Genre Name Generator

Music genre names for sounds that need a label

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Generate genre names for a band's sound, a fictional music scene, a playlist label or a story world: music genre names like Rustwave, Porchgaze and Swamp Disco, plus fiction, film and game genres like Lanternpunk, Cozy Noir and Laundromat Western.

About genre names

Genre names follow a small set of patterns, and once you see them you can label any sound. The busiest is the suffix family: a texture, place or instrument bolted onto -core, -wave, -gaze, -step, -hop or -pop, which is how this list gets Rustwave, Porchgaze, Creekstep and Fuzzcore. Prefixes do the opposite job and place a style in time or mood: Post-Shanty, Neo-Madrigal, Nu-Twang, Proto-Fuzz, Dark Skiffle, Dream Sludge, Acid Waltz, Doom Lounge.

About two thirds of the 500 names are music genre names. Besides the suffix and prefix families there are place or era plus style labels (Harbor Bounce, Basement Baroque, Victorian Drill), two-style mash-ups (Swamp Disco, Banjo Techno), joke genres for a bio that does not take itself seriously (Tax Season Blues, Lukewarm Jazz) and scene labels for a fictional town (The Millbrook Sound, Old Mill Stomp). The remaining third names story genres: fiction (Lanternpunk, Cozy Noir, Lighthouse Gothic), film (Laundromat Western, Reverse Heist) and games (Picnic Tactics, Postal Roguelike).

Established genres such as shoegaze or vaporwave were screened out from memory, so the entries are compounds in the style of real genre names, not a glossary. Small scenes coin labels like these all the time, so search a name before you build a release or a book series around it.

How to choose genre names

  • Pick the suffix by texture. In real genre names -core tends to mean fast and abrasive, -wave synthetic and nostalgic, -gaze loud and blurred, and -step or -hop led by the beat.
  • One unexpected word is enough. Swamp Disco works because disco is familiar and swamp is not; two strange words in one label leave a listener nothing to hold on to.
  • In a band bio, follow the genre name with one plain sentence ("Porchgaze: slow country songs under a wall of fuzz") so the label explains itself.
  • For worldbuilding, choose a scene label with a place in it, such as The Saltgate School or North Pier Bounce. It implies a town, a venue and rival bands, which a bare style label does not.
  • Search the name before you print it on a release or a book cover. Someone in a small scene may already use it for a different sound.

Frequently asked questions

What are some good music genre names from this list?

For guitar-heavy sounds try Porchgaze, Fuzzcore or Dream Sludge; for electronic ones Rustwave, Tunnel Trance or Greenhouse Techno; for something danceable Swamp Disco or Harbor Bounce. Joke entries such as Lukewarm Jazz and Monday Morning Sludge suit a bio with a sense of humor.

Are these real genres?

They are compounds written in the style of genre names, and well-known established genres were left out of the list. That does not mean nobody uses them: scenes coin labels like these constantly, so a name here may already describe somebody's music or fiction. Search it before you rely on it.

How do I make up a genre name of my own?

Use one of the four patterns in the list: a suffix family (-core, -wave, -gaze, -punk), a prefix (post-, neo-, nu-, proto-), a place or era plus a style, or two styles that should not meet. Put in one word that describes your actual sound, then test whether a stranger could guess the music from the label.

Does the list cover genres for books, films and games?

Yes, roughly a third of it. Fiction labels include Lanternpunk, Cozy Noir and Footnote Fantasy; film labels include Laundromat Western and Snowed-In Whodunit; game labels include Picnic Tactics, Stealth Baking and Attic Crawler.

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All 500 genre names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 26 names

  • Abacuspunk
  • Accordion Drone
  • Acid Banjo
  • Acid Barbershop
  • Acid Cabaret
  • Acid Hoedown
  • Acid Lullaby
  • Acid Madrigal
  • Acid Shanty
  • Acid Skiffle
  • Acid Waltz
  • Almanac Fantasy
  • Analog Shanty
  • Anvilcore
  • Apology Rock
  • Arcade Soul
  • Archival Horror
  • Art Deco Dub
  • Assembly Instructions Prog
  • Atomic Age Twang
  • Attic Ambient
  • Attic Crawler
  • Attic Hop
  • Attic Pop
  • Attic Wave
  • Atticgaze

