ElectroPop

Electropop is a genre of popular music that foregrounds electronic production and pop songwriting. It typically emphasizes melodic hooks, concise song structures, and anthemic choruses, built with synthesizers, drum machines, programmable basslines, and often processed vocals. While closely related to synth-pop, electropop is usually characterized by a stronger emphasis on mainstream appeal and songcraft.

Origins lie in the late 1970s and early 1980s as affordable synthesizers and samplers enabled artists to create electronic textures for pop songs. It draws on the legacy of electronic pioneers such as Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder, and on the European synth-pop of groups like Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys, and New Order. As production technology evolved, artists fused club-ready electronic rhythms with traditional verse-chorus formats, giving rise to what critics labeled electropop.

From the 1990s onward, electropop expanded with glossy, dance-oriented productions entering mainstream charts. The 2000s saw renewed popularity with artists such as Kylie Minogue during the Fever era, Goldfrapp, La Roux, and Robyn, and later with pop icons like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry incorporating electropop textures into their hit songs. In the 2010s acts such as CHVRCHES, Ellie Goulding, and ongoing synth-pop acts kept the genre influential across pop and dance music.

Characteristics of electropop include prominent use of synthesizers (analog and digital), electronic drums, and digital effects; emphasis on catchy melodies and polished vocal production; and a tendency toward accessibility on radio and streaming platforms. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with synth-pop, though electropop is broadly defined by its pop orientation and contemporary electronic sound.