Pop music

Pop music is a genre of <a href="/facts/Popular_music/Q5yhxIwY">popular music</a> that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed <a href="/facts/Rock_and_roll/hNDC5KwW">rock and roll</a> and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. <a href="/facts/Rock_music/zBM2guyQ">Rock</a> and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible.
Identifying factors of pop music usually include repeated choruses and <a href="/facts/Hook_(music)/ulBo1GjV">hooks</a>, short to medium-length songs written in a basic format (often the <a href="/facts/Verse%25E2%2580%2593chorus_form/9wkDkCs7">verse–chorus structure</a>), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much of pop music also borrows elements from other styles such as rock, <a href="/facts/Hip_hop/7HjAPIEh">hip hop</a>, <a href="/facts/Urban_contemporary/J26aK3e0">urban</a>, <a href="/facts/Dance_music/MsDMMnvz">dance</a>, <a href="/facts/Latin_music/0fL8fzck">Latin</a>, and <a href="/facts/Country_music/UJM3Un98">country</a>.
The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although the former more accurately describes all music that is targeted for mass appeal (compare <a href="/facts/Art_music/50MKosag">art music</a>) and includes many disparate styles.

Pop music open-in-new

Pop music