B: 26 names

  • Backroad Boogie
  • Backyard Epic
  • Bake Sale Heist
  • Banjo Techno
  • Banjocore
  • Banjogaze
  • Banjotronica
  • Barbershop Drone
  • Barn Hop
  • Barngaze
  • Barntronica
  • Baroque Bounce
  • Basement Baroque
  • Bedtime Noir
  • Blizzardcore
  • Bluegrass Trance
  • Boardwalk Drone
  • Bog Romance
  • Breakfast Western
  • Brinewave
  • Bronze Age Shuffle
  • Bullhorncore
  • Bureaucratic Fantasy
  • Burnt Toast Bop
  • Bus Depot Blues
  • Bus Stop Romance

C: 41 names

  • Cabaret Sludge
  • Calliope Trap
  • Campfire Drone
  • Campground Whodunit
  • Canal Jazz
  • Canalpunk
  • Candlelight Thrash
  • Cannery Dock Stomp
  • Car Alarm Jazz
  • Card Western
  • Carpool Comedy
  • Cartographic Fantasy
  • Cassette Country
  • Cassettecore
  • Cellar Crawler
  • Cellar Hop
  • Cellar Swing
  • Cellogaze
  • Cellopunk
  • Chamber Grime
  • Clangcore
  • Clay-Figure Western
  • Clockstep
  • Clockwork Pastoral
  • Co-op Haunting
  • Cobblestep
  • Community Garden Gothic
  • Commuter Fantasy
  • Commuter Horror
  • Conveyor-Belt Puzzler
  • Copperwave
  • Couch Co-op Noir
  • Courtroom Musical
  • Cozy Dystopia
  • Cozy Espionage
  • Cozy Heist
  • Cozy Noir
  • Creekstep
  • Crossroads Inn Fantasy
  • Cul-de-Sac Horror
  • Cul-de-Sac Thrash

D: 48 names

  • Dark Bluegrass
  • Dark Boogie
  • Dark Calliope
  • Dark Jamboree
  • Dark Lounge
  • Dark Ragtime
  • Dark Shanty
  • Dark Skiffle
  • Dark Surf
  • Deck-Building Bakery
  • Dentist Chair Ambient
  • Dial-Up Disco
  • Dice-Drafting Western
  • Diner Jazz
  • Disco Dirge
  • Domestic Space Opera
  • Doom Calliope
  • Doom Disco
  • Doom Lounge
  • Doom Ragtime
  • Doom Serenade
  • Doom Surf
  • Doom Swing
  • Doom Twang
  • Doom Waltz
  • Doombilly
  • Doomgrass
  • Downriver Drone
  • Dragon Daycare Sim
  • Dragon Procedural
  • Dream Drill
  • Dream Grunge
  • Dream Marching Band
  • Dream Polka
  • Dream Ska
  • Dream Sludge
  • Dream Stomp
  • Dream Thrash
  • Dream Twang
  • Dreambilly
  • Dreamgrass
  • Drive-In Surf
  • Drive-Thru Noir
  • Dunegaze
  • Dungeon Bureaucracy
  • Dungeon Gardening
  • Dust Hop
  • Dustwave

E: 7 names

  • East Dock Shuffle
  • Edwardian Trap
  • Elevator Thriller
  • Emberstep
  • Emberwave
  • Emo Ragtime
  • Expired Coupon Country

F: 23 names

  • Family Reunion Horror
  • Far Shore Shuffle
  • Feedbackcore
  • Fernpunk
  • Ferry Line Funk
  • Ferryboat Farce
  • Ferrywave
  • Flat Tire Twang
  • Fog Hop
  • Foghorncore
  • Fogwave
  • Food Court Funk
  • Footnote Fantasy
  • Forgotten Password Blues
  • Found-Family Heist
  • Freightcore
  • Frostgaze
  • Froststep
  • Frostwave
  • Funk Madrigal
  • Furnace Room Folk
  • Fuzzcore
  • Fuzzgrass

G: 23 names

  • Garage Minuet
  • Gardening Thriller
  • Gaslight Garage
  • Ghost Landlord Sim
  • Gilded Age Garage
  • Glacier Dub
  • Glacier Pop
  • Glaciergaze
  • Glasspunk
  • Glitch Bluegrass
  • Glitchbilly
  • Grappling-Hook Platformer
  • Gravel Pit Revival
  • Gravel Pop
  • Gravelstep
  • Gravelwave
  • Gravity Puzzler
  • Greenhouse Gothic
  • Greenhouse Techno
  • Greenhouse Thriller
  • Grocery Store Thriller
  • Group Project Metal
  • Grunge Serenade

