music genres are complicated, and i'm attempting to understand them. extremely simplified, and doesn't include all subgenres at all. sorted roughly by when it was popular.

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🎸 ✦•······················• ‍ ‍ 𝑹 𝑶 𝑪 𝑲 ‍ ‍ ⊹ ‍‍ ‍ 𝑴 𝑬 𝑻 𝑨 𝑳 ‍ ‍ •······················•✦ 🎸

• Rock 'n' Roll (50s)
  • upbeat fusion of R&B, country, jazz and gospel
  • e.g. Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, ...
• Rockabilly (50s)
  • combination of rock 'n' roll and country / honky-tonk
  • e.g. e.g. Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Cash
• Psychedelic Rock (60s-70s) ♡
  • experimental/surreal music inspired by psychedelic drugs
  • e.g. The Beatles, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane
• Blues Rock (60s-70s)
  • mix or rock and electric blues, heavy guitar riffs, long solos
  • e.g. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Animals
• Folk Rock (60s-70s)
  • acoustic, socially conscious lyrics, storytelling
  • e.g. Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds
• Southern Rock (70s) ♡
  • mix of rock and country
  • e.g. Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Prog(ressive) Rock (70s-now)
  • long, complex compositions, concept albums
  • e.g. Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis
• Hard Rock (70s-now) ♡
  • heavy guitar riffs, load drums, aggressive vocals, ...
  • e.g. Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses, The Who, Blue Öyster Cult, Scorpions, Steppenwolf, Alice Cooper
• Punk Rock (70s-now)
  • fast, faw, rebellious, DIY, anti-establishment
  • e.g. The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Kinks
• Glam Rock (70s)
  • theatrical, androgynous spectacles
  • e.g. Queen, David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
• (Heavy) Metal (70s-now)
  • classic metal
  • e.g. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden
• Soft Rock (70s-80s) ♡
  • mellow, melodic, smooth, emotional
  • e.g. Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Phil Collins
• New Wave (70s-80s)
  • mix of punk rock and pop, synthesizers, experimental
  • e.g. Blondie, The Cars, Talking Heads, The Police
• Arena Rock / AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) (70s-80s) ♡
  • radio-friendly rock for mass appeal and large concerts
  • e.g. Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Styx, REO Speedwagen, Survivor, Bon Jovi
• Glam Metal / Hair Metal (80s) ♡
  • poppy hard rock big hair and flashy looks
  • e.g. Mötley Crüe, Poison, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, KISS, Alice Cooper
• Post Punk (80s)
  • darker, more experimental punk with electronic elements
  • e.g. The Cure, Talking Heads
• Alt(ernative) Rock (80s-now) ♡
  • unconventional rock
  • e.g. R.E.M., Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Butthole Surfers
• Trash Metal (80s-now)
  • mix of metal and punk; faster, aggressive, political, intense drums
  • e.g. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax
• Death Metal (80s-now)
  • deep growled vocals, fast drumming, dark themes
  • e.g. Death, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel
• Grunge (90s)
  • raw, angsty, anti-mainstreatm
  • e.g. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains
• Post Grunge (90s-00s)
  • radio-friendly, melodic grunge
  • e.g. Foo Fighters, Nickelback
• Indie Rock (90s)
  • diy, underground rock focused on artistic expression
  • e.g. The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Libertines
• Nu Metal (90s-00s)
  • mix of metal with hip-hop and alt, emotional themes
  • e.g. Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park
• Pop Punk (90s-now)
  • mix of punk and pop, often with youthful themes
  • e.g. Green Day, Blink-182, Sum 41, The Offspring
• Emo (00s-now) ♡
  • e.g. My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco
• Modern Pop Rock (00s-now) ♡
  • e.g. Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, OneRepublic
• Indie Pop Rock (00s-now) ♡
  • e.g. Vampire Weekend, Foster the People, Fun.
• Indie Rock Revival (10s-now) ♡
  • e.g. Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, The 1975

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🌾 ✦•······················• ‍ ‍ 𝑪 𝑶 𝑼 𝑵 𝑻 𝑹 𝒀 ‍ ‍ •······················•✦ 🌾

• Honky Tonk (40s-50s)
  • twangy, raw, rowdy, made for bars and 'honky tonks'
  • e.g. Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb
• Rockabilly (50s)
  • mix of rock'n'roll and country; usually upbeat
  • e.g. Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley
• Country Pop (80s-now) ♡
  • mainstream, catchy melodies
  • e.g. Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Rednex, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett
• Neotraditional Country (80s-90s) ♡
  • return to traditional country
  • e.g. Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Randy Travis
• Southern/Country Rock (70s)
  • see rock subgenres
  • e.g. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alabama, Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Bro-Country (10s) ♡
  • modern, radio-friendly, party themes, hip hop beats
  • e.g. Florida Georgia Line, Dixon Dallas, Dustin Lynch
• Americana / Alt-Country (00s-now)
  • mix of folk, rock, blues, indie, country
  • e.g. Orville Peck, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson