinian folk and dance music
- Chakacha - music of the Swahili people of Kenya and Tanzania
- Chalga - fusion of Bulgarian folk and dance music
- 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
Chu
- Chumba - folk and dance style of the Garifuna people of west Africa
- Chut-kai-pang - fusion of chutney, calypso, and parang
- Chutney - Caribbean pop music that fuses calypso and cadence with several Indian styles
- Chutney Soca - fusion of chutney and soca music
Ci-Cl
- Classic country - umbrella term for country music released before the use of the term to describe it
- Classic female blues - an early form of blues music known for its female vocalists
- Classic rock - umbrella term for rock music released before the use of the term to describe it, but often referring to hard and blues rock of the 1960s and 1970s
- Classical - umbrella term for Western art music known for its use of large orchestras and staff notation
- Classical period - a clearer, slicker form of Western art music performed in the 18th and 19th centuries, known for its emphasis on homophones and melody
- Close harmony - any music with notes performed in a close range
Coc-Cor
- Coladeira - Cape Verdean folk music
- Coldwave - French post-punk
- Combined rhythm - Dutch Antillean folk music inspired by zouk, merengue, and soca
- Comedy music - any music that incorporates heavy themes of humor and comedy
- Comedy rap - fusion of comedy and hip hop music
- Comedy rock - fusion of comedy and rock music
- Comic opera - fusion of comedy and opera music
- Compas - a modernized form of Haitian meringue music
- Concerto - a three-part classical piece in which one instrument takes lead and is backed by an orchestra
- Concerto grosso - a form of baroque concerto in which the soloists and orchestra alternate playing
- Conga - Cuban music played to accompany the dance of the same name
- Conjunto - fusion of Mexican and German styles developed by Mexican-Americans who had bought German instruments in Texas
- Contemporary Christian music - pop music with overt Christian themes
- Contemporary R&B - a style of R&B music popular in the 21st century that combines soul-inspired vocals with hip-hop and EDM-inspired production
- Contradanza - 19th century Cuban dance music
- Cool jazz - a relaxed, downtempo form of jazz heavily inspired by classical music, that existed as a reaction to the fast-paced bebop
- Coon song - music about black stereotypes
- Corrido - Mexican storytelling ballad
Cou-Cow
- Country - American roots music played with acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas
- Country blues - fusion of country and blues music
- Country rap - fusion of country and hip hop music
- Country rock - fusion of country and rock music
- Country pop - fusion of country and pop music
- Coupé-Décalé - Ivorian-French EDM drawing on zouk and African influences
- Cowpunk - fusion of country and punk rock music
Cr-Cu
- Cretan - Greek folk music performed by inhabitants of the island of Crete
- Crossover thrash - fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk
- Crunk - fusion of hip hop and EDM, known for its heavy basslines and shouted, call-and-response vocals
- Crunkcore - fusion of crunk and screamo
- Crust punk - fusion of anarcho- and hardcore punk and extreme metal
- Csárdás - Hungarian folk music
- Cuarteto - Argentinian merengue music, originating in the city of Cordoba, and influenced also by Spanish and Italian styles
- Cueca - umbrella term for Argentinian, Chilean, and Bolivian styles
- Cumbia - fusion of Colombian folk music and African and Spanish styles bought from slaves and colonists, respectively
- Cumbia villera - cumbia performed by inhabitants of the shantytowns of Buenos Ares
- Cybergrind - fusion of grindcore and industrial
D
Da - De-Dh - Di-Dr - Du-Dz
Da
- Dabke - Arabic folk dance music, often played at weddings
- Dadra - light vocal style of Hindustani classical music, originating from the Bundelkhand region
- Dadra tala - a style of Hindustani classical music which utilizes six beats in two equal rows of three
- Daina - Latvian folk music
- Daina - Lithuanian folk music
- Dance - any music designed to make the listener dance. Also known as club music, an offshoot to electronic music which gave rise to EDM.
- Dance-pop - pop music with an emphasis on dance rhythms, fusion of dance and pop musical styles.