H: 13 names

  • Hand-Drawn Noir
  • Harbor Bounce
  • Harbor Hop
  • Harborgaze
  • Harp Grunge
  • Harptronica
  • Haunted Appliance Horror
  • Haunted Pastoral
  • Hex-Grid Romance
  • Hold Music Revival
  • Hopeful Dystopia
  • Houseboat Thriller
  • Humcore

I: 6 names

  • Ice Age Ambient
  • Ice Rink Drama
  • Idle Gothic
  • Idle Opera
  • Inkpunk
  • Inventory Horror

J: 3 names

  • Janitor Sim
  • Jazz Age Sludge
  • Jungle Waltz

K: 8 names

  • Karaoke Drama
  • Kazoo Metal
  • Kazoo Punk
  • Kazoocore
  • Kelppunk
  • Kilnpunk
  • Kitchen-Table Epic
  • Knitting Thriller

L: 30 names

  • Lagoon Lounge
  • Lamplight Romance
  • Landline Lounge
  • Lantern Pop
  • Lantern Tactics
  • Lanternbeat
  • Lanterngaze
  • Lanternpunk
  • Lanternstep
  • Lanternwave
  • Laundromat Funk
  • Laundromat Gothic
  • Laundromat Western
  • Lawn Mower Drone
  • Leaf Blower Noise
  • Leftover Casserole Soul
  • Librarian Stealth
  • Library Noir
  • Library Punk
  • Lighthouse Blues
  • Lighthouse Gothic
  • Lighthouse Romance
  • Lighthouse Sim
  • Long Weekend Drama
  • Loompunk
  • Lounge Thrash
  • Low Battery Ambient
  • Low-Stakes Epic
  • Lower Canal Scene
  • Lukewarm Jazz

M: 24 names

  • Madrigal Grunge
  • Mapmaking Adventure
  • Marching Band Dub
  • Marching Band Punk
  • Marginalia Horror
  • Marsh Hop
  • Marshstep
  • Marshwave
  • Medieval Rave
  • Menu Roguelike
  • Metal Lullaby
  • Microwave Minimalism
  • Monday Morning Sludge
  • Monsoon Noir
  • Moss Crawler
  • Mossbeat
  • Mosspunk
  • Mosswave
  • Motel Gothic
  • Motel Soul
  • Motelwave
  • Moth Pop
  • Mothgaze
  • Mudstep

N: 22 names

  • Nautical Noir
  • Neo-Barn Dance
  • Neo-Calliope
  • Neo-Foxtrot
  • Neo-Gavotte
  • Neo-Hoedown
  • Neo-Jug Band
  • Neo-Madrigal
  • Neo-Minuet
  • Neo-Serenade
  • Night-Shift Musical
  • Ninth Floor Soul
  • North Pier Bounce
  • Nu-Dirge
  • Nu-Fanfare
  • Nu-Jamboree
  • Nu-Quadrille
  • Nu-Singalong
  • Nu-Skronk
  • Nu-Stomp
  • Nu-Twang
  • Nu-Waltz

O: 13 names

  • Office Plant Horror
  • Old Mill Stomp
  • One-Button Epic
  • One-Room Epic
  • Opera Drill
  • Orchard Folk
  • Orchard Gothic
  • Orchard Pop
  • Orchard Tycoon
  • Organcore
  • Organgaze
  • Overdue Library Book Blues
  • Overpass Opera

P: 44 names

  • Pager Funk
  • Pantry Mystery
  • Paper-Cutout Epic
  • Parallel Parking Jazz
  • Parking Lot Psych
  • Parking Lot Western
  • Passive-Aggressive Folk
  • Picnic Tactics
  • Pier Punk
  • Pine Flats Twang
  • Platform Gothic
  • Pond-Fi
  • Porch Hop
  • Porchbeat
  • Porchgaze
  • Porchpunk
  • Porchtronica
  • Porchwave
  • Post-Banjo
  • Post-Barbershop
  • Post-Carnival
  • Post-Jingle
  • Post-Karaoke
  • Post-Lullaby
  • Post-Ragtime
  • Post-Shanty
  • Post-Skiffle
  • Postal Fantasy
  • Postal Roguelike
  • Potluck Drama
  • Prairie Drone
  • Proto-Bounce
  • Proto-Clang
  • Proto-Fuzz
  • Proto-Glitch
  • Proto-Hum
  • Proto-Shimmer
  • Proto-Sludge
  • Proto-Stomp
  • Proto-Twang
  • Punk Minuet
  • Puppet Noir
  • Push-Your-Luck Heist
  • Puzzle Noir

