"Bands with a million styles"

...is a line from a song by Huey Lewis And The News called "The Heart Of Rock And Roll". I first heard the line many years ago but it's stuck with me since. Are there really a million styles of music? If not, how many are there?

Here, I aim to find out.

The criteria to add a genre is very, very simple: No making up genres. To be added, there must exist some music of that genre. If I do a Google search for your genre I expect to find something concrete (and that's more than just a last.fm tag!). Other than that: wide open.

Obviously the list below is incomplete. Mail me your suggestions.

Perhaps I should clarify: the aim here is to compile a long list. Not a definitive one. :)

Genres, alphabetical

1. 16-bit
2. 2step
3. 8-bit
4. A cappella metal
5. A cappella
6. A.O.R.
7. Aak
8. Abstract
9. Abstract hip hop
10. Accelerated funk
11. Acid
12. Acid house
13. Acid jazz
14. Acid punk
15. Acid tekno
16. Acoustic
17. Adult-orientated rock
18. Adventure metal
19. African
20. Afro-Caribbean
21. Aggrotech
22. Aleatory
23. Algorithmic
24. Alpine
25. Alpunk
26. Alternative
27. Alternative country
28. Alternative country rock
29. Alternative rock
30. Amateur
31. Ambient
32. Ambient industrial
33. Ambient psy
34. American primitive guitar
35. Americana
36. Anarcho-punk
37. Andean
38. Anime
39. Anthem
40. Anthem rock
41. Anthem trance
42. Anti-folk
43. Appalachian folk
44. Aquacrunk
45. Arabian metal
46. Arena rock
47. Aria
48. Ars nova
49. Ars subtilior
50. Art rock
51. Art song
52. Art-pop
53. Asian American jazz
54. Ataricore
55. Atmospheric
56. Atmospheric sludge metal
57. Australian aboriginal
58. Avant-garde
59. Avant-garde jazz
60. Avant-garde metal
61. Avant-pop
62. Avant-progressive rock
63. Bachata
64. Baggy
65. Bakersfield sound
66. Ballad
67. Band
68. Barbershop
69. Barcarole
70. Baroque
71. Barrelhouse
72. Bass
73. Bass & drum
74. Battle metal
75. Batucada
76. Beat
77. Bebop
78. Berlin school electronic/Kosmiche
79. Bhangra
80. Big Band
81. Big beat
82. Bitpop
83. Black metal
84. Blip hop
85. Bluegrass
86. Blues
87. Bongo flava
88. Boogie
89. Boogie woogie
90. Booty bass
91. Booty house
92. Booty music
93. Boredcore
94. Bossa nova
95. Bouncy techno
96. Bouyon
97. Braindance
98. Brass band
99. Brazilian funk
100. Breakbeat
101. Breakbeat hardcore
102. Breakcore
103. Britpop
104. Britrock
105. Broadway
106. Brutal death metal
107. Bubblegum pop
108. Bubbling
109. Business funk
110. Cabaret
111. Cafe
112. Cajun
113. Calypso
114. Calypso jazz
115. Candombe
116. Cantata
117. Canterbury scene
118. Cantopop
119. Caribbean
120. Carnatic
121. Carnival
122. Casiocore
123. Celtic
124. Celtic metal
125. Chaabi
126. Cha-cha-cha
127. Chamber music
128. Chanson
129. Chaotic hardcore
130. Charleston
131. Chicago blues
132. Chicago house
133. Children's music
134. Chillgressive
135. Chillout
136. Chillstep
137. Chinese opera
138. Chip
139. Chip tune
140. Chipstyle
141. Choppage
142. Choral
143. Christian
144. Christian country
145. Christian gangsta rap
146. Christian hip-hop
147. Christian metal
148. Christian pop
149. Christian punk
150. Christian rap
