Pop Music

music genre · 1950s · radio friendly · dance beats

Born in the 1950s. Pop music started its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s, growing out of rock and roll and the energy of young people who wanted something fresh and exciting.

Made for everyone. Pop music is designed to be catchy, easy to enjoy, and spread quickly to lots of people through radio and now through streaming. It's the opposite of complicated music that only a few people understand.

Stays in your head. Pop songs are meant to stick with you and make you want to dance or sing along. That's why the same chorus or beat might repeat over and over, so you remember it forever.

Trends come and go. Pop music changes with what's popular at the moment, so new pop songs might sound completely different from pop songs from ten years ago. That's why it's sometimes called 'ephemeral,' meaning it doesn't stay the same for very long.