Music Genre Wheel

Spin 149 genres across 11 families, with one line on each so an unfamiliar name is not a dead end.

Music Genre Wheel

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Yacht rockGothic rockDoom metalBubblegum…Yé-yéBedroom popUK garageChiptuneGo-goDiscoBoogieNew jack…Neo soulFree jazzCajun musicReggaetonDubCalypsoSocaHighlifeFadoKlezmerRomantic…Musique…

Sample result

Dub

Reggae remixed at the mixing desk: vocals stripped out, drums and bass pushed up, echo added.

My list: 24 of 149 music genres on the wheel

Your own go on the wheel with the music genres.

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    The wheel shows 24 of 149 music genres. Every spin picks from all 149.

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        All 149 music genres

        Classical, vocal and experimental 11

        • A cappella Singing with no instrumental accompaniment.
        • Barbershop music Unaccompanied four-part close harmony.
        • Baroque music Western art music of roughly 1600 to 1750, the period that followed the Renaissance.
        • Classical period Western art music from about 1750 to 1820, the age of the symphony and the string quartet.
        • Impressionism A late 19th and early 20th century movement, centered on France, that valued mood and tone color.
        • Lo-fi Recordings that keep the hiss, hum and flaws that a studio would normally remove.
        • Minimal music Built from short repeated patterns that change slowly; it began in the United States around 1960.
        • Musique concrète Music assembled from recorded sounds, pioneered in France in the 1940s.
        • Renaissance music Music of Europe in the 1400s and 1500s, much of it written for unaccompanied voices.
        • Romantic music 19th century Western art music that put personal expression first.
        • Video game music Soundtracks written for games, from early sound chips to full orchestras.
        Show all 149 music genres (138 more)

        Soul, funk and R&B 12

        • Boogie Post-disco funk of the late 1970s to mid 1980s that mixes acoustic and electronic instruments.
        • Contemporary R&B The modern form of R&B, which mixes soul, funk, pop and hip hop.
        • Disco Grew out of the nightlife of American cities from the late 1960s, with a steady four-on-the-floor beat.
        • Funk A mid 1960s style that lands hard on the first beat of the bar, known as the one.
        • Go-go A funk offshoot from Washington, D.C. built on audience call and response; the city made it its official music in 2020.
        • Gospel music Christian music with dominant vocals, strong harmony and call and response.
        • Neo soul A soul revival that broke through in the late 1990s, with funk, jazz and hip hop in the mix.
        • New jack swing A late 1980s fusion of R&B singing with hip hop beats and drum machines.
        • Northern soul A dance movement from northern England and the Midlands, built on rare, fast American soul records.
        • Quiet storm A late-night radio format of smooth, slow R&B that began in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s.
        • Rhythm and blues A 1940s style from African American communities; the name began as a record industry marketing term.
        • Soul Gospel feeling joined to rhythm and blues, from African American communities around 1960.

        Pop 13

        • Baroque pop 1960s pop dressed with classical touches such as harpsichords and string sections.
        • Bedroom pop Home-recorded, lo-fi pop named for where it is made.
        • Bubblegum pop Upbeat, catchy late 1960s pop aimed squarely at young listeners.
        • City pop Japanese pop from the mid 1970s on, at its height in the 1980s, drawing on funk, disco and soft rock.
        • Doo-wop Vocal group harmony from 1940s African American communities, often sung with little or no backing.
        • Dream pop Pop that puts texture and atmosphere on the same level as melody.
        • Hyperpop A 2010s style that pushes pop to extremes with pitched-up vocals and distorted, maximal production.
        • J-pop Japanese popular music; the name was coined by the Japanese media to set it apart from foreign music.
        • K-pop Popular music from South Korea, known for idol groups and tight choreography.
        • Latin pop Pop with Spanish or Portuguese lyrics.
        • Schlager Catchy, sentimental European pop with simple, easygoing lyrics.
        • Synth-pop Pop led by synthesizers; it broke through as the 1970s ended.
        • Yé-yé Early 1960s pop from western and southern Europe, named after the English 'yeah, yeah'.