151. Christian rock
152. Christian ska
153. Christian worship
154. Circus
155. Classic electronic
156. Classic rock
157. Classical
158. Classical crossover
159. Classical mass
160. Classical modern
161. Classical romantic
162. Classical spoken word
163. Classigrass
164. Click folk
165. Cliq-hop
166. Close harmony
167. Clownstep
168. Club
169. Club-house
170. Cockney
171. Coldwave
172. College rock
173. Comedy
174. Computer
175. Concerto
176. Conga
177. Contemporary Christian
178. Contrapuntal
179. Cool jazz
180. Country
181. Country blues
182. Country noir
183. Country punk
184. Country rock
185. Country-western
186. Couplet
187. Cover
188. Cowpunk
189. Creole
190. Crossover
191. Crunk
192. Crust
193. Crust hardcore
194. Cubist funk
195. Cult
196. Cyber trance
197. Dance
198. Dance hall
199. Dance metal
200. Dancehall reggae
201. Dangak
202. Dark ambient
203. Dark folk
204. Dark metal
205. Darkcore
206. Darkstep
207. Darkwave
208. Deathcore
209. Death industrial
210. Death metal
211. Deep house
212. Delta blues
213. Detroit bass
214. Detroit techno
215. Deutschrock
216. Devotional
217. Dhrupad
218. Digital
219. Diluted gabber
220. Disco
221. Disco house
222. Dixieland
223. Djent
224. Dodecaphonic
225. Doo wop
226. Doom
227. Doom metal
228. Doom/death metal
229. Doo-wop
230. Downbeat
231. Downtempo
232. Dream
233. Dream trance
234. Drill and bass
235. Drone
236. Drone metal
237. Drum
238. Drum and bass
239. Drum solo
240. Drumfunk
241. Dub
242. Dubstep
243. Duet
244. Early electronic
245. Early music
246. Easy listening
247. Edits
248. Electro
249. Electro industrial
250. Electroacoustic
251. Electroacoustic improvisation
252. Electroclash
253. Electrofunk
254. Electronic
255. Electronic body music
256. Electronic dance music
257. Electronic grindcore
258. Electroswing
259. Elegy
260. Elektro
261. Elevator music
262. Emo
263. Emocore
264. Enka
265. Epic metal
266. Epic trance
267. Eski
268. Ethereal
269. Ethnic
270. Etude
271. Eurobeat
272. Eurodance
273. Euro-house
274. Europop
275. Euro-techno
276. Euro-trance
277. Experimental
278. Experimental rock
279. Expressionism
280. Fado
281. Fast-fusion
282. Favela funk
283. Field recording
284. Filk
285. Film
286. Filmi sangeet
287. Flamenco
288. Folk
289. Folk metal
290. Folk punk
291. Folk rock
292. Folklore
293. Folktronica
294. Freak folk
295. Free improvisation
296. Free jazz
297. Freeform hardcore
298. Freestyle
299. FreeTekno
300. Frenchcore
301. Fugue
302. Funcore
303. Funeral doom metal
304. Funk
305. Funkabilly
306. Funk carioca
307. Funky
308. Funky house
309. Fusion
310. Futurepop
311. Futurock
312. Gabba
313. Gabber
314. Gabber house
315. Gagaku
316. Gaita
317. Galante
318. Game
319. Gamecore
320. Gamelan
321. Gangsta rap
322. Gangsta-funk
323. Garage
324. Garage-house
325. Geek rock
326. G-funk
327. Gharnati
328. Ghazal
329. Ghetto
330. Ghetto house
331. Ghetto-funk
332. Ghettotech
333. Glam metal
334. Glam rock
335. Glitch
336. Glitchcore
337. Glitch-folk
338. Glitch-hop
339. Glock Rock
340. Gloomcore
341. Gnawa
342. Goa
343. Go-go
344. Gore grind
345. Gospel
346. Gothenburg metal
347. Gothic
348. Gothic metal
