What is EDM? An In-Depth Exploration of the 10 Main Genres of Electronic Dance Music

EDM is a broad label that gets applied to a lot of different things, not all of which sound anything like each other. That’s because it’s less a single genre than a shorthand for a sprawling ecosystem of electronic music styles, each with its own history, culture and sonic logic. This guide covers the ten most important genres within that ecosystem — where they came from, what they sound like, and what the key subgenres are worth knowing about.

House Music

History and Origins

House music emerged from Chicago and New York in the early 1980s, rooted in the Black and LGBTQ+ club scenes of both cities. It drew from disco, funk and early electronic music, and the DJs who created it — Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse in Chicago, Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage in New York, and producers like Marshall Jefferson — were building something that spoke directly to communities who didn’t have many other spaces. The genre’s name comes from The Warehouse itself.

Characteristics and Subgenres

The foundation of house is a four-on-the-floor kick drum at around 120-130 BPM, usually with a strong bassline and some form of vocal or melodic element. Deep house strips things back and goes inward — slower, more atmospheric, more introspective. Tech house pulls in the tighter, more functional energy of techno. Progressive house builds across longer track lengths, using gradual melodic development to create a sense of ascent on the dancefloor.

If you’re interested in the origins of house, check out our post on “Chicago House DJs” here.

Techno

History and Origins

Techno was born in Detroit in the early 1980s, created by a group of young Black musicians — Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, collectively known as the Belleville Three — who were processing the post-industrial collapse of their city through music. The sound they developed drew on Kraftwerk, funk and science fiction, and it looked forward rather than backward. By the late 1980s it had crossed the Atlantic and taken root in Europe, particularly Germany, where it developed its own identity and infrastructure.

Characteristics and Subgenres

Techno is defined by its relentless rhythm, synthetic textures and forward momentum. It’s functional music in the most literal sense — designed to keep people moving for hours. Minimal techno reduces the elements to their essentials, focusing on subtle shifts in texture and sound design. Acid techno gets its name from the Roland TB-303 bassline synthesizer, whose squelching, resonant sound gives the subgenre its distinctive psychedelic edge. Detroit techno retains more of its soul and jazz influences, sitting slightly apart from the harder European sound the genre later developed.

We made a list of our favourite 90s techno mixes here.

Trance

History and Origins

Trance developed in Germany and the Netherlands in the early 1990s, growing out of the European rave scene and the harder ends of techno and house. It found a mainstream audience faster than most electronic genres, partly because its melodic richness and emotional directness translated well beyond club settings. By the late 1990s it was filling arenas, and artists like Paul van Dyk, Tiësto and Armin van Buuren were among the most recognisable names in electronic music globally.

Characteristics and Subgenres

Trance is built around melody and uplift — layered synth lines, long builds and releases, and an emotional intensity that’s more overt than most electronic genres. Progressive trance develops those elements across longer, more complex track structures. Vocal trance puts a singer at the centre, adding an extra emotional dimension. Psytrance takes things in a very different direction — faster, more hypnotic and more psychedelic, with intricate layered rhythms and a sound that’s remained closely connected to outdoor festival culture.

Drum and Bass

History and Origins

Drum and bass emerged from the UK underground in the early 1990s, evolving out of jungle — itself a fusion of breakbeat hardcore, reggae soundsystem culture and rave. The genre developed rapidly through the mid-90s, with artists like Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Roni Size and Shy FX pulling it in different directions. It became one of the defining sounds of British club culture and has maintained a dedicated global following ever since.

Characteristics and Subgenres

The defining features are the tempo — typically 160-180 BPM — and the breakbeat, which is syncopated and complex in a way that separates it clearly from the four-on-the-floor genres. Heavy sub-bass sits underneath, providing the physical weight. Liquid funk takes a more melodic and soulful approach, with atmospheric textures and smoother production. Neurofunk goes darker, with aggressive, sci-fi-influenced sound design and dense drum programming. Jump-up is the most dancefloor-focused end of the spectrum — catchy, energetic and built for maximum crowd response.

