Last Updated on July 6, 2026 by Christian Adams
Rock music has a long history, with hundreds of existing and ever-specialized subgenres, and new types of rock music appearing on the landscape every day.
This list functions as a gateway to knowledge, with each genre and subgenre linked to (a) an explainer (aka Rock Genres Explained) on this website or (b) an explainer on Wikipedia. Learn about a genre’s origins, peak popularity, most influential artists, and exemplary or must-hear albums or songs.
The explainer project is a work in progress as new or missing subgenres are added to the list. Please leave a comment if you don’t see what you’re looking for, and we’ll add it to the list. Enjoy rock genres A to Z!
A
- Acid jazz
- Acid rock
- Adult contemporary music
- Adult alternative
- Album-oriented rock
- Afro punk
- Afro rock
- Afrobeat
- Alternative country
- Alternative dance
- Alternative funk rock
- Alternative hip-hop
- Alternative metal
- Alternative pop (EXPLAINER COMING SOON)
- Alternative rock
- Americana
- Anarcho-punk
- Anti-folk
- Anatolian rock
- Arena rock
- Art pop
- Art punk
- Art rock
- Avant-garde metal
- Avant-pop (COMING SOON)
- Avant-prog (COMING SOON)
B
- Baroque pop
- Baggy
- Bandana thrash
- Bay Area thrash metal
- Beach music
- Beat
- Bent edge
- Big beat
- Biker metal
- Bisrock
- Blackgaze
- Blackened death metal
- Black and roll (COMING SOON)
- Black metal
- Blue-eyed soul
- Blues rock
- Boogie
- Brazilian thrash metal
- British folk rock
- Breakcore
- Britpop
- Britpop revival
- B-Town
- Brutal death metal
- Bubblegum music
- Butt rock
C
- Canadian blues
- Canterbury Sound
- Cello rock
- Celtic punk
- Celtic metal
- Celtic rock
- Chamber pop
- Chicago blues (COMING SOON)
- Chicano rock
- Chillwave
- Choogle
- Christian alternative rock
- Christian hardcore
- Christian metal
- Christian punk
- Christian rock
- Classic alternative (COMING SOON)
- Classic rock
- Cock rock
- Coldwave
- College rock
- Comedy rock
- Corporate punk
- Country rock
- Cowpunk
- Crossover thrash
- Crunkcore
- Crust punk
- Cybergrind
D
- Dad rock
- Dance punk
- Dance rock
- Dark cabaret
- Dark rock
- Dark metal
- Darkwave
- D-beat
- Death ‘n’ roll
- Deathcore
- Death doom
- Deathgrind
- Death metal
- Death rock
- Desert blues
- Digital hardcore
- Disco
- Djent
- Dolewave
- Doom metal
- Dream pop
- Drone metal
- Dunedin Sound
- Dungeon synth
E
- Easy listening
- Electric blues (COMING SOON)
- Electric folk
- Electronica
- Electronicore
- Electronic dance music (EDM)
- Electronic rock
- Electroclash
- Electropunk
- Emo
- Emo revival
- Emoviolence
- Ethereal wave
- Experimental metal
- Experimental pop
- Experimental rock
- Extreme metal
F
G
- Garage punk
- Garage rock
- Geek rock
- Glam metal
- Glam punk
- Glam rock
- Goregrind
- Gothabilly
- Gothic country
- Gothic metal
- Gothic rock
- Grebo
- Grindcore
- Grindie
- Groove metal
- Group Sounds
- Grunge
- Grunge revival (COMING SOON)
- Gypsy punk
H
I
- Indian rock
- Indie folk
- Indie pop
- Indie rock
- Indie surf (COMING SOON)
- Indietronica
- Indorock
- Industrial metal
- Industrial rock
- Instrumental rock
- Iranian alternative
- Iranian rock
- Italian occult psychedelia
J
- Jangle pop
- Jazz fusion
- Jazz rock
- Jazz punk
- Jazz folk
- Jazz metal (COMING SOON)
- Jazzcore
- Jersey Shore Sound
K
- Kawaii metal
- Kindie rock
- Krautrock
- Krishnarock (COMING SOON)
L
M
- Madchester
- Manila Sound
- Mathcore
- Math rock
- Medieval folk rock
- Medieval metal
- Melodic death metal
- Melodic hardcore
- Metalcore
- Metalstep
- Midwest emo
- Minneapolis Sound
- Mod revival
- Modern rock
N
- Nardcore
- National Socialist black metal
- Neoclassical metal
- Neoclassical dark wave
- Neo-prog
- Neo-psychedelia
- Neon pop
- Nerd rock
- Neue Deutsche Härte
- Neue Deutsche Welle
- New rave
- New Romantic (COMING SOON)
- New wave
- New Wave of American Heavy Metal
- New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
- New Wave of New Wave (NWONW)
- New Weird America
- Nintendocore
- No wave (COMING SOON)
- Noise pop
- Noise rock
- Nu gaze
- Nu metal
O
P
- Pagan metal
- Pagan rock
- Paisley Underground
- Peace punk
- Pinoy rock
- Pirate metal
- Pop metal (aka corporate pop metal)
- Pop punk
- Pop rock
- Pornogrind
- Post-Britpop
- Post-grunge
- Post-hardcore
- Post-metal
- Post-punk
- Post-punk revival
- Post-rock
- Power pop
- Power metal
- Powerviolence
- Progressive metal
- Progressive rock
- Progressive soul
- Proto-prog
- Proto-punk
- Psychedelic folk
- Psychedelic funk
- Psychedelic pop
- Psychedelic rock
- Psychobilly
- Pub rock
- Punk blues
- Punk jazz
- Punk metal (COMING SOON)
- Punk rock
- Punk pathetique
Q
R
- Raga rock
- Rap metal
- Rap rock
- Reggae fusion
- Reggae punk
- Reggae rock
- Red dirt
- Riot grrrl
- Rock Against Communism
- Rock and roll (aka rock n’ roll)
- Rock en Español
- Rock kapak
- Rockabilly
- Rocksteady
- Rock music
- Rock in Opposition
- Roots rock
S
- Sadcore
- Samba rock
- Screamo
- Shaman punk
- Shoegaze
- Shock rock
- Ska punk
- Skate punk
- Skate rock
- Slacker rock
- Slowcore
- Sludge metal
- Soft grunge
- Soft rock
- Southern metal
- Southern rock
- Space rock
- Speed metal
- Straight edge
- Stoner doom
- Stoner metal
- Stoner rock
- Street punk
- Sufi rock
- Sunshine pop
- Surf music
- Swamp pop
- Swamp rock
- Swedish death metal
- Symphonic black metal (COMING SOON)
- Symphonic metal
- Symphonic rock
- Synthpop
- Synthpunk
T
- Taqwacore
- Technical death metal
- Teutonic thrash metal
- Thai psychedelia
- Thrashcore
- Thrash metal
- Tough guy hardcore
- Traditional heavy metal
- Trallpunk
- Trap metal
- Tropicalia
- Tropical rock
- Tulsa Sound
- Twee pop
- 2-Tone