349. Gothic rock
350. Gregorian chant
351. Grime
352. Grindcore
353. Grindwhore
354. Groove metal
355. Grunge
356. Grungecore
357. Gstanzl
358. Guiju
359. Guoyue
360. Gypsy
361. Gypsy jazz
362. Gypsy punk
363. Hair metal
364. Hair rock
365. Hamburger Schule
366. Happy gabber
367. Happy hardcore
368. Hard bop
369. Hard dance
370. Hard house
371. Hard rock
372. Hard trance
373. Hardcore
374. Hardcore/sXe
375. Hardcore emo
376. Hardcore trance
377. Hardstep
378. Hardstyle
379. Harsh noise
380. Harsh noise wall
381. Hatecore
382. Heavy metal
383. Hellektro
384. Heterophonic
385. HI NRG
386. Hick rock
387. Hillbilly
388. Hindustani classical
389. Hip-hop
390. Hip-hopera
391. Hiphouse
392. Hipjazz
393. Horror glam punk
394. Horror punk
395. Horrorcore
396. House
397. Hua'er
398. Humorcore
399. Humour
400. Humppa
401. Hyangak
402. Hymn
403. Ibiza goth
404. Illbient
405. Impressionist
406. Improvisation
407. Indeterminacy
408. Indie
409. Indie pop
410. Indie rock
411. Indietronica
412. Industrial
413. Industrial hip-hop
414. Industrial metal
415. Industrial noise
416. Insect electronica
417. Instrumental
418. Instrumental pop
419. Instrumental rock
420. Insurgent country
421. Integral serialism
422. Intelligent dance music
423. Intelligent drum and bass
424. Intelligent jungle
425. Intergalactic punk rock hip-hop
426. Interpretive
427. Italo
428. Italo Disco
429. Jamgrass
430. Javanese
431. Jazz
432. Jazz blues
433. Jazz fusion
434. Jazz rap
435. Jazz rock
436. Jazz vintage
437. Jazz-funk
438. Jazzstep
439. Jeongak
440. Jewish
441. Jive
442. J-metal
443. Joik
444. J-pop
445. J-rap
446. J-rock
447. J-trance
448. J-urban
449. Jtek
450. Juke house
451. Jumpstyle
452. Jump-Up
453. Jungle
454. Junkanoo
455. Juoiggus
456. Kabuki
457. Kantrum
458. Karaoke
459. Karnatak
460. Khoomei
461. Khyal
462. Klezmer
463. Klezmer-punk
464. Kompa
465. Kouta
466. Kozmigroov
467. K-pop
468. K-rap
469. K-rock
470. K-urban
471. Krautrock
472. Kuaiban
473. Kunqu
474. Ländler
475. Latin
476. Latin freestyle
477. Latin jazz
478. Latin pop
479. Library
480. Lied(er)
481. Lift music
482. Liquid chillstep
483. Liquid dubstep
484. Liquid funk
485. Lo-fi
486. Lo-fi country
487. Lounge
488. Loungecore
489. Lowercase
490. Lu
491. Luk thung
492. M.O.R.
493. Madrigal
494. Malhun
495. Mambo
496. March
497. Mariarchi
498. Martial
499. Martian industrial
500. Mashup
501. Mass
502. Math metal
503. Math rock
504. Mathcore
505. Mazurka
506. M-Base
507. Mechanical Death
508. Mediaeval
509. Meditative
510. Mele
511. Melodic black metal
512. Melodic death metal
513. Melodic rock
514. Melodic trance
515. Mento
516. Merengue
517. Metal
518. Metalcore
519. Metalstep
520. Mexican rock
521. Miami bass
522. Microhouse
523. Microsound
524. Microtonal
525. Middle Eastern
526. Military
527. Mincecore
528. Minimal techno
529. Minimalist
530. Minsogak
531. Modal jazz
532. Modern classical
533. Moombahton
534. Mor lam
535. Motet
536. Motown sound
537. MPB
538. Murder metal
539. Music-core
540. Música Popular Brasileira
541. Musical
542. Musique concrète
543. Muzak
544. N.S.B.M.
545. Nashville sound
546. National folk
547. Native American