Dubstep

History and Origins

Dubstep started in South London around 2001-2002, growing out of UK garage, dub and grime. The early sound — associated with labels like Tempa and artists like Skream, Benga and Digital Mystikz — was sparse, dark and bass-heavy, with a half-time rhythmic feel quite different from the faster UK genres around it. It found a global audience in the late 2000s, though by then the American version of the sound had diverged significantly from its South London origins.

Characteristics and Subgenres

The original dubstep sound is characterised by its half-time rhythm, deep sub-bass, sparse percussion and dark atmospheres — space and restraint are as important as the drops. Brostep, the American commercial variant, made the drops bigger and more aggressive and shed most of the subtlety in favour of maximum impact. Trapstep merged dubstep with trap music’s hi-hat patterns and hip-hop aesthetics. Future garage went in the opposite direction — pulling dubstep back toward UK garage and ambient music, with a more atmospheric and introspective result.

Electro

History and Origins

Electro has two overlapping histories. The original electro of the early 1980s — built on drum machines, synthesizers and the influence of Kraftwerk and Afrika Bambaataa — was deeply connected to hip-hop culture and the New York breakdancing scene. Then in the mid-2000s, “electro house” emerged as a distinct genre, bringing a new generation to the electro sound via the European dance music circuit. The two strands are related but distinct.

Characteristics and Subgenres

Classic electro is characterised by its drum machine rhythms, robotic synthesizer lines, vocoder vocals and funk-influenced basslines. Electro house took those elements and put them into a harder, more club-oriented four-on-the-floor format — it dominated the commercial EDM sound in the late 2000s. Electroclash combined electro’s futuristic sounds with punk and post-punk aesthetics, creating something deliberately abrasive and transgressive. Nu-disco looked back to the 1970s, reprocessing classic disco sounds through modern production to create something that felt both nostalgic and contemporary.

Progressive

History and Origins

Progressive as a descriptor applies to both house and trance, and the common thread is a focus on gradual development — tracks that evolve over time rather than relying on immediate impact. Progressive house emerged from the UK in the early 1990s with producers like Leftfield and Sasha, while progressive trance developed slightly later in Europe. Both were a response to what some producers felt were the limitations of their parent genres.

Characteristics and Subgenres

Progressive music is characterised by longer track lengths, evolving arrangements and careful attention to journey and pacing. It’s music that rewards sustained listening rather than delivering instant gratification. Progressive psytrance fuses the melodic qualities of trance with the hypnotic intensity of psytrance. Progressive breaks brings in the syncopated rhythms of breakbeat music, adding rhythmic complexity to the progressive template. Progressive techno sits at the intersection of techno’s functional drive and progressive house’s melodic sensibility.

Hardstyle

History and Origins

Hardstyle developed in the Netherlands in the early 2000s, combining elements of hard trance, hardcore and techno. It built a dedicated and passionate following — particularly in the Netherlands and Belgium — centred around large outdoor events like Defqon.1 and Qlimax. Within its community it commands a level of loyalty unusual even by electronic music standards.

Characteristics and Subgenres

The defining sonic feature of hardstyle is the kick drum — specifically the “reverse bass” kick, which has a distinctive pitch-shifting quality that gives the genre its punishing, physical rhythm. Tempos typically sit around 150 BPM. Euphoric hardstyle pairs that powerful kick with uplifting melodies and emotional vocals, creating a contrast between intensity and uplift. Rawstyle strips away the melodic elements in favour of a darker, more aggressive aesthetic with heavily distorted kicks. Reverse bass as a subgenre pushes the rhythmic qualities of the kick even further, making the drum pattern the primary focus.

Future Bass

History and Origins

Future bass emerged in the early 2010s, growing out of the post-dubstep and trap scenes primarily in the US. Artists like Flume, What So Not and Cashmere Cat developed a sound that pulled heavily from R&B and hip-hop production — lush chords, chopped vocals, heavy side-chain compression — and applied it to an electronic music context. It found a large audience relatively quickly, particularly online, and became closely associated with the SoundCloud generation of producers.

