A subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art (avant-garde and classical) music. Art rock was a form of music which wanted to "extend the limits of rock & roll", and opted for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music. Art rock took influences from several genres, notably classical music, yet also jazz in later compositions. Art rock, due to its classical influences and experimental nature, has often been used synonymously with progressive rock; nevertheless, there are differences between the genres, with progressive putting a greater emphasis on symphony and melody, whilst the former tends to focus on avant-garde and "novel sonic structure". Common characteristics of art rock include album-oriented music divided into compositions rather than songs, with usually complicated and long instrumental sections, symphonic orchestration, and an experimental style. Art rock music was traditionally used within the context of concept records, and its lyrical themes tended to be "imaginative", philosophical, and politically oriented.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_rock

Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat (for bands from Liverpool beside the River Mersey) is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo-wop, skiffle and R&B. The beat movement provided most of the bands responsible for the British invasion of the American pop charts in the period after 1964, and provided the model for many important developments in pop and rock music, including the format of the rock group around lead, rhythm and bass guitars with drums.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_music

Occasionally referred as Mandorock or Cantorock depending on the language of the song in question, Chinese Rock is commonly used to describe a wide variety of forms of rock and roll music, in connection with the rock bands and solo artists from native Chinese-speaking regions (including Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, etc.). Typically, Chinese rock is a fusion of forms, based on America, Britain, Japan, Taiwan and other areas, accompanying the grand presentation of traditional Chinese music.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_rock

A musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s. The genre was pioneered by the Los Angeles band The Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylan-penned material with rock instrumentation, in a style heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British bands. This original incarnation of folk rock led directly to the distinct, eclectic style of electric folk (aka British folk rock) pioneered in the late 1960s by Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Alan Stivell. In a broader sense, folk rock includes later similarly-inspired musical genres and movements in the English-speaking world (and its Celtic and Filipino fringes) and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Europe. Folk rock may lean more toward folk or toward rock in its instrumentation, its playing and vocal style, or its choice of material.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_rock

A raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name. In the 1970s, some critics referred to the style as punk rock, the first form of music to bear this description; although it is sometimes called garage punk, protopunk, or 1960s punk, the style has predominantly been referred to as garage rock. The term garage rock comes from the perception that many such performers were young and amateurish, and often rehearsed in a family garage. The performances were often amateurish or naïve, with typical themes revolving around the traumas of high school life and songs about "lying girls" being particularly common. Instrumentation was often characterised by the use of guitars distorted through a fuzzbox.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_rock

A style of rock and pop music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter. The flamboyant costumes and visual styles of glam performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been connected with new views of gender roles. Glam rock visuals peaked during the mid-1970s with artists including T. Rex, David Bowie, Sweet, Roxy Music and Gary Glitter in the UK and New York Dolls, Lou Reed and Jobriath in the US. It declined after 1976, but had a major influence on genres including punk, glam metal, New Romantics and gothic rock and has sporadically revived since the 1990s.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_rock

A loosely defined subgenre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock. It is typified by a heavy use of distorted electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, and often accompanied with pianos and keyboards. Hard rock developed into a major form of popular music in the 1970s, with bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, AC/DC, and Van Halen, and reached a commercial peak in the mid to late 1980s. The glam metal of bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard and the rawer sounds of Guns N' Roses followed up with great success in the later part of that decade, before losing popularity with the commercial success of grunge and later Britpop in the 1990s. Hard rock has sometimes been labelled cock rock for its emphasis on overt masculinity and sexuality and because it has historically been predominately performed and consumed by men: in the case of its audience, particularly white, working-class adolescents. Hard rock maintained a bluesy rock and roll identity, including some swing in the back beat and riffs that tended to outline chord progressions in their hooks.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock

Jazz fusion, fusion, or jazz-rock are variants of a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock music, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations, often using wind and brass and displaying a high level of instrumental technique. After a decade of popularity during the 1970s, fusion expanded its improvisatory and experimental approaches through the 1980s and 1990s. Fusion albums, even those that are made by the same group or artist, may include a variety of styles. Rather than being a codified musical style, fusion can be viewed as a musical tradition or approach.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz-Rock

A rhythmically complex, often guitar-based, style of experimental rock and indie rock music that emerged in the late 1990s, influenced by progressive rock bands like King Crimson and 20th century minimalist composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), counterpoint, odd time signatures, angular melodies, and extended, often dissonant, chords. math rock frequently uses asymmetrical time signatures such as 7/8, 11/8, or 13/8, or features constantly changing meters based on various groupings of 2 and 3. This rhythmic complexity, seen as "mathematical" in character by many listeners and critics, is what gives the genre its name. It is commonplace to find guitarists in math rock groups using the "tapping" method of guitar playing, and loop pedals are occasionally incorporated, such as in the group Battles. Lyrics are generally not the focus of math rock; the voice is treated as just another sound in the mix.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_rock

