The music encyclopedia

Mainstream/dance/electro/indie/teen/pop-rock/pop-R&B/pop-rap/country/Latin/K-pop/adult-contemporary — pop is often a structure (hook-first, polished, vocal-forward) borrowing from every other world.

Trap, drill, boom-bap, melodic rap, conscious, technical, Southern, West Coast, phonk, club, gospel rap — its own full ecosystem.

Vocal emotion, groove, romance, gospel/soul harmony, modern R&B production. Research suggests folding Funk into this root as the catalog grows.

Alternative, pop rock, classic, hard rock, country rock, grunge, blues rock, prog, psych, garage, shoegaze, industrial, etc. Cross-lists Metal & Punk.

Traditional, honky-tonk, outlaw, bluegrass, Western, Nashville pop country, red dirt, Americana, country rock/gospel/rap/soul.

House, techno, trance, drum & bass, dubstep, ambient, electro, breakbeat, garage, downtempo, IDM, synthwave, EDM, club styles.

Vocal jazz, swing/big band, bebop/hard bop, cool, modal/spiritual, fusion, soul jazz, Latin & Afro-Cuban, bossa nova, smooth, free/avant-garde, third stream, gypsy jazz, nu jazz, lo-fi, jazz rap, ragtime/stride, gospel jazz. (tree: MUS-124)

Delta, Chicago, country blues, electric, jump blues, boogie-woogie, Texas, Piedmont, soul-blues, blues rock, gospel blues.

The roots-music umbrella: Americana, contemporary folk & singer-songwriter, indie folk, bluegrass, old-time/Appalachian, folk rock, folk blues, gospel roots, protest folk, Celtic, dark/gothic Americana, regional roots, and more. Cross-links Country, Rock, Blues, and Gospel rather than duplicating them.

Heavy/traditional, metalcore, nu metal/rap metal, thrash, death metal, black metal, doom/stoner/sludge, power metal, symphonic/orchestral, progressive/technical, alternative/modern, industrial/electronic, deathcore, melodic death/Gothenburg, groove/post-thrash, glam/hair/sleaze, speed/NWOBHM, crossover/hardcore-thrash, djent, folk/viking/pagan, gothic/dark/occult, post-metal/blackgaze, brutal/slam/tech death, blackened/war hybrid, grindcore, mathcore, psychedelic/stoner/desert, Christian/faith-based, avant-garde, instrumental/shred, drone/ambient/ritual, kawaii/idol/anime/game, global/regional, political/protest, theme/comedy/character. (tree: MUS-128)

Punk's own world — proto-punk through '77, hardcore, post-hardcore, emo, pop-punk, crust, anarcho, Oi!, ska-punk, post-punk and the global undergrounds. Cross-listed with Rock.

Reggaeton/urbano, regional Mexican (corridos/banda/sierreño), Latin pop, Latin trap, bachata, salsa/mambo/son, dembow, cumbia/vallenato, Brazilian pop/MPB, baile funk, Latin dance, Latin rock/alternative, ranchera/mariachi, merengue, balada, cantautor, Latin R&B/jazz, tropical, bolero, tejano, flamenco, Latin folk, Afro-Latin, tango, bossa nova, sertanejo, forró, Latin Christian. (tree: MUS-128)

Dancehall, roots reggae, reggaeton/dembow, reggae fusion/pop, soca/carnival, ska/2-tone/ska-punk, dub, lovers rock, rocksteady, calypso/kaiso, ragga, Caribbean pop, kompa/zouk, merengue/bachata, salsa/son/mambo, mento, sound-system culture, dub poetry, reggae rock, gospel Caribbean, reggae soul, reggae rap/toasting, electronic Caribbean, chutney, steelpan, bouyon/dennery, Afro-Caribbean. (tree: MUS-128)

Modern worship/praise, CCM/Christian pop, contemporary/urban gospel, traditional/Black gospel, gospel choir, gospel soul/R&B, Christian hip-hop/gospel rap, Christian rock, Southern/quartet gospel, country/roots gospel, bluegrass/mountain gospel, inspirational/AC, hymns/modern hymns, ballads, folk Christian, alt/indie Christian, devotional/scripture/psalm, prophetic/prayer-room, sacred choral/liturgical, spirituals/early gospel, gospel blues, funk/disco gospel, Christian electronic/dance, devotional lo-fi/ambient, Christian metal, Christian punk/emo, gospel jazz, Latin/Spanish Christian, global/world gospel, reggae/Caribbean gospel, Sacred Harp/a cappella, youth/kids, Christmas/seasonal, musical/stage, spoken word, justice/mission, experimental, comedy/novelty. (tree: MUS-128)