548. Native American metal
549. Nederhop
550. Negerpunk
551. Neo progressive
552. Neo soul
553. Neo-medieval folk
554. Neoclassical metal
555. Neoclassicist
556. Neofolk
557. Neotraditional
558. Nerdcore hip-hop
559. Neue Deutsche Härte
560. Neue Deutsche Welle
561. Neurofunk
562. New Age
563. New beat
564. New jack swing
565. New metal
566. New romantic
567. New school breaks
568. New Wave
569. New Wave Of British Heavy Metal
570. New Wave Of Swedish Death Metal
571. New-school metallic hardcore
572. Newgrass
573. Nightcore
574. Nightstep
575. Nintendocore
576. Niyabinghi
577. No depression
578. No wave
579. Nocturne
580. Noise
581. Noise pop
582. Noise rock
583. Noisecore
584. Norteño
585. Northern soul
586. Novelty
587. Nu funk
588. Nu gabber
589. Nu Italo
590. Nu jazz
591. Nu punk
592. Nu school breaks
593. Nu soul
594. Nu tango
595. Nu-metal
596. Nunstep
597. Octet
598. Oi
599. Old school hip hop
600. Old school progressive electronic
601. Oldies
602. Oldskool
603. Old-time
604. Onkyokei
605. Opera
606. Operetta
607. Oratorio
608. Orchestral
609. Oriental metal
610. Pagan
611. Pagan metal
612. Piedmont blues
613. Pingju
614. Pipe & drum
615. Pirate metal
616. Pirate rock
617. Pleng phua cheewit
618. Plutonium rock
619. Political
620. Polka
621. Polsk Punk
622. Pop
623. Pop punk
624. Pop/funk
625. Pop-folk
626. Porn groove
627. Porngrind
628. Porno gore
629. Post-black metal
630. Post-emo indie rock
631. Post-emo style rock
632. Post-grunge
633. Post-hardcore
634. Post-industrial semi-punk nekronoise ambient happy hardcore triphop shoegaze
635. Post-minimalism
636. Post modern bovine smut funk
637. Post-punk
638. Post-rock
639. Postromantic
640. Post-thrash metal
641. Power ballad
642. Power electronics
643. Power metal
644. Power noise
645. Power pop
646. Powergrind
647. Pranks
648. Prelude
649. Primus
650. Progressive
651. Progressive country
652. Progressive death metal
653. Progressive folk
654. Progressive house
655. Progressive metal
656. Progressive rock
657. Progressive sludge
658. Progressive trance
659. Psybient
660. Psychedelic
661. Psychedelic folk
662. Psychedelic noise
663. Psychedelic rock
664. Psychobilly
665. Psycore
666. Psytekk
667. Psy-trance
668. Pubrock
669. Punk
670. Punk cabaret
671. Punk country
672. Punk hardcore
673. Punk oi
674. Punk pop
675. Punk rock
676. Punkgrass
677. Purple sound
678. Pyjama funk
679. Qawwali
680. Quan họ
681. Quartet
682. Queercore
683. Quickstep
684. Quintet
685. R.A.C.
686. Ragga
687. RaggaJungle
688. Ragtime
689. Raï
690. Ranchera
691. Rap
692. Rap opera
693. Rave
694. Recitative
695. Red dirt
696. Reductionism
697. Reggae
698. Reggaeton
699. Regressive country
700. Religious
701. Rembetiko
702. Renaissance
703. Retro
704. Retrowave
705. Revival
706. Rhapsody
707. Rhythm
708. Rhythm and bass
709. Rhythm and blues
710. Rhythmic noise
711. Rhythmic soul
712. Riot grrrl
713. Robot hip hop
714. Rock
715. Rock and roll
716. Rock in Opposition
717. Rockabilly
718. Rocksteady
719. Rococo
720. Romantic
721. Romantic doom metal
722. Roots country
723. Roots rock
724. Rumba
725. Rural contemporary
726. Sacred steel
727. Sadcore
