Genre · United States and United Kingdom, 1950s
Pop
Where to start with pop: Thriller, then seven more albums below, in order.
Pop music took its modern shape in the 1950s, when records, radio and television put the hit single at the center of the music business. It borrows freely from rock and roll, soul, dance music and whatever else is popular, and keeps one aim: a song people remember after a single listen.
Listen for three things. The hook, the line or riff that sticks. The production, the studio sound that frames the song. And the voice, usually right in front. Michael Jackson, Madonna and ABBA each built their hits around all three.
If you only play one pop album, make it this one: tight grooves, huge hooks and Quincy Jones's production on every track.
Part of Dance-pop →Where to start: 8 pop albums, in order
Click a cover to hear 30-second previews. Start at the top; each record takes you a little further.
- 01
Thriller
Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones: 'Billie Jean', 'Beat It' and the title track on the best-selling album of all time.
Dance-pop 
02Arrival
ABBA's fourth album, with 'Dancing Queen' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You': Swedish pop craft with layered vocals.
Europop
03Like a Prayer
Her most personal record, with the gospel choir of the title track and 'Express Yourself'.
Dance-pop
04Off the Wall
His first album with Quincy Jones, disco and soul with 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' and 'Rock with You'.
05Purple Rain
Rock guitar, funk and synthesizers in one band; 'When Doves Cry' has no bass line at all.
06Graceland
Recorded largely with South African musicians; 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes' and the title track blend their guitars and voices into American pop.
Worldbeat
07Pet Sounds
Brian Wilson's layered arrangements, with 'God Only Knows' and 'Wouldn't It Be Nice': pop as studio art.
Baroque pop
08Skylarking
XTC with producer Todd Rundgren, the songs flowing one into the next like a song cycle; English pop at its most detailed.
Previews courtesy of Apple Music.
Which one did you like best? Its tag below the cover is the branch to dig into next.
How pop grew
5 periods, each with the branches that appeared in it. Branches with a dot have their own page.
- Before 1960
Crooners and the single
Singers such as Frank Sinatra sold traditional pop on records and radio. Rock and roll gave teenagers their own charts, and songwriters in New York's Brill Building wrote hits for them.
- 1960s
Studio pop
The Beatles, the Beach Boys and Motown made the studio part of the song, and pop grew more ambitious with strings, harpsichords and effects.
Adult contemporary musicBubblegum musicOrchestral popBaroque popChamber popEuropopProgressive popPsychedelic popSunshine popAvant-popOn the route: record 2, record 7
- 1970s
Disco and pop around the world
ABBA, disco and soft rock ruled the charts, and pop scenes grew around the world in many languages.
- 1980s
Video stars
Music videos and MTV made Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince global stars, while synthesizers and drum machines set the sound of dance-pop.
On the route: record 1, record 3, record 6
- 1990s onward
Pop without borders
Teen pop, K-pop and streaming carried hits around the world faster than ever, and producers blended pop with hip-hop, R&B and electronic music.
The full lineage tree
Bright border: has its own pageDashed: sources that flowed inSolid line: documented stylistic originFaint dashes: grouped under popHover a genre to see where it came from and went
Pick a branch of pop
The 8 branches people play most. Each has its own 8 albums and lineage.
1980sDance-popCatchy songs on a dance beat with big choruses.Open on the genre map →
1960sBaroque popPop songs dressed in strings, horns and harpsichord.Open on the genre map →
1960sEuropopBright, melodic pop with simple, catchy lyrics.Open on the genre map →
1980sIndie popJangly guitars and sweet melodies on small labels.Open on the genre map →
1990sK-popPolished South Korean pop with dance routines and big groups.Open on the genre map →
1980sJ-popJapanese pop, bright and highly produced.Open on the genre map →
1950sArt popPop that borrows ideas from art and experimental music.Open on the genre map →
1960sSunshine popWarm harmonies and breezy late-1960s optimism.Open on the genre map →
See pop on the genre map
Its place among more than 1,200 genres, next to its neighbors.
Open the genre map →
Keep digging pop in Cratto
Scan your records, light up your own genre globe, and see how much of your shelf is pop.
Get Cratto →All 55 subgenres of popby decade
1450s
1870s
1910s
1920s
1960s
2000s
Genres pop directly influenced46
Genre names and classification follow Wikipedia (Pop, List of music genres and styles), CC BY-SA 4.0; lineage lines follow the stylistic origins each genre's entry records. Album artwork and previews come from Apple Music.