Genre

How it is used

Used by critics, streaming platforms and musicians describing their work. Artists 'mix genres' or 'cross genres'; platforms sort playlists by genre. 'Subgenre' is a smaller category inside a genre, such as trap within hip-hop.

Example sentences

1. Their music is hard to put in one genre; it mixes folk, electronic and jazz.

2. When you upload the track, choose a main genre and up to two subgenres.

Common collocations

• music genre
• mix genres
• cross genres
• subgenre
• genre-bending

Related terms

• jazzA genre that developed in African American communities in New Orleans in the early 20th century, known for swing rhythm, rich harmony and improvisation.
• classical musicThe tradition of Western art music, including symphonies, concertos, operas and chamber music, usually written down in detailed scores and performed by trained musicians.
• folk musicTraditional music of a people or region, usually passed down orally from generation to generation. It also names a modern acoustic, song-based style influenced by that tradition.
• pop musicPopular, commercially oriented music made for a wide audience, usually with short songs, catchy choruses and a strong focus on melody and production.
• hip-hopA culture and music genre that began in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s, built on rapping over beats made from drum patterns and samples.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• genre · Literature
• genre · Film & Television

More terms: Genres and Styles

• cover