06/01/2026
What is EDM? It's Electronic Dance Music!
It is a broad umbrella term for percussive, electronically produced music primarily created for nightclubs, raves, and festivals.
While it originated as a collective term for all electronic genres, it is also frequently used to describe a specific, high-energy mainstream festival sound.
Common Subgenres - Because EDM is a massive umbrella term, it encompasses many distinct styles:
House: Known for a repetitive 4-on-the-floor beat, groovy basslines, and soulful melodies.
Techno: Characterized by a relentless, percussive, and darker synthesized sound.
Dubstep: Defined by heavy, wobbly basslines, sparse drum patterns, and dramatic "drops."
Trance: Focuses on hypnotic, melodic synthesizers and emotional, uplifting build-ups.
Various EDM genres have evolved over the last 40 years, for example; house, techno, drum and bass, dance-pop, etc.
Stylistic variation within an established EDM genre can lead to the emergence of what is called a subgenre.
Hybridization, where elements of two or more genres are combined, can lead to the emergence of an entirely new genre of EDM.
You can fall down a Rabbit Hole of endless genres and styles of Electronic Dance Music covering decades of great music.
Find your beat and dance on your feet!
Oh, and if you have a little more time... Roots of Electronic Music has quite a bit of fun stuff to see and listen to!
