Rock evolved directly from the Blues, and it became popular in the Fifties, first in the United States and then in Great Britain. For the sake of this article, let’s just stick to the basics. We could probably write a whole encyclopedia about rock music and its numerous sub-genres. The trends evolve at a very rapid pace, thanks to social media and the internet. Many hip-hop sub-genres, such as rap and trap, are now filling the charts and influencing many other popular genres. Through sharp rhymes and rough sounds, the first rappers narrated the harshness of life in the ghetto, while right now, their descendants are experiencing some great success. The encounter between spoken words and electronic sounds made music doable without the traditional tools, like a good singing voice or the ability to play an instrument. These two genres, originating in the Eighties but with some ancient roots planted in the Blues and the Gospel too, presented an incredible evolution that made them a sort of standard for the mainstream. Electronic and dance elements are still very present in the mainstream, with other influences, such as Latin sounds, often joining in to create a diverse and eclectic approach.

Nowadays, pop music takes much of its sounds and musical language from the world of hip-hop, with its sub-genres of trap and rap being extremely popular. Throughout the Eighties, pop music evolved towards more electronic sounds, with artists and songs bridging the gap between the classic rock form (deriving from the Blues) and modern approaches to music that led us directly to the digital era. As an example, The Beatles were pop, although, from a genre point of view, they produced mainly soft rock tracks (of course, their production is huge, and they experimented with many genres, but you see my point). We could say that any genre gaining massive popularity becomes pop music. It is a bit tricky, however, to clearly define what pop music is, as it has evolved so much through time. What are the top genres in the music industry? How did they evolve through time, and how does their popularity change geographically? We’ll try to answer these huge questions in this article.Īs the label itself indicates, pop music is surely the most popular genre in the music market. As a result, the music industry, or the music market, surely favors some of these to the detriment of others. On the other hand, not all genres are as popular and as successful. On the one hand, the list could be extremely long. There are countless genres, sub-genres, and styles, from World Music to Rap, from Rock to Jazz.

Hype music genre