Characteristics and Subgenres

Future bass is built around big, lush chord progressions, pitched-up vocal chops, and a production style that prioritises emotional warmth over dancefloor functionality. It can swing between euphoric and melancholic within a single track. Chillstep takes the emotional qualities of future bass and slows things down, adding ambient textures and a more downtempo feel. Wave blends future bass with trap and hip-hop, arriving at something smoother and darker. Future garage, which also appears as a dubstep subgenre, incorporates UK garage rhythmic structures with bass-heavy future bass production.

Final Thoughts

These ten genres represent the main branches of a much larger tree. Each one has spawned dozens of subgenres and micro-scenes, and the boundaries between them shift constantly as producers borrow across genre lines. What unites all of it is the same basic impulse — using electronic tools to make music that moves people, literally and otherwise. Whether that’s the soulful warmth of house, the machine precision of techno or the emotional directness of future bass, the aim is the same.

If you’re interested in putting a DJ mix together, check our YouTube video here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EDM?

EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music — a broad umbrella term for music made primarily with electronic instruments and production techniques, intended for dancefloor contexts. The term covers an enormous range of styles, from the soulful warmth of house to the mechanical intensity of techno to the melodic euphoria of trance. It’s more a category than a genre in itself.

What are the main genres within EDM?

The ten covered in this guide — house, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, electro, progressive, hardstyle and future bass — represent the major branches. Each has spawned numerous subgenres, and new ones continue to emerge as producers cross-pollinate across genre lines.

What is house music?

House music originated in Chicago and New York in the early 1980s, built around a four-on-the-floor kick drum, strong basslines and soulful vocal or melodic elements. It grew out of disco and was created primarily in Black and LGBTQ+ club spaces. Subgenres include deep house, tech house and progressive house.

What is techno?

Techno was created in Detroit in the early 1980s by Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, drawing on Kraftwerk, funk and science fiction. It’s defined by its mechanical rhythm, synthetic textures and relentless forward drive. Key subgenres include minimal techno, acid techno and Detroit techno.

What is trance music?

Trance originated in Germany and the Netherlands in the early 1990s, built around layered synthesizer melodies, strong builds and releases, and an emotional directness that helped it find a mainstream audience relatively quickly. Subgenres include progressive trance, vocal trance and psytrance.

What is drum and bass?

Drum and bass emerged from the UK underground in the early 1990s, evolving out of jungle and breakbeat hardcore. It’s characterised by fast syncopated breakbeats at 160-180 BPM and deep sub-bass. Key subgenres include liquid funk, neurofunk and jump-up.

What is dubstep?

Dubstep started in South London around 2001-2002, emerging from UK garage, dub and grime. The original sound is sparse, bass-heavy and half-time in feel. It diverged significantly when it crossed to the US, where a more aggressive commercial variant developed. Subgenres include brostep, trapstep and future garage.

What is electro?

Electro has roots in the early 1980s, combining hip-hop, funk and electronic music with drum machines and synthesizers. It’s characterised by robotic rhythms, synthesized basslines and vocoder vocals. Key subgenres include electro house, electroclash and nu-disco.

What is progressive music in EDM?

Progressive refers to music built around gradual development and evolving structures rather than immediate impact — longer tracks, careful pacing and sustained journey. It applies to both progressive house and progressive trance, with subgenres including progressive psytrance, progressive breaks and progressive techno.

What is hardstyle?

Hardstyle originated in the Netherlands in the early 2000s, combining hard trance, hardcore and techno. Its defining feature is the reverse bass kick drum, which gives the genre its distinctive physical impact. Subgenres include euphoric hardstyle, rawstyle and reverse bass.

What is future bass?

Future bass emerged in the early 2010s, drawing from R&B, hip-hop and post-dubstep production. It’s built around lush chord progressions, chopped and pitched vocals, and an emotional warmth that sets it apart from harder electronic genres. Subgenres include chillstep, wave and future garage.