New wave music is an ambiguous category of pop or rock music from between the late 1970s to mid-1980s with ties to the original wave of punk rock. New wave music was first considered the same as punk rock before being identified as a genre in its own right, incorporating aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s pop music. New wave differs from other movements with ties to first-wave punk as it displays characteristics common to pop music, rather than the more "arty" post-punk, though it incorporates much of the original punk rock sound and ethos while arguably exhibiting greater complexity in both music and lyrics. Common characteristics of new wave music, aside from its punk influences, include the use of synthesizers and electronic productions, the importance of styling and the arts, as well as a great amount of diversity. Post-punk is a rock music genre that paralleled and emerged from the initial punk rock explosion of the late 1970s. The genre retains an association with punk, especially art punk, but is more complex and experimental. Post-punk laid the groundwork for alternative rock by broadening the range of punk and underground music, incorporating elements of Krautrock (particularly the use of synthesizers and extensive repetition), dub music (specifically in regard to the use of bass guitars), American funk and studio experimentation into the genre. It was the focus of the 1980s alternative music/independent scene, and led to the development of genres such as gothic rock and industrial music.

Source 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Wave_music

Source: 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk

A music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its (typically) guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music. The detractors of pop rock often deride it as a slick, commercial product, less authentic than rock music. Pop rock has been described as an "upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Chicago, and Peter Frampton." In contrast, music reviewer George Starostin defines it as a subgenre of pop music that uses catchy pop songs that are mostly guitar-based. Starostin argues that most of what is traditionally called 'power pop' falls into the pop rock subgenre. He claims that the lyrical content of pop rock is "normally secondary to the music." Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, clear vocals and crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat.

Source 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_rock
Source 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_pop

A subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock. Post-rock bands are often without vocals. Don Caballero and Tortoise were among the more prominent bands described as post-rock in the 1990s, but their styles are very different, despite being instrumental bands centered on guitars and drums. As such, the term has been the subject of backlash from listeners and artists alike. Although firmly rooted in the indie or underground scene of the 1980s and early '90s, post-rock's style often bears little resemblance musically to that of contemporary indie rock. The post-rock sound incorporates characteristics from a variety of musical genres, including ambient, jazz, electronica, and experimental. Early post-rock groups also often exhibited strong influence from the krautrock of the '70s, particularly borrowing elements of "motorik", the characteristic krautrock rhythm. Post-rock compositions often make use of repetition of musical motifs and subtle changes with an extremely wide range of dynamics. In some respects, this is similar to the music of Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Brian Eno, pioneers of minimalism. Typically, post-rock pieces are lengthy and instrumental, containing repetitive build-ups of timbre, dynamics and texture.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-rock

Progressive rock, also referred to as prog rock, prog-rock, or simply prog, is a rock music subgenre which originated in the United Kingdom, with further developments in Germany, Italy, and France, throughout the mid to late 1960s and 1970s. Developing from psychedelic rock, progressive rock originated, similarly to art rock, as a British attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock music. Progressive rock intended to break the boundaries of traditional rock music by bringing in a greater and more eclectic range of influences, including free-form and experimental compositional methods, as well as new technological innovations. It was mostly characterized by the break-up of the classic 3-minute song, replaced by long suites sometime as long as a whole LP side, rife with symphonic influences, extended and diluted musical themes, fantasy-like ambience and lyrics, and ample, very rich (sometimes defined by critics as "overblown") sounds and productions. Classical forms are often inserted or substituted, sometimes yielding entire suites, building on the traditional medleys of earlier rock bands. Progressive rock songs also often have extended instrumental passages, marrying the classical solo tradition with the improvisational traditions of jazz and psychedelic rock. All of these tend to add length to progressive rock songs, which may last longer than twenty minutes. Concept albums are albums that are built around a theme or a story, and they are common to progressive rock.

Associated Sub-Genres: Canterbury Scene, Krautrock, New Prog, Rock In Opposition, Space Rock

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock

A style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It often uses new recording techniques and effects and draws on non-Western sources such as the ragas and drones of Indian music. It was pioneered by musicians including The Beatles, The Byrds, and The Yardbirds, emerging as a genre during the mid-1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in the United Kingdom and United States, such as Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Doors and Pink Floyd. It bridged the transition from early blues and folk music-based rock to progressive rock, glam rock, and hard rock. As a musical style psychedelic rock attempted to replicate the effects and enhance the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs, incorporating new electronic and record effects, extended solos and improvisation and was particularly influenced by eastern mysticism, reflected in use of exotic instrumentation, particularly from Indian music or the incorporation of elements of eastern music.

Associated Sub-Genres: Acid Rock, Freakbeat, Neo-Psychedelia, Raga Rock

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_rock

A cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented influences, respectively. Allmusic describes rap metal as having "big, lurching beats and heavy, heavy riffs" that "occasionally [...] [sound] as if the riffs were merely overdubbed over scratching and beat box beats", and described rap rock as having a more organic sound, characterizing many songs in the genre as rock songs in which the vocals were rapped rather than sung. Allmusic also states that the rhythms of rap rock are rooted in that of hip hop, with more funk influences than normal hard rock.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rap_rock

A subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals. Although the origin of the term southern rock is unknown, "many people feel that these important contributors to the development of rock and roll have been minimized in rock's history." The most important figures of southern rock can be listed as The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Molly Hatchet, Marshall Tucker Band, Outlaws and 38 Special.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_rock