        Country and folk 13

        • Americana A blend of American roots styles: country, folk, blues and bluegrass.
        • Bakersfield sound A 1950s California reply to the Nashville sound, all electric twang and a driving beat.
        • Bluegrass Took shape in the 1940s around banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and upright bass.
        • Cajun music French-language music from Louisiana led by fiddle and accordion.
        • Celtic music The folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and their neighbors.
        • Filk Folk music of science fiction and fantasy fandom, traditionally sung at fan conventions.
        • Honky tonk Hard-edged barroom country with fiddle and steel guitar.
        • Indie folk Acoustic folk instruments in the hands of indie rock musicians, from the 1990s on.
        • Outlaw country A 1970s movement of artists in revolt against the polished Nashville sound.
        • Singer-songwriter One writer performing their own songs, usually with just a guitar or piano.
        • Skiffle Played on home-made instruments such as the washboard and tea-chest bass; a 1950s craze in Britain.
        • Western swing Country dance music that took on the rhythm of swing, led by fiddle and steel guitar.
        • Zydeco Louisiana Creole dance music played on accordion and a washboard worn on the chest.

        Rock 14

        • Alternative rock An umbrella name for rock that grew out of the independent underground and reached the mainstream in the 1990s.
        • Britpop Mid 1990s British guitar pop that looked back to the British bands of the 1960s.
        • Glam rock Early 1970s British rock known for glitter, platform boots and stomping choruses.
        • Gothic rock Dark, bass-led and atmospheric rock that British post-punk bands arrived at by the end of the 1970s.
        • Grunge Came out of Seattle in the mid 1980s, mixing punk energy with heavy, sludgy guitars.
        • Hard rock Loud, riff-driven rock with aggressive, distorted electric guitars; it began in the mid 1960s.
        • Indie rock Named for the independent record labels that released it in the 1980s.
        • New wave A late 1970s, pop-minded offshoot of punk that welcomed synthesizers.
        • Progressive rock Long multi-part songs, odd time signatures and banks of keyboards; it developed in Britain and the United States in the late 1960s.
        • Psychedelic rock Mid 1960s rock built on studio effects, long solos and borrowed Indian instruments such as the sitar.
        • Rock and roll Took shape in the United States in the years either side of 1950, out of rhythm and blues and country music.
        • Shoegaze A late 1980s British style of blurred, effects-heavy guitars, named for players who stared down at their pedals.
        • Surf rock Reverb-heavy guitar music tied to Southern California surf culture, at its peak from 1958 to 1964.
        • Yacht rock A name coined in 2005 by an online comedy series for smooth soft rock of the mid 1970s to mid 1980s.

        Metal and punk 14

        • Black metal Fast tremolo-picked guitars, shrieked vocals and deliberately raw production.
        • Death metal Known for growled vocals, low-tuned distorted guitars and blast beat drumming.
        • Doom metal Metal at its slowest and heaviest: low tunings and crawling tempos.
        • Emo Began as emotional hardcore in Washington, D.C. in the mid 1980s.
        • Hardcore punk A faster, harder form of punk that appeared in the late 1970s.
        • Heavy metal Rock made thick and loud, with distorted guitars and long solos; it took shape in Britain and the United States around 1970.
        • Metalcore Hardcore punk fused with extreme metal, known for its breakdowns.
        • Nu metal Metal crossed with hip hop, funk and grunge, often played on down-tuned seven-string guitars.
        • Pirate metal Metal with pirate lyrics and sea shanty melodies. Yes, it is a real genre.
        • Pop-punk Punk speed and guitars paired with pop melodies and hooks.
        • Power metal Fast, melodic metal with soaring clean vocals and fantasy themes.
        • Punk rock Mid 1970s rock stripped down to short, fast songs and a do-it-yourself attitude.
        • Ska punk Punk crossed with the offbeat guitar and horn sections of ska.
        • Thrash metal Early 1980s metal defined by fast tempos and tight, palm-muted riffs.

        Hip hop 14

        • Boom bap Named after the sound of its kick and snare drums; the core East Coast sound of the late 1980s and 1990s.
        • Bounce New Orleans hip hop from the late 1980s, driven by call-and-response chants.
        • Chopped and screwed A remix technique from 1990s Houston: slow the record right down, then cut and repeat beats.
        • Conscious hip-hop Hip hop that puts social issues and ideas at the center of the lyrics.
        • Drill Began in Chicago in the early 2010s, with its sound rooted in trap.
        • East Coast hip-hop Began in New York City, where hip hop was born in the 1970s.
        • G-funk Early 1990s West Coast sound: slow grooves, whining synthesizer leads and funk samples.
        • Grime A London style of the early 2000s: quick-fire MCs over beats near 140 beats per minute.
        • Jazz rap Hip hop built on jazz samples and live jazz playing, from the late 1980s on.
        • Lofi hip-hop Mellow instrumental beats with a worn, tape-like sound, popular for study playlists.
        • Nerdcore Hip hop about computers, science fiction, games and other subjects nerds care about.
        • Phonk Took its sound from 1990s Memphis rap tapes and spread online in the 2010s.
        • Trap A Southern hip hop style marked by fast hi-hats, deep 808 bass and dark synthesizers.
        • West Coast hip-hop The California branch of hip hop, a dominant force in the early and mid 1990s.

