42 Obscure Music Genres To Discover For Real Melomaniacs

Called in its native language Khöömei, Tuvan throat singing is a traditional art form in the region of Tuva (located in Russia, just northwest of Mongolia). To be able to hold multiple notes for a prolonged period, singers use special circular breathing.

Medieval folk rock had a huge following in the ’60s and ’70s. Rock bands would incorporate Renaissance sound by playing only acoustic instruments, adding woodwind and string instruments that are not very common in rock, and modifying their vocals to match the era. 

If you combine the music of the indigenous Louisiana tribes with the blues music the state is famous for, you will get zydeco. Even though you will find plenty of guitar in its sound, the most typical instruments are the fiddle, the accordion, the washboard, and the vest frottoir. 

Japan is obsessed with all things cute (kawaii) but what happens when you combine cuteness with death metal? Kawaii metal, that’s what. The sound of this genre delivers on its name and has been steadily growing in popularity. Check out the all-female band Babymetal for a taste of kawaii metal.

It’s a pity metal didn’t exist back in the day when pirates roamed the seas; it would suit their overall aesthetic. Pirate metal mainly consists of typical sea shanties, though instead of rhythmic reading, performers shout-sing them, as is common for modern metal.  

No, the lyrics in this one are not complicated math problems. Math rock got its name due to the unusual meters and complex time signatures it employs. First emerging on the scene in the 1980s, math rock reached its ultimate height in the mid-1990s, creating math pop, which uses the same compositional techniques.  

Psychobilly might have elements of rockabilly in it, but if rockabilly is all about love, sentiments, and rockin’ around the clock, psychobilly’s lyrical component revolves around horror, violence, and science fiction. Back in 1970s New York where psychobilly takes its origin, this genre was considered taboo.

While musically remaining mostly country, the lyrical content of gothic country is all about death, loss, and other horrible things that happen to humans in life. It emerged out of the alternative country scene in Denver in the ’90s and is also known as dark country, gothic America, and horror country.

This traditional Korean storytelling is performed by a vocalist accompanied by a drummer (gosu). To give the story depth, the singer uses various body movements and tones of voice that accentuate the dramatic moments. 

When you think about reggae, the first things that come to mind are the Jamaican sun, ocean breeze, and rum. And yet, reggae became increasingly popular in Germany around the late 1970s, creating its own genre. Around the mid-1990s, German reggae suddenly grew in popularity, and it retains its popularity to this day.

Coming from 1820s Portugal, lyrically, fado can be about anything, but it very often chose the lives of the poor as its subject. Musically, it has a very strict traditional culture. Its most prominent modern artists are Rodrigo Leao and the band Madredeus.

This percussion music was born on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java. Even though it is not as popular recently as it used to be, gamelan is still used for traditional ceremonies and formal occasions. 

Country-hop, also referred to as country rap or kuntry, is a pretty modern genre that came to exist through viral videos and reality shows. Stylistically, it is a mix of country music and hip-hop. If you want to check it out, listen to Big Simo who is considered the best country rapper.

Take speedcore and crank up the BPM to anything from 600 up to 1000. Now you know what splittercore sounds like. With almost indistinguishable beats, this genre is not for the faint of heart.

Once you listen to vaporwave, you either love it or hate it, there is no in-between. Artists who create in vaporwave are usually as particular about the visuals as the sound. This reflects in music videos and album sleeves that combine seemingly unmixable imagery. The music itself is also rather fragmented, incorporating anything from YouTube samples to other microgenres.

Surprisingly, there are very few cats involved in the production of catstep. In fact, it is a subgenre of the widely popular filthstep. However, some artists couldn’t help but play with its name, and thus the biggest catstep record label is called Monstercat, while one of the most popular artists is TheFatRat.

Coming from Japan, Noh theater is the oldest theatrical form still being performed in the modern day. It is often called Japanese opera. Performances are often based on tales from traditional literature. The instrumental ensemble includes a hip drum, a shoulder drum, a stick drum, and a flute.

Enka developed in Japan in the post-WWII years as sentimental ballads about life during this period. The modern form of this genre is believed to be dated to 1969. Around that period, enka also became popular in other Asian countries.

We can all agree that The Simpsons made a huge impact on popular culture. But did you know this cult TV show is responsible for the birth of an entire music genre? Lucien Hughes created some of the first Simpsonwave videos by combining sample audio and video from the show with another microgenre, vaporwave.  

You will find neither witches nor typical house sound in this genre. Though this genre didn’t survive past a few years, it is still interesting to listen to, especially if you appreciate slow tempo, chopped songs, and wonder what a mixture of goth, noise, drone, shoegaze, industrial, and hip-hop would sound like.