Genre Giants
This genre, led by artists like Avicii and Calvin Harris, dominated festivals and pop charts with electronic beats.
What is EDM?
This video platform changed how artists were discovered and where younger listeners consumed music.
What is YouTube?
This pop star released 1989 and became a cultural icon of the decade.
Who is Taylor Swift?
Songs in this genre often featured heavy drops, synths, and a build-up → drop structure.
What is EDM?
This device was replaced by smartphones + streaming, making digital libraries portable.
What is the iPod?
Taylor Swift’s transition from country to this genre shaped much of the decade’s sound.
What is pop?
Artists relied heavily on this type of platform (ex: Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora) that overtook CDs and downloads.
What is streaming?
Known for hits like “Uptown Funk,” this artist blended retro funk with modern pop.
Who is Bruno Mars?
This style of indie music often included handclaps, acoustic instruments, and group vocals (ex: “Home” by Edward Sharpe).
What is indie folk / indie pop?
Fans of K-Pop groups often participated in this intense form of online support, helping songs chart globally.
What are fandoms?
BTS helped bring this Korean genre into global mainstream popularity during the 2010s.
What is k-pop
This 2010 event caused songs with “hope and unity” themes to rise in popularity.
What is recovery from the Great Recession (2008–2010)?
This DJ/producer helped define the decade with hits like “Wake Me Up” and is credited with shaping modern EDM.
Who is Avicii?
Songs like “Treasure” by Bruno Mars show this revival of older musical styles.
What is retro funk/disco revival?
This term describes when music becomes popular because short clips of it circulate on social media.
What is going viral?
This genre blended folk and rock with a “DIY” aesthetic and bands like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers.
What is indie folk?
This social media platform, launched in 2016, helped short dance clips make songs viral.
What is TikTok?
This band’s global rise marked the international breakthrough of K-Pop during the 2010s.
Who is BTS?
“Boy With Luv” reflects this genre’s polished production, synchronized choreography, and large-group format.
What is K-Pop?
This music streaming service was first launched in Sweden in 2008.
What is Spotify?
This subgenre of hip-hop rose in the late 2010s with minimalist beats, heavy bass, and a “mumble” vocal delivery, influencing mainstream pop production even outside hip-hop.
What is trap / mumble rap?
This 2010s shift in the music economy meant that artists earned the majority of their income from this source instead of album sales, shaping touring schedules and how albums were promoted.
What is live performance revenue / touring?
This artists release and album in 2019 that is considered to be "the voice of gen Z"
Who is Billi Eilish?
This genre has changed significantly from its 90's and 00's predecessors.
What is rap/hip hop/country?
This song is the most played song on YouTube.
What is Despacito?