pop metal

Pop metal is a style of heavy metal music that incorporates catchy hooks, polished production, and accessible song structures aimed at mainstream radio play.

The genre peaked in the 1980s with bands like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, emphasizing anthemic choruses and power ballads over the aggression of harder metal subgenres.

Also called hair metal or glam metal, though those terms emphasize visual style over sound.