List of musical genres - Definition and Overview

See also: Genealogy of musical genres

Music can be divided into genres in many different ways. These classifications are often arbitrary and controversial, and furthermore closely related styles often overlap. Many do not believe that generic classification of musical styles is possible in any logically consistent way, and also argue that doing so sets limitations and boundaries that hinder the development of music. While no one doubts that it is possible to note similarities between performers, there are often exceptions and caveats associated.

Of course, included in each genre are myriad musical styles further specifying the type of music, which tend to be more descriptive than a simple genre title.