2000s in Music

2000s In Music

For music from a year in the 2000s, go to 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09

This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 2000s.

In North America, Europe and Oceania, pop and dance music subgenres, such as dance-pop, teen pop and bubblegum pop, have remained popular throughout or in parts of the decade. Similarly to the 1990s, hip hop and contemporary R&B also remained highly popular genres throughout the decade. Unlike many past decades, the 2000s did not see the creation of as many new styles, with the exception of a few indie-related genres such as emo rock. The pitch correction tool Auto-Tune has been described as the most distinguishable element of music in the 2000s. Despite the hip hop dominance which lasted for the decade, rock music was still popular, notably alternative rock, and especially genres such as post-grunge, post-Britpop, nu metal, pop punk, emo, post-hardcore, metalcore and indie rock; the decade also saw the garage rock and post punk revival. Despite a slight slip of popularity in the early part of the decade, adult contemporary and country music were still able to find success throughout the 2000s. Electronic music was also highly popular throughout the decade; at the beginning of the 2000s, genres such as trance, chillout, house, indietronica, and Eurodance (in Europe) were popular, yet, by the latter end of the decade, dance-oriented forms of electronic music, such as synthpop, electropop, nu-disco and electro house had become popular. By the end of the decade, a fusion between hip hop and electronic dance which had originated in the 1980s, known as Hip House also grew successful. In general, pop became more commercially successful than all other forms of popular music by the late 2000s due to recession.

In Asia and Far Eastern musical markets, with the advent of globalization, music has become increasingly Westernised, with influences of pop, hip hop and contemporary R&B becoming ever–present in Eastern markets. American and European popular music have become increasingly popular in Asia. In the Far East, genres such as J-Pop and K-Pop remained popular throughout the decade; influences of R&B, House, Hip hop and Bubblegum pop music persisted throughout the decade. In other parts of Asia, including India, Indian pop music, closely linked to Bollywood films and filmi music, still remained popular, even though Western pop music has also had success.

In Latin America, Latin pop music remained popular throughout the decade. Whilst R&B, hip hop and pop rock did have influence and success in Latin America, Latin-based pop music remained highly popular. Reggaeton became a definitive genre in 2000s Latin music, as well as salsa and merengue. Subgenres fusing Latin music such as merengue and reggaeton with hip hop and rap music became popular from the mid-part of the decade onwards.