The 30 Different Genres of Music and How to Find Your Taste

M​usic’s significance knows no bounds. It allows us to feel, express, escape, and reflect. It can evoke any emotion, shift mindsets, and even inspire movements; Music is powerful.

T​hough many people worldwide connect with music, we tend to connect in different ways due to having different music tastes. Taste in music is often influenced by culture, location, and experiences. However, because music genres have become so vast and access to music is infinite online, it can be overwhelming to approach the task of finding the right music for you. Even with this challenge, there are still ways to discover new music and determine what stands out. Dive into how you can make your music tastes known:

I​dentify Your Genres

F​irst it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into. Knowing the type of music you like will help you navigate an array of music categories. Though the number of genres continues to grow, there are specific genres that are most commonly known worldwide.

Begin your search by looking into genres of interest, then branch out to genres that make you curious. And to make searching and gathering music simpler, use music distribution platforms to help guide your music search. Here is a list of 30 music genres to start with (alphabetically):

1. Afrobeats
2. Alternative
3. Bluegrass
4. Blues
5. Classical
6. C​ontemporary
7. Country
8. Dancehall
9. Disco
10. E​lectro
11. Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
12. Folk Music
13. Funk
14. G​ospel
15. G​runge
16. Hip-Hop
17. House Music
18. Jazz
19. K​-Pop
20. Latin Music
21. Metal
22. Musical Theatre
23. N​ew-Age Music
24. Opera
25. Pop
26. Reggae
27. Rock
28. Rhythm & Blues (R&B)
29. Soul
30. World Music

Consider Your E​nvironment

I​f you’re still struggling to pick a genre or want to get more specific with your music search, it never hurts to take a look at your surroundings. Taking in the contents of your environment and places you frequent can help you get a feel for music that would complement your lifestyle. Here are some questions to ask in order to concertize your environment:

• Do you live in the country, city, or suburbs?
• Are you content being alone or do you enjoy being around other people?
• Is your life fast-paced or do you prefer to take things slow?

Considering where you are and how it makes you feel can narrow down your choices for music, making your search more productive.

Prioritize Your D​esires

W​here you are is important, but where you want to be sets the bar. Sometimes, our current environment and circumstances are not what we strive for. When this comes to be, music is an incredible way to transport yourself to places both unseen and remembered. Music is known to enable people to daydream, wonder, and explore possibilities.

Though what you want is deeply unique to you, it can still be a challenge to identify exactly what you want. To begin figuring this out, start with the following questions:

• What place makes you happiest?
• Who is your favorite person and why?
• What does ‘the perfect day’ look like for you?
• Where would you like to vacation?
• How do you want to feel?

O​nce you identify some of your desires, begin to imagine what these things sound like. If there were music playing in the, what kind of music would it be? Is the music upbeat like Pop or melodic like Blues? Does it move like Dancehall or lull like Classical? Charged like Hip-Hop or smooth like Jazz? If you can imagine your heart’s desires, you can also begin to imagine the music that matches.

Reflect on E​xperiences

T​hough people aren’t solely defined by their life experiences, their point of view is definitely shaped by those experiences. What you go through—good and bad—can inform your outlook of the world, and yes, even your taste in music. You may find that you’re a Country fan if you spent a lot of time on the farm, or maybe you like Latin music because it was played at the restaurant by your childhood home. No matter what you’ve experienced, there is likely a way to connect memories to music. Think about the following:

• Which of your memories involve music?
• What were your favorite songs growing up?
• What genre of music brings happy memories?
• Which music artists cause you to recall strong emotions?

Y​our life experiences are wrapped up in songs. Now, you can use those experiences to wrap yourself in the music.

M​usic Wrap-Up

There is a reason music is considered the “soundtrack of our lives”—it shapes our experiences, sets the atmosphere for our environment, and solidifies our emotions. Y​our music taste(s) can be found in your environment, desires, and life experiences. Whether you vibe well with music from other parts of the globe or your hometown band, focusing on how the music makes you feel will help reveal more about your music tastes. It’s up to you to find your groove.