microgenre
Tiny stylistic category
A microgenre is a highly specific subdivision within a broader genre, often defined by narrow stylistic or thematic criteria.
Music generates many: shoegaze, vaporwave, witch house.
The term applies across creative domains—film, literature, video games.
Microgenres proliferate online, where niche communities can sustain increasingly granular distinctions: cottagecore, dark academia, cozy horror.
Group with alternative norms
- lo-fiImperfect audio quality, informally
- chillwaveHazy, nostalgic electronic genre
- vaporwaveIronic eighties nostalgia genre
- shoegazeDistortion-heavy ethereal rock
hyperpop · darkwave · synthwave · cottagecore · aesthetic · niche · underground · obscure
Genre-blending work or transition
- blendingCombining into uniformity
- hybridityMixed-origin quality
- syncretismFusion of different beliefs
- worldbeatGlobal folk-pop hybrid
afrobeat · bhangra · cumbia · reggaeton · grime · nu-metal · jazz-hop · electro-swing
Bass-heavy electronic dance music
- psytranceHypnotic electronic dance genre
- trip-hopAtmospheric, slow electronic music
- footworkSkilled lower-limb movement
- jungleDense tropical forest
hardstyle · wonky · chiptune · downtempo · ambient · riddim · liquid
subculture
Group with alternative norms
- lo-fiImperfect audio quality, informally
- chillwaveHazy, nostalgic electronic genre
- vaporwaveIronic eighties nostalgia genre
shoegaze · hyperpop · darkwave · synthwave · cottagecore · aesthetic · niche · underground · obscure · codified
crossover
Genre-blending work or transition
- blendingCombining into uniformity
- hybridityMixed-origin quality
- syncretismFusion of different beliefs
worldbeat · afrobeat · bhangra · cumbia · reggaeton · grime · nu-metal · jazz-hop · electro-swing · mashup
dubstep
Bass-heavy electronic dance music
- psytranceHypnotic electronic dance genre
- trip-hopAtmospheric, slow electronic music
- footworkSkilled lower-limb movement
jungle · hardstyle · wonky · chiptune · downtempo · ambient · riddim · liquid
trend
Direction of change
- viralSpreading quickly online
- algorithmFinite problem-solving procedure
- streamingReal-time digital delivery
Bandcamp · SoundCloud · Spotify · playlist · tastemaker · blog · hype · buzz · discovery · proliferation
k-pop
South Korean music genre
- microgenressubgenre, chillwave, vaporwave, synthwave, shoegaze
- Grindcoregrindcore, harsh vocals, Repulsion, fast tempo, growling