728. Salsa
729. Samba
730. Satire
731. Scat
732. Schlager
733. Schrammelmusik
734. Schranz
735. Screamo
736. Seasonal
737. Serial
738. Serialism
739. Sextet
740. Scenecore
741. Shibuya-kei
742. Shoegaze
743. Shomyo
744. Shona
745. Showtunes
746. Sichuan
747. Sickcore
748. Ska
749. Ska noise
750. Ska punk
751. Skacore
752. Skiffle
753. Slack-key
754. Slamgrass
755. Slamming Gore Groove
756. Slow jam
757. Slow rock
758. Slowcore
759. Sludge metal
760. Smooth jazz
761. Soca
762. Sogak
763. Son
764. Sonata
765. Soul
766. Soul jazz
767. Sound clip
768. Soundtrack
769. Southern gospel
770. Southern rock
771. Southern soul
772. Space
773. Space rock
774. Speech
775. Speed garage
776. Speed metal
777. Speedbass
778. Speedcore
779. Speedwood
780. Spiritual
781. Spiritual jazz
782. Square dance
783. Stadium rock
784. Stoner doom
785. Stoner metal
786. Stoner rock
787. Straight Edge
788. Street bass
789. Street punk
790. String pop
791. SubIndie
792. Sublow
793. Suicide metal
794. Suicide rock
795. Surf rock
796. Swamp rock
797. Swing
798. Symphonic
799. Symphonic black metal
800. Symphonic poem
801. Symphonic rock
802. Symphony
803. Synthpop
804. Synthtron
805. Synthwave
806. Taiko
807. Tango
808. Tartan techno
809. Tech
810. Tech hardcore
811. Tech-house
812. Techmospheric
813. Technical death
814. Techno
815. Techno rock
816. Techno-industrial
817. Techstep
818. Tejano
819. Terror
820. Terror EBM
821. Terrorcore
822. Tex-Mex
823. Theatrical
824. Theme
825. Theme and variations
826. Third Stream
827. Thrang
828. Thrash metal
829. Threnody
830. Throat singing
831. Toccata
832. Tone poem
833. Totalism
834. Traditional
835. Traditional Chinese
836. Trailer
837. Trance
838. Trancecore
839. Trancestep
840. Trap
841. Trashcan Americana
842. Tribal
843. Trio
844. Trip-hop
845. Troll metal
846. Tropicália
847. Tropicalismo
848. True Scottish Pirate Metal
849. Turbo-folk
850. Turntablism
851. Tuvan
852. Twang core
853. Twee
854. Twee pop
855. Twelve-tone
856. Two step
857. UK garage
858. Unblack metal
859. Uplifting trance
860. Uptempo
861. Urban
862. Vallenato
863. Vaporwave
864. Vedic metal
865. Victoriandustrial
866. Viking metal
867. Visual kei
868. Vocal
869. Vocal house
870. Vocal jazz
871. Vocal-trance
872. Vomitcore
873. Waltz
874. Wedding
875. Weirdo
876. West coast
877. Western
878. Western swing
879. White metal
880. Witch house
881. Wizard rock
882. Wobble
883. Wong shadow
884. Wonky
885. World fusion
886. World music
887. Worldbeat
888. Wrock
889. Wyrd folk
890. Y'allternative
891. Yang
892. Yayue
893. Yellow cocktail
894. Yodel
895. Yoik
896. Zeuhl
897. Zouk
898. Zydeco

Fake genres

Given how large the above list has grown beyond my expectations, it seems that coming up with fake genres might be a greater challenge. Here's your starter pack (and no obvious hybrids like "Ambient classical death", please, unless they're really funny):

1. Raggagoth
2. Plickplock
3. Cakecore
4. Fliprock
5. Slip-hop
6. Slap-pop
7. Disco polo - UPDATE: apparently this genre, which I made up, is actually real
8. Demoncore

And as a last resort, my good friend P gives us a way to generate your own: