Pop Genres

Pop genres are simply a shorthand to help us speak to each other about the pop music we hear. They may be created initially by journalists, radio personnel, or pop music artists themselves.

Adult Contemporary
Adult Contemporary is a key pop music radio format. It was originally known as Easy Listening and has been a mainstay on pop radio since the 1960s.

Adult Pop
Adult Pop had developed as a key genre and radio format that lands somewhere between Mainstream Pop and Adult Contemporary. A somewhat younger and more rhythmically oriented audience is the goal.

K-Pop
K-Pop or Korean Pop Music is spreading quickly throughout the world. It borrows from many Western pop genres, but maintains a distinctive sound and approach all its own.

Punk Pop
Punk pop finds its roots in the punk music revolution of the 1970s. However, it is a genre which sees melody as a key element of loud and fast music.

Teen Pop
Teen pop emerged in the 1940s when record labels discovered an eager teen audience for singers who appealed directly to them. Teen pop reached its golden age in the late 1990s with the arrival of top boy bands and girl performers who were teenagers themselves.

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