- Dance-punk - a grittier and rawer form of new wave music, linked heavily to the contemporary indie scene
- Dance-rock - fusion of post-punk and post-disco, linked heavily to the new wave
- Dancehall - Jamaican pop music that abandons reggae's roots influences for a slicker, EDM-inspired production
- Dangdut - melodic and heavily optimistic form of Indonesian pop
- Danger - any music that will, somehow, potentially harm either the performers or the audience, linked heavily to noise rock
- Dansband - Swedish folk music
- Danza - Puerto Rican style of music that accompanies the ballroom-influenced dance of the same name
- Danzón - Cuban dance music
- Dappan koothu - Indian folk dance music, popular in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, often used as filmi music in the movies produced in those states
- Dark ambient - style of ambient music that creates a feeling of dread and foreboding, rather than the relaxation given off by most ambient
- Dark cabaret - fusion of cabaret and gothic rock
- Darkcore - techno with a dark and foreboding feel, acting as a reaction to the optimism of rave music in general
- Darkcore - chaotic and sinister style of jungle, which relied on pitch-shifting and horror movie audio samples
- Darkstep - style of darkcore jungle that takes its signature sinister feel and fuses it with upbeat breakbeats and ambient noises, creating an excessively chaotic tone
- Dark wave - excessively pessimistic style of post-punk, which relied on tales of realistic sorrow, rather than the fantasy elements of the then-popular gothic rock
De-Dh
- De dragoste - Romanian love music
- Deathcore - fusion of death and punk metal
- Deathgrind - fusion of death metal and grindcore
- Deathstep - a subgenre of Dubstep and D&B style
- Death industrial - fusion of death and industrial metal, linked heavily to the power electronics scene
- Death metal - Extreme metal known for its distorted guitar structure, growling vocals, blast beat drumming and dark or violent lyrics.
- Death-doom - fusion of death and doom metal
- Death rock - style of gothic rock known for its scratchy guitars, and lyrics focusing on supernatural and pessimistic themes, sometimes delving into intentionally campy horror themes
- Décima - Hispanic genre of sung poetry
- Delta blues - blues music performed by inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta
- Deep house - form of Chicago house, inspired by jazz and soul music
- Dementia - bizarre form of comedic avant-garde played by Dr. Demento
- Descarga - a genre of improvised Afro-Cuban music
- Desi - a style of Hindustani classical raga, associated with the Asavari and Kafi thaat
- Detroit blues - blues music performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Detroit techno - techno performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Dhamar - a tala used in Hindustani classical music, associated with the dhrupad style, and played on a pakhawaj
- Dhrupad - vocal style of Hindustani classical music, considered the oldest still being performed today
- Dhun - a light instrumental form of Hindustani classical music
Di-Dr
- Digital hardcore - fusion of hardcore punk and hardcore techno, known for its far-left lyrics
- Dirge - a song of mourning, often played at a funeral
- Dirty rap - hip hop with sexual and pornographic themes
- Disco - a form of music to dance to with elements of soul, pop and salsa.
- Disco polo - Polish disco music
- Diva house - style of house popular in LGBT nightclubs
- Dixieland - an early form of jazz developed in New Orleans, USA
- Djent - subgenre of progressive metal known for its elastic power chords
- Doina - Romanian folk music, informed by Middle Eastern styles
- Dondang Sayang - love ballads from the Malaysian state of Malacca, influenced by Portuguese styles
- Donegal fiddle tradition - an Irish style of fiddle-playing from the Donegal county
- Dongjing - Chinese traditional music of Nakhi people of the Yunnan province
- Doo-wop - a simplistic and pop-oriented form of R&B known for its vocal harmonies and little to no instrumentation
- Doom metal - A style of heavy metal known for its low-tuned sound, slow tempos, clean and non-growled vocals and pessimistic lyrics
- Downtempo - a slow-paced style of electronic music that differs from ambient in that it also has a beat and rhythm
- Dream pop - an atmospheric and melodic style of indie pop that makes the audience feel dreamy
- Drone metal - fusion of drone and heavy metal music
- Drone - experimental style of minimalism, known for drawn-out and repetitive tones, giving it a droning feel
- Drum and bass - style of EDM known for rapid-fire breakbeats and heavy basslines
- Drumstep - fusion of drum and bass and dubstep
Du-Dz
