Dance-pop

Dance-pop (also known as club-pop and EDM-pop) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a combination of dance and pop with influences of disco, post-disco and synth-pop, it is generally characterised by strong beats with easy, uncomplicated song structures which are generally more similar to pop music than the more free-form dance genre, with an emphasis on melody as well as catchy tunes. The genre, on the whole, tends to be producer-driven, despite some notable exceptions.

Dance-pop is highly eclectic, having borrowed influences from other genres, which varied by producers, artists and periods. Such include contemporary R&B, house, trance, techno, electropop, new jack swing, funk and pop rock.

Dance-pop is a popular mainstream style of music and there have been numerous artists and groups who perform in the genre. Notable artists include Ava Max, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Carly Rae Jepsen, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Dua Lipa, Inna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Michael Jackson, NSYNC, Paula Abdul, Rick Astley, Rihanna, Spice Girls, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Modern Talking and Years & Years.

History

1980s

As the term "disco" started to go out of fashion by the late 1970s to early 1980s, other terms were commonly used to describe disco-based music, such as "post-disco", "club", "dance" or "dance-pop" music. These genres were, in essence, a more modern variant of disco music known as post-disco, which tended to be more experimental, electronic as well as producer and DJ-driven, often using sequencers and synthesizers.