Q: 6 names

  • Quarry Road Revival
  • Quarry Rock
  • Quarrycore
  • Quilt Hop
  • Quilting-Circle Thriller
  • Quiltpunk

R: 22 names

  • Ragtime Rave
  • Rail Yard Ragtime
  • Rainstep
  • Rattlecore
  • Regency Grime
  • Renaissance Rave
  • Retirement Home Noir
  • Reverse Heist
  • Rhythm Farming
  • Roadside Musical
  • Roguelike Pottery
  • Roller Rink Gothic
  • Roller Rink Soul
  • Rooftop Ragtime
  • Rummage Sale Whodunit
  • Rust Belt Rave
  • Rust Pop
  • Rustbeat
  • Rustgaze
  • Rustgrass
  • Rustic Futurism
  • Rustwave

S: 48 names

  • Salt Road Saga
  • Saltmarsh Gothic
  • Second Shift Soul
  • Self-Checkout Techno
  • Sensible Shoes Punk
  • Shadow-Puppet Thriller
  • Shanty Techno
  • Shantytronica
  • Shed Metal
  • Silent Heist
  • Silo Drone
  • Single-Take Western
  • Ska Lullaby
  • Skiffle Trap
  • Slow Strategy
  • Slow-Burn Heist
  • Slow-Burn Swashbuckler
  • Sludge Waltz
  • Small-Town Disaster Comedy
  • Small-Town Space Opera
  • Snowed-In Whodunit
  • Snowglobe Builder
  • Snowplow Thriller
  • Soil-Fi
  • Speedrun Pastoral
  • Spreadsheet Funk
  • Squallcore
  • Stairwell Soul
  • Static Pop
  • Stealth Baking
  • Steam Age Swing
  • Stone Age Stomp
  • Stop-Motion Gothic
  • Strip Mall Gothic
  • Strip Mall Psych
  • Submarine Comedy
  • Subway Swing
  • Sunday Scaries Soul
  • Surf Dirge
  • Survival Knitting
  • Swamp Disco
  • Swamp Romance
  • Swampbilly
  • Swampgaze
  • Swamptronica
  • Switchyard Swing
  • Synthbilly
  • Synthgrass

T: 51 names

  • Tactical Gardening
  • Tanner Street Stomp
  • Tape Hop
  • Tavern Procedural
  • Tax Season Blues
  • Tea-Shop Epic
  • Telegraph Trance
  • Terrarium Strategy
  • Text Western
  • The Back Forty Sound
  • The Copper Hill Sound
  • The Harborview Sound
  • The Hilltop School
  • The Low Bridge Scene
  • The Millbrook Sound
  • The Saltgate School
  • The Tin Roof Sound
  • Theremin Country
  • Third Snooze Alarm Doom
  • Thistlewave
  • Thrash Lullaby
  • Thrift Store Heist
  • Thudcore
  • Thunder Pop
  • Tide-Pool Builder
  • Tide-Pool Fantasy
  • Tidebeat
  • Tidegaze
  • Tidegrass
  • Tile-Laying Horror
  • Tinstep
  • Tollbooth Techno
  • Topiary Horror
  • Town Council Fantasy
  • Tramlinepunk
  • Trance Hoedown
  • Treehouse Thrash
  • Treehouse War Film
  • Trick-Taking Adventure
  • Truck Stop Disco
  • Truck Stop Musical
  • Tuba Trance
  • Tubacore
  • Tubapunk
  • Tundra Gothic
  • Tundra Pop
  • Tundra Twang
  • Tundra Western
  • Tunnel Trance
  • Turn-Based Fishing
  • Typewriter Techno

U: 2 names

  • Unpaid Intern Techno
  • Upriver Bounce

V: 5 names

  • Vaudeville Noise
  • Velvet Hop
  • Velvetwave
  • VHS Soul
  • Victorian Drill

W: 8 names

  • Waiting Room Drama
  • Waiting Room Funk
  • Walking Mystery
  • Warehouse Waltz
  • Weather Tactics
  • Weatherman Noir
  • Windmillpunk
  • Wizard Workplace Drama

Y: 1 name

  • Yacht Doom