- Dub - subgenre of reggae in which pre-existing tracks are heavily remixed, emphasizing the drum and bass (or riddim) and dubbing snippets from other works
- Dubtronica - fusion of dub and EDM
- Dubstep - dub-inspired subgenre of UK garage known for its heavy basslines and reverberant drums
- Dubstyle - fusion of dubstep and hardstyle
- Dunun - family of west African drums
- Dunedin Sound - style of indie pop based in Dunedin, New Zealand
- Dutch jazz - jazz performed by Dutch musicians
E
Ea-En - Er-Ez
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 - fusion of electronic and dance music
- Electronic music - music that utilizes electronic instruments, such as the synthesizer, Theremin, and computer
- Electronic rock - fusion of electronic and rock music
- Electronica - popular music that includes electronic instruments
- Electropop - fusion of electronic and pop music
- Elevator music - comfortable and soothing music designed for and played in shopping malls, usually elevators therein, to create a sense of ambience and comfort
- Emo - heavily emotional and pessimistic style of post-hardcore punk
- Enka - a popular, modern adaptation of traditional Japanese music
Ep-Ez
- Eremwu eu - work songs of the female bakers of the Garifuna people of west Africa
- Ethereal wave - atmospheric subgenre of dark wave
- Eurobeat - antecedent to Italo disco
- Eurodance - European dance music and evolution of Euro disco that adapted elements of house and hi-NRG
- Euro disco - European disco music, which incorporated elements of pop rock and synthpop
- Euro house - European house music, usually a house-based form of Eurodance or Euro disco
- Europop - European pop music
- Eurotrance - European trance music, usually a fusion of Eurodance with uplifting trance and/or hard trance.
- Exotica - fusion of many popular international genres from the 1950s marketed at Americans, who were attracted to the exotic label
- Experimental - any music that breaches contemporary standards of music
- Experimental rock - fusion of experimental and rock music
- Extreme metal - umbrella term for aggressive, non-commercial forms of heavy metal
F
Fa - Fr - Fu
Fa-Fr
- Fado - Portuguese folk music, often touching on the themes of melancholia and working class struggles
- Falak - Afghan, Tajik, and Pakistani religious folk music
- Fandango - Spanish music made to accompany the upbeat dance of the same name
- Farruca - a light form of flamenco
- Filk - style of folk (sometimes expanding to other genres) with heavy science-fiction or fantasy themes
- Film score - any music written to act as a soundtrack to a motion picture
- Filmi - Indian film scores
- Filmi-ghazal - fusion of filmi and ghazal poetry
- Fingerstyle - the act of plucking guitar strings with the fingertips
- Flamenco - popular style of Spanish folk dance music developed in Andalusia by Romani-Spanish (or Gitanos), but latter expanding to the general Spanish populus
- Folk metal - fusion of folk and heavy metal rock
- Folk - broad term used to refer to the traditional music of an ethnic group, usually that performed by the working class
- Folk pop - fusion of folk and pop music
- Folk punk - fusion of folk and punk rock
- Folk rock - fusion of folk and rock music
- Folktronica - fusion of folk and electronic music
- Forró - popular Brazilian folk dance music
Fr
- Franco-country - style of country music performed by French-Canadians
- Freakbeat - a frantic, raw style of beat and British Invasion music
- Freak folk - experimental style of folk, often folk-rock
- Free improvisation - completely uncontrolled improvisation
- Free jazz - freely improvised jazz music
- Free music - any music released without a pricing
- Freestyle - Latin American electro-pop
- Free tekno - style of techno developed by anarchists
- Frevo - umbrella term for Brazilian dance styles associated with the Brazilian Carnivale
Fu
- Fuji - - Nigerian folk music
- Full on trance - style of psychedelic trance known for its rolling baselines and confrontational themes
- Funaná - Cape Verdean accordion-based dance music
- Funeral doom - incredibly slow style of doom metal, made to mimic funeral music
- Funk - combination of elements of blues, jazz, and soul with the melodies and harmonies stripped in order to emphasize the bass guitar
- Funk metal - fusion of funk and heavy metal rock
- Funk rock - fusion of funk and rock music
- Funky house - fusion of funk and house music
- Furniture music - a calming, live form of background music
- Fusion jazz - fusion of jazz and rock music
- Future garage - style of UK garage that fused it with elements of all other contemporary EDM styles
- Futurepop - style of EDM known for its similarities to synthpop and uplifting trance, as well as its heavy sampling
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