EVERY SOUND COMES FROM SOMEWHERE.
Older above. Newer below. Follow the branches.
CHOOSE A GENRE. HEAR ITS SOUND.
THE MAP OF MUSIC
This tree traces selected popular-music families. Older sounds sit above newer ones. The coloured backgrounds mark broad families; branches show main ancestry and dashed threads show additional influences.
Genres emerge gradually. Dates are approximate, names can arrive later than the sound, and many relationships are debated. Placement within a family is an editorial choice, not a claim of exclusive ancestry.
This expanded research draft emphasises blues, jazz, country, soul, rock, metal, Jamaican music and electronic dance music. It is not a complete history of the world's music. MusicBrainz supplies individually linked subgenre, fusion and influence connections. Other connections remain editorial drafts. Dates are editorial estimates and still need historical review. A catalogue classification does not by itself prove historical ancestry. Subgenres and named scenes both appear here.
Choose a genre to stream a 30-second preview directly from Deezer. No audio files are hosted, downloaded or stored by this site. Preview availability depends on the recording, region and browser. YouTube and Spotify links offer further listening. Some leaves currently use a labelled example from their broader family while the listening selection is being expanded.