NOTE: In an attempt to maintain some form of order, admins must approve changes/additions to the following Free Music Archive genre tree. All users can create new genres, but they will not be published until an admin approves them. Your input is the water that will help this sprout grow into a healthy genre tree, and admin oversight is the clipper that takes down tree branches when they threaten the tree's livelihood. Questions, comments, concerns? Please email idea [at] freemusicarchive.org
Fully Agreed-Upon List of MP3 Genres
And their ever-expanding list of sub-genres. Genres in bold, subgenres listed after bullets.
Pop
- Experimental Pop
- Synth Pop
Rock
Metal
* Black-Metal
* Death-Metal
Garage
* Psych-Rock
* Surf
Punk
* No Wave
* Hardcore
* Thrash
* New Wave
* Electro-Punk
* Post-Punk
* Power-Pop
Industrial
Goth
Progressive
Krautrock
Shoegaze
Loud-Rock
* Noise-Rock
* Sludge
Post-Rock
* Space-Rock
Lo-Fi
Indie-Rock
Rock Opera
Easy Listening
- Easy Listening: Instrumental
- Vocal
- Lounge
International
- French
- Spanish
- Latin
- Flamenco
- Brazilian
- Reggae - Dub
- Reggae - Dancehall
- Latin America
- > Salsa
> cumbia - >> digital cumbia
African
- Afrobeat
- North African
Middle East
Asia-Far East
Indian
* North Indian Traditional
* South Indian Traditional
* Bollywood
- Pacific
- Europe
--> Klezmer
- Celtic
- Balkan
- Polka
- Fado
Jazz
- Be-Bop
- Jazz: Vocal
- Big Band/Swing
- Jazz: Out
- Free-Jazz
- Modern Jazz
Old-Time / Historic
Country
- Bluegrass
- Americana
- Rockabilly
- Country & Western
- > Western Swing
Folk
- Psych-Folk
- Free-Folk
- Freak-Folk
- British Folk
- Singer-Songwriter
Blues
- Gospel
Soul - R&B
- Disco
- Funk
Electronic
- Ambient Electronic
- Techno
* Bigbeat
- Drum & Bass
- Jungle
- House
* Chill-out
- Minimal Electronic
- Glitch
- Breakcore - Hard
- IDM
- Downtempo
- Trip-hop
- Chip Music
- Dubstep
*Skweee
Novelty
- Children's Music
- Comedy (music)
- Soundtrack
- Sound Effects
Experimental
- Avant-Garde
- Noise
- Sound Poetry
- Drone
- Ambient
- New Age
- Electroacoustic
- Sound Collage
- Field Recordings
- Improv
- Minimalism
- Unclassifiable
Classical
- Classical - 20th Century
- Composed Music
- Opera
- Chamber Music
- Choral Music
- Symphony
Hip-Hop
- Nerdcore
- Alternative Hip-Hop
- Wonky
- Hip-Hop Beats
Spoken
- Spoken Weird
- Poetry
- Comedy
- banter
- Radio Theater
Radio
- Radio-Art
- Talk Radio
- Interview