JerseyJimmy: Genres That Aren't Real Genres

arthropod 01.08.26	Punk metal could basically be anything from thrash to black to death to metalcore. I agree for the most part.
gabba 01.08.26	I LOVE GOTH. All of it, witch house included. And I’ll need to check that Concrete Blonde album. Cool list btw.
Demon of the Fall 01.08.26	broadly agreed although I would perhaps dispute djent (recent development) even if it's one of the absolutely worst genres in existence does anyone worth their salt actually use the term 'punk metal' - admittedly the list of bands used by Wikipedia is amusing, in that some could theoretically qualify but then you have the Manics and Sum41 etc. what? lol I guess crossover thrash kinda counts, no? But then, people just call it crossover thrash. Thrash can have a strong punk influence. What about Neurosis who started off as a hardcore punk band? Again, we have other terminology for that band like sludge and post. What about the black metal side of things? The relationship between punk and metal is well documented by now and they absolutely do have strong links, but that kinda renders the descriptor itself vague and useless. Most of these are agreeable for similar reasons in that they're vague and or aesthetic / marketing-based. I've certainly seen arguments for why Indie is actually a musical term and not just 'independent' but I'm trying to remember where. I'm no expert here but it does appear very general and not all that useful by itself.
LouBreed 01.08.26	Agreeable, yes. I don't think PUNK METAL actually exists outside of Wikipedia. I mean, for what it's worth, if you ask a person to name their favorite grunge band, they will probably give you a quick answer, but ask "what's your favorite PUNK METAL band?" and you'll probably get just a confused look. For Alternative Rock, I always assumed it means an alternative to AOR/Radio Rock, but that doesn't clear all the issues with the tag.
cloakanddagger 01.08.26	I'd add thall to that list. Thall is a fucking meme, but for some reason I see people every now and then refer to it as if it's an actual genre of music.
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	Genres are a social construct
rabidfish 01.08.26	there are no real genres... it's all just tags
Jmal00 01.08.26	I love to see someone else thinking critically about what genres are and if they actually serve a purpose. Thank you for fighting the good fight. I do think genres exist and they’re important but people have seriously fucked up genres and we are past the point of no return with ever making them make sense.
BigBlob 01.08.26	I have never heard Corrosion of Conformity being described as punk metal. Wtf 🤣
gabba 01.08.26	The genre tag I hate the most is indietronica.
ArsMoriendi 01.08.26	I've seen "Dance" used as a genre term and I'm pretty sure that's not real
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	Oh man don't get me started on my biggest pet peeve which is referring to all genres of dance music as "dance" or "EDM"
OwMySnauze 01.08.26	I would normally agree with the “punk metal” label but the only band that comes to mind that has actually nails that sound perfectly is Strung Out. No one else does it like them.
cylinder 01.08.26	agreed with all of these except alt rock and indie rock blackgaze should be here
Hyperion1001 01.08.26	my most hated fake genre is “deconstructed club” which is just used to describe IDM that sucks.
AlkemestRedux 01.08.26	Lumping Motorhead and Sum 41 in the same genre is actually insane lol nice find. And the whole classic rock thing always messed with my head. Isn't the cutoff like 20 or 30 years ago or something for the radio? Seems way too soon, but then again I remember that Metallica's Master of Puppets felt like it was so old when I was growing up, but only came out like four years before I was born lol
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	"my most hated fake genre is “deconstructed club” which is just used to describe IDM that sucks." Great shout lol, totally agree
efp123 01.08.26	I hate mediumcore
Hyperion1001 01.08.26	i also think “stenchcore” is fucking stupid but apparently that has been around since the 80’s
RVAHC13 01.08.26	Redundant genre naming and sticking “core” on the end of everything needs to stop
cylinder 01.08.26	deconstructed club fuckin rules tho??
AlkemestRedux 01.08.26	Stinkycore lol I guess I have a suggestion too. Back when I was DJing the riddim kids discovered real dubstep all at once, but instead of calling it dubstep they tried to label it 'deep dub' which was insufferable.