Orchestral/symphonic, solo piano, opera, choral, chamber, concerto, cinematic/film-score, romantic, baroque, classical-era, contemporary/new music, minimalist, streaming neoclassical/ambient, ballet, sacred/liturgical, art song/lied, oratorio/cantata, medieval/renaissance, impressionist, modernist/20th-c, neoclassical, solo strings, classical guitar/harp, wind/brass/percussion, march/ceremonial, light/pops, classical crossover, electroacoustic, avant-garde, nationalist/folk, global art music, historical performance, dark/gothic, seasonal, educational. (tree: MUS-128)

Film score, TV/streaming score, video game/interactive, musical theatre/Broadway, movie musical, soundtrack songs, trailer/epic hybrid, Disney/family/animated, anime OST, production/library/sync, theme songs/jingles, action/adventure/superhero, horror/thriller/suspense, sci-fi/fantasy/worldbuilding, electronic/synth/cyber, ambient/minimal, documentary/reality, compilation/needle-drop, choral/sacred/vocal, piano/solo instrument, romance/drama, comedy/character/novelty, animation/kids, sports/hype, news/broadcast, noir/crime, historical/period/epic, war/military, western/Americana, dance/club scene, teen/coming-of-age, indie/art-house, lo-fi/chill/study, experimental/sound design, global/regional, inspirational/gospel, holiday/Christmas, internet/viral/meme, ballads/love themes. (tree: MUS-128)

Music rooted in regions and traditions worldwide — African, Middle Eastern, South/East/Southeast Asian, European-regional, Caribbean, Oceanian, Indigenous, and global-fusion. A portal that gathers from Latin, Reggae, Folk, Pop and Electronic.

Sleep/relaxation, meditation/mindfulness, classic ambient electronic, New Age instrumental, spa/wellness, ambient piano/neoclassical, nature/field recording, yoga/breathwork, focus/study, lo-fi/chillhop, drone/deep listening, space/cosmic, sound bath/bowls/gong, binaural/frequency, noise color, chant/mantra, spiritual/sacred, ambient classical, cinematic/game ambient, downtempo/chillout, ambient house/psybient, world New Age, handpan/ethno, flute/wind, harp/celestial, ambient guitar, ambient pop/shoegaze, dark/ritual, shamanic/earth, psychedelic/trance, bioacoustic/eco, generative/AI, experimental/sound art, seasonal/ritual wellness. (tree: MUS-128)

Music that foregrounds process, extremity or concept over song — noise, musique concrète, free improvisation, sound art, drone and avant composition. Has a real core of its own AND gathers the avant edges of Jazz, Classical, Rock, Electronic and Ambient.

Adult contemporary/soft pop, vocal standards/traditional pop, crooners, lounge/cocktail, smooth jazz/jazz-pop lounge, romantic ballads, orchestral/strings, beautiful/mood music, instrumental pop/covers, bossa/Latin lounge, big band/swing standards, cabaret/show tunes, exotica/tiki, space-age/hi-fi lounge, soft rock/yacht/AM gold, sophisti-pop, quiet storm/smooth soul, light classical/crossover, film/TV/library lounge, chanson/European café, city pop/Japanese, Hawaiian/island, chillout/downtempo, New Age/wellness, religious/inspirational, holiday standards, retro/neo-lounge, novelty/kitsch, global, functional/background. (tree: MUS-128)

Music made for and with children and families — nursery rhymes, lullabies, educational songs, kids' pop, sing-alongs, screen-kids music, kids' worship and toddler music.

Music whose point is humor, plus spoken-word delivered OVER music. Comedic songs, parody, musical satire and character acts, alongside beat poetry, dub poetry and spoken-word hip-hop. Music only — no speeches, standup, talks or audiobooks.

A scene/aesthetic/distribution layer shown as a front door, but stored as a secondary portal rather than a song's primary home.

The continent's musical universe — Afrobeats and amapiano's global wave, highlife, soukous, mbalax, griot and mbira traditions, Ethio-jazz, African hip-hop and gospel, and the diaspora. Cross-listed with Global / Regional, Electronic, Pop, Jazz and Reggae.