        Jazz and blues 14

        • Bebop 1940s jazz of fast tempos and complex chord changes, made for listening and not for dancing.
        • Boogie-Woogie Piano blues driven by a rolling, repeated left-hand bass figure.
        • Bossa nova A softer, cooler take on samba from Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s; the name means new trend.
        • Chicago blues Blues plugged in: electric guitar, amplified harmonica and a full rhythm section.
        • Cool jazz A relaxed, lighter-toned answer to bebop from the late 1940s and 1950s.
        • Delta blues One of the earliest blues styles, from the Mississippi Delta, often a lone singer with slide guitar.
        • Desert blues Guitar music of the Sahara, associated above all with Tuareg musicians.
        • Dixieland The early jazz of New Orleans, with several horns improvising at once.
        • Free jazz Broke with fixed chord changes and steady tempos around 1960.
        • Hard bop A mid 1950s extension of bebop that pulled in blues, gospel and rhythm and blues.
        • Jazz fusion A late 1960s meeting of jazz improvisation with rock and funk rhythms and electric instruments.
        • Ragtime Syncopated piano music at its most popular between the 1890s and the 1910s.
        • Smooth jazz A polished, radio-friendly offshoot of jazz fusion, most often led by a saxophone.
        • Swing The dance music of the 1930s and early 1940s.

        Latin and Caribbean 14

        • Bachata Guitar-led music from the Dominican Republic.
        • Calypso A song tradition from Trinidad and Tobago known for witty, topical lyrics.
        • Cumbia Began on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and spread across Latin America.
        • Dancehall A sparser, faster Jamaican style that followed roots reggae from the late 1970s.
        • Dub Reggae remixed at the mixing desk: vocals stripped out, drums and bass pushed up, echo added.
        • Mariachi A Mexican ensemble tradition of violins, trumpets and guitars, including the deep-bodied guitarrón.
        • Merengue Music and dance from the Dominican Republic, played on accordion, güira scraper and tambora drum.
        • Reggae A Jamaican style dating from the late 1960s; the 1968 single Do the Reggay gave it its name.
        • Reggaeton Grew up in Puerto Rico out of the Spanish-language reggae of Panama in the late 1980s and 1990s.
        • Salsa Dance music based mainly on Cuban son, with Puerto Rican and other Caribbean styles folded in.
        • Samba A Brazilian genre with Afro-Brazilian roots, and the sound of Rio de Janeiro's carnival.
        • Ska A Jamaican style from the late 1950s, known for guitar chops on the offbeat; it came before rocksteady and reggae.
        • Soca An offshoot of calypso from 1970s Trinidad and Tobago, also called the soul of calypso.
        • Tango Began in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 19th century; the bandoneón, a kind of concertina, gives it its voice.

        Electronic and dance 15

        • Acid house Mid 1980s Chicago house built on the squelch of a Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer.
        • Ambient Music that puts tone and atmosphere ahead of rhythm and structure.
        • Chiptune Made with the sound chips of vintage computers and game consoles, or made to sound that way.
        • Drum and bass A British style from the early 1990s that runs fast breakbeats, about 165 to 185 a minute, over heavy bass.
        • Dubstep A South London style of the early 2000s, with sparse rhythms and heavy sub-bass.
        • Electro swing Dance music that sets old swing and jazz, or new playing in that style, to house and hip hop beats.
        • Eurodance Began in Western Europe in the late 1980s: big sung choruses, often paired with rapped verses.
        • House music Born in Chicago clubs in the early 1980s, with a steady four-on-the-floor kick drum.
        • Italo disco 1980s dance music from Italy, heavy on synthesizers and drum machines.
        • Synthwave A style from the mid to late 2000s modelled on the film soundtracks and video games of the 1980s.
        • Techno Came out of Detroit in the mid 1980s.
        • Trance music Emerged in Frankfurt, Germany, around 1990, built on repeating melodic phrases and long build-ups.
        • Trip hop Slow, atmospheric beats that came out of Bristol, England, around 1990.
        • UK garage A 1990s British club sound with shuffling, syncopated rhythms and pitched vocal samples.
        • Vaporwave An early 2010s internet genre built from slowed-down samples of 1980s and 1990s background music.

