epops

Epops is a term used in music journalism to describe a subset of electronic pop music that emphasizes polished, glossy production and strong melodic hooks. The label is not universally defined and is sometimes used interchangeably with electropop, but it is often employed to signal a particular emphasis on songcraft within electronic textures rather than club-oriented EDM.

Origins and usage: The term emerged in critic circles in the 2010s as digital production lowered barriers to high-gloss pop recordings. Critics use epops to describe artists who fuse pop songwriting with electronic production, rather than niche techno or trance. It has been applied to artists such as CHVRCHES, Grimes, La Roux, and Ellie Goulding, though each artist is also associated with other descriptors.

Characteristics: Prominent features include synthetic and analog synth timbres, programmed drums, vocal processing, and memorable choruses; lyrical content tends toward personal or emotional themes; arrangements tend to prioritize song structure with verses, pre-choruses, and choruses.

Reception and impact: The term remains informal and contested; some prefer to call the music simply electropop or synth-pop. Critics debate whether epops is a meaningful category or marketing shorthand. In contemporary pop, epops elements are widely present in mainstream releases.

See also: electropop, synth-pop, electro-pop.