EDM

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad umbrella term for a range of percussive electronic genres designed for dancing in clubs, raves, and festivals. EDM encompasses styles that emphasize rhythm, synthetic sounds, and crowd-oriented energy, often produced with electronic instruments and software.

The roots trace to the late 1970s and 1980s with disco, electro, Chicago house, Detroit techno, and UK acid house. In the 1990s, these scenes diversified into many subgenres. By the 2000s EDM became a marketing term used internationally to describe popular electronic music, and in the 2010s it achieved mainstream visibility through large-scale festivals, streaming platforms, and high-profile DJs.

Character and subgenres: EDM tracks typically feature a steady four-on-the-floor beat, rising builds, and a drop that releases energy. Common tempos range from about 120 to 150 beats per minute, though ranges vary by style. Subgenres include house, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, electro, and hardstyle, among others. Production routinely uses digital audio workstations, synthesizers, samplers, and effects such as sidechain compression.

Culture and industry: big festivals such as Tomorrowland and Ultra have helped the genre reach global audiences. DJs often perform as headliners and producers release music that dominates radio, streaming playlists, and club nights. The scene has faced critiques regarding commercialization, homogenization of sound, and health and safety issues related to loud environments and drug use.

EDM remains a dynamic label that intersects with pop and other electronic genres, reflecting ongoing technological changes in music production, distribution, and performance.