        Africa, Asia and Europe 15

        • Afrobeat Pioneered in Nigeria in the 1960s from West African styles, funk and jazz.
        • Afrobeats An umbrella name for 21st century West African pop. Not the same thing as Afrobeat.
        • Amapiano A South African style named after the Zulu word for pianos, known for wide, percussive basslines.
        • Bhangra Rooted in the folk dance music of the Punjab.
        • Enka Sentimental Japanese ballad singing.
        • Fado Portuguese song of longing, tied to Lisbon and Coimbra.
        • Flamenco The art of song, dance and guitar from Andalusia in southern Spain.
        • Gamelan The ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, played mostly on bronze gongs and keyed percussion.
        • Highlife Began in what is now Ghana, mixing local rhythms with Western instruments.
        • Hindustani classical The classical music tradition of northern India.
        • Klezmer Instrumental music of Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe, played at weddings and dances.
        • Polka A lively dance in two-four time from 19th century Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic.
        • Raï Algerian popular music that began in Oran, a port city.
        • Soukous Dance music from the Congo basin that developed out of Congolese rumba.
        • Tuvan throat singing A technique from Tuva in southern Siberia in which one singer sounds two or more pitches at once.

        How this list was compiled: Genre names were taken from Wikipedia's List of music genres and styles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_genres_and_styles), read on 2026-09-18. The wheel keeps 149 names from that much longer list: genres a listener can find a playlist for today, spread across every major family. Entries that name a country's music as a whole, a radio chart or a musician's job were left out, and so were a few names that do not suit a general audience. The eleven groups are our own arrangement of that list's sections; metal and punk, which it files under rock, have a group of their own. Each one-line description is in this site's own words and was checked against the opening of that genre's own Wikipedia article, read on the same date: the place, period or defining sound is the article's, the wording is ours. Bedroom pop has no article of its own; Wikipedia covers it in a section of the Lo-fi music article, and our line follows that section. Licence: own work

        How it works

        This music genre wheel holds 149 genres in 11 families, from rock and hip hop to Latin, jazz and classical. Spin it to choose tonight's listening, your next songwriting brief or the next quiz round. Each result comes with one line on where the genre began or what it sounds like.

        Read the full guide

        Spin one family or the whole wheel of music genres

        The wheel of music genres shows 24 of its 149 names at a time; choose a family under Show only to see it whole. Families run from 11 genres (Classical, vocal and experimental) to 15 (Electronic and dance; Africa, Asia and Europe). For a true random music genre wheel, leave it on All and accept that you may land on Tuvan throat singing.

        A song genre wheel for writers and producers

        The challenge is simple: spin, then finish one track in that style before the day ends. Used as a song genre wheel, the line under the result is your first brief. Drum and bass means fast breakbeats, typically 165 to 185 beats per minute. Bossa nova means a softer, cooler take on samba. For a month of prompts, spin 30 times in Elimination and press Copy; picks are forgotten when the page closes.

        • Listening party: each person gets one music genre wheel spin and two minutes to queue a track that fits.
        • Music teachers: filter to Jazz and blues, put a music genre spin-the-wheel on the board, and open a lesson with the fact under the result.
        • Got a shortlist already? Open My list and type one genre per line, up to 100. The wheel spins only those.

        Questions and answers

        How were the 149 genres chosen?

        The names come from Wikipedia's list of music genres and styles, read on 18 September 2026. That list is far longer, so the wheel keeps genres you can find a playlist for today, spread across 11 families. Entries that name a whole country's music or a radio chart were left out.

        How does a spin-the-wheel music genre round work in a quiz?

        Spin, read the genre out, and give each team 30 seconds to name a song or an artist that fits. Use Elimination so no genre comes up twice in one night. For a mixed-age table, filter to Pop or Rock, where most of the names are familiar.

        Is every genre equally likely?

        Yes. Each genre on the wheel has the same chance, and the winner is drawn before the wheel starts to turn, so a harder spin changes nothing. On All, that is 1 chance in 149. A family with 15 genres comes up more often than one with 11.

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