RVAHC13 01.08.26	“It’s not grind it’s powerviolence, thrashcore no wait now it’s noisecore!!!1!” Enough already. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel
brickhed 01.08.26	"Redundant genre naming and sticking “core” on the end of everything needs to stop" I blame social media. there are plenty of genres that have a pretty noticeable hardcore influence but man if you're gonna lazily label a genre be creative.
brickhed 01.08.26	also punk metal???? just call it crossover or metalcore and call it a day
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	Def agree adding "core" to everything sucks but I won't stop ironically using merchcore
arthropod 01.08.26	Pagan black metal. It's a lyrical strain, not a genre. Same with unblack, pornogrind and the likes.
brickhed 01.08.26	pagan black metal has folk sections and influences, pornogrind is a much more midtempo version of goregrind. I do agree with unblack, that's actually all lyricism
AlkemestRedux 01.08.26	Every time I remember unblack metal is a thing I want to get hit by a mac truck
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	They could use white metal instead of unblack, but I think that's better suited for Nazi bands
arthropod 01.08.26	@brickhed okay, but pagan bm defined as such is just folk bm. Not to mention that I'd definitely qualify stuff like Sventevith as such despite its lack of folk elements. In terms of style, folk bm is fair enough, pagan works better as a lyrical descriptor.
JerseyJimmy 01.08.26	yeah, "punk metal" is one I have personal animosity towards. the term you're looking for is crossover thrash. which, of course, makes it even funnier that none of the bands listed in the quote are crossover thrash.
RunOfTheMill 01.08.26	The existence of Adult Alternative implies there is such a thing as Kid's Alternative.
ShartHarder 01.08.26	Easy to get very caught up in genre convos. Def do it a lot But in the other hand, genres exist mainly as a reference point. It doesn’t have to be a style of playing or even a sound necassarily, it could be just a vibe or an aesthetic, which is why goth is pretty broad across different styles and approaches. Everyone knows what imagery is being conjured when you say something is gothic Food for thought
bludngorevidal 01.08.26	this list/thread poses an interesting question: what is a genre, indeed? i'd argue that 'genre' reflects both shared aesthetic conventions (which seems to be JerseyJimmy's primary definition) but also shared meta-artistic conventions (e.g., alternative rock being in opposition to the mainstream). the two def do not move in concert with one another, and this is much more complex than having a streamlined single definition, but i think there's worth in going both ways
ShartHarder 01.08.26	Punk metal is def a lazy descriptor tho lol. Basically saying they have guitars and drums and people like to mosh to it
brickhed 01.08.26	"In terms of style, folk bm is fair enough, pagan works better as a lyrical descriptor." it kinda just happens that pioneers in folk bm happened to have pagan themes and so it stuck. i presume. but enough folk bm bands have pagan themes to not entirely discount it. still a good argument.
JerseyJimmy 01.08.26	"Punk metal is def a lazy descriptor tho lol. Basically saying they have guitars and drums and people like to mosh to it" if anything, I'm surprised some kind of term like "technical hardcore" has never sprung up. we have tech-death, so the precedent's there.
AlkemestRedux 01.08.26	brb gonna spend 2026 wishcasting techcore into existence
jrlikestodance 01.08.26	Isn't technical hardcore just mathcore?
Hyperion1001 01.08.26	technical cock metal
AlexKzillion 01.08.26	the cutoff for what can be considered classic rock is prob in the late 90s / early 00s at this point. spotify's classic rock playlist has songs from the foo fighters, the strokes, and californiacation-era rhcp
cylinder 01.08.26	mathcore is technical metalcore. technical hardcore is techcore.
JerseyJimmy 01.08.26	I did coin shredcore a while back. or mediumcore. take your pick. whichever sounds funnier, really.
brickhed 01.08.26	now that i think about it the genre name describing it's aesthetic is kinda hit or miss, kinda has to do with the people who coin it. i'm not too miffed about real genre names for the most part.
Calc 01.08.26	what is Maroon 5 then, or James Blunt? Or John Mayer?
ShartHarder 01.08.26	those are wet-core
ShartHarder 01.08.26	limp-meat core
oltnabrick 01.08.26	limp bizkit
Galbador 01.08.26	"Genres are a social construct" As a sociologist I agree. Still grunge is genre, or at least there is no fucking way it is punk. Fundamental misunderstanding of punk, which is common. Yes, they had lack of respect for their instruments, tuning them and being able to play them. That just isn't what punk is all about even thou the laziest of artist tried to make it seem like their rebel spirit laid in their lack of ability to play. I still believe in social construct of grunge culture.
cylinder 01.08.26	“Genres are a social construct” No shit. Did someone think they were naturally occurring phenomena
Deathconscious 01.08.26	Viking metal
brickhed 01.09.26	can't wait for this to become "genres i don't like aren't real"
ArsMoriendi 01.09.26	I feel like goth rock is real though
el_newg 01.09.26	where's Britney Spears
JerseyJimmy 01.09.26	for what it's worth, I considered putting cyberpunk on here before I remembered that'd basically just be digital hardcore.
Demon of the Fall 01.09.26	"No shit. Did someone think they were naturally occurring phenomena" (2) lol
JerseyJimmy 01.09.26	fuck I shoulda put swancore on here. huge whiff on my part.