Country & Western

Traditional, honky-tonk, outlaw, bluegrass, Western, Nashville pop country, red dirt, Americana, country rock/gospel/rap/soul.

24 families339 sub-genres

Click a family to fan out its sub-genres · dashed = cross-listed

1Traditional / Classic Country

Core country: acoustic guitar, fiddle, steel guitar, plainspoken storytelling, rural themes, heartbreak, work, faith, family, simple strong melodies.

Tear-in-Your-Beer Country

Family Harmony Country

Neotraditional Country ↗

Classic Story Song

Traditional / Classic Country

Core country: acoustic guitar, fiddle, steel guitar, plainspoken storytelling, rural themes, heartbreak, work, faith, family, simple strong melodies.

Traditional Country Classic Country Country & Western Hillbilly Country Rural Country Fiddle Country Steel Guitar Country Country Ballad Tear-in-Your-Beer Country Family Harmony Country Front Porch Country Old-Time Country Honky-Tonk Nashville Sound Neotraditional Country Classic Story Song

Honky-Tonk / Barroom Country

Dancehall, neon-sign, heartbreak-and-whiskey country. One of the most recognizable sound-homes.

Honky-Tonk Texas Honky-Tonk Barroom Country Beer Joint Country Shuffle Country Two-Step Country Dancehall Country Cheatin' Song Country Drinking Song Country Working-Class Country Piano Honky-Tonk Steel Guitar Honky-Tonk Bakersfield Honky-Tonk Truck Stop Honky-Tonk

Outlaw / Rebel Country

Anti-Nashville, rough-edged, independent, gritty country. Less polished, more attitude.

Outlaw Country Progressive Country Rebel Country Renegade Country Cosmic Cowboy Texas Outlaw Southern Outlaw Biker Country Highway Country Prison Song Country Anti-Establishment Country Outlaw Ballad Alt-Outlaw Country Rock Outlaw Redneck Rock

Bluegrass / Mountain String Band

Banjo, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, fast picking, mountain harmonies, acoustic virtuosity.

Traditional Bluegrass Progressive Bluegrass High Lonesome Bluegrass Mountain Bluegrass Instrumental Bluegrass Bluegrass Ballad Bluegrass Gospel Quartet Bluegrass-Country Crossover Gospel Bluegrass Bluegrass Folk Flatpicking Bluegrass Newgrass Clawhammer Banjo Jamgrass

Old-Time / Appalachian / Folk Country

The oldest roots: fiddle tunes, ballads, mountain songs, front-porch picking, folk storytelling.

Appalachian Country Country Folk Folk Country Ballad Country Carter Family-Lane Country String Band Country Acoustic Roots Country Country Blues Celtic Country Clawhammer Folk Country Primitive Country Old-Time Music Mountain Music Murder Ballad Front Porch Folk

Western / Cowboy / Ranch Country

Cowboy imagery, open plains, rodeo life, trail songs, ranch culture, Western storytelling.

Western Music Cowboy Country Cowboy Ballad Singing Cowboy Country Ranch Country Rodeo Country Campfire Country Western Folk Western Gospel Western Swing Cowboy Pop New Mexico Country Trail Song

Western Swing / Dancehall Country

Country's jazzier dance-band side: swing rhythms, fiddles, steel guitar, walking bass, horns, dancehall sophistication.

Western Swing Texas Swing Cowboy Swing Country Jazz Big Band Country Western Swing Revival Hot Club Country Swinging Honky-Tonk Jazz Country Dancehall Swing Fiddle Swing Bob Wills-Lane Swing

Bakersfield / West Coast Country

Sharper, twangier, electric reaction against polished Nashville: Telecaster bite, strong backbeat, barroom realism.

West Coast Country West Coast Outlaw Bakersfield Sound California Country Telecaster Country Electric Honky-Tonk Modern Bakersfield Revival Bakersfield Honky-Tonk Truck Stop Bakersfield Bakersfield Rockabilly

Nashville / Countrypolitan / Pop Country

Polished Nashville production, big choruses, radio-friendly arrangements, strings, backing vocals, crossover hooks.

Nashville Sound Countrypolitan Country Pop Modern Country Pop Crossover Country Adult Contemporary Country Soft Country Power Ballad Country Radio Country Stadium Country Female Country Pop 90s Country Pop 2000s Country Pop Bro-Country Country EDM Cowboy Pop

Neotraditional / 80s–90s Revival Country

Modern-ish songs that revive classic country values: fiddle, steel, clean vocals, honky-tonk influence, traditional songwriting.

Neotraditional Country George Strait-Lane Country Randy Travis-Lane Country Alan Jackson-Lane Country Modern Traditional Country Clean Nashville Traditional Revival Country Neo-Honky-Tonk Neo-Western Country Neo-Bluegrass Country 80s Traditional Revival 90s Traditional Revival Traditionalist Ballad

Americana / Alt-Country / Roots Country

Country-adjacent roots pulling from folk, rock, blues, gospel, soul, bluegrass. "Honest old boots and literary lyrics."

Americana Alt-Country Roots Country Indie Country No Depression-Lane Alt-Country Folk Americana Modern Roots Country Rock Americana Soul Americana Gospel Americana Bluegrass Americana Singer-Songwriter Country Dirt Road Americana Cosmic American Music

Singer-Songwriter / Storyteller Country

Lyric-first country: narrative craft, character studies, acoustic intimacy, emotional detail.

Singer-Songwriter Country Storyteller Country Narrative Country Poetic Country Literary Country Confessional Country Acoustic Ballad Country Folk Story Country Outlaw Storyteller Americana Storyteller Christian Story Song Character Study Country Murder Ballad

Country Rock / Southern Rock / Heartland

Guitars, drums, rock energy, country lyricism, highway-sized choruses.

Country Rock Southern Country Rock Country Arena Rock Guitar-Driven Country 70s Country Rock 90s Country Rock Modern Country Rock Alt-Country Rock Outlaw Country Rock Red Dirt Rock Country Jam Band Heartland Rock Southern Rock Roots Rock

Rockabilly / Cowpunk / Psychobilly

The rock-and-roll side of country: slapback vocals, upright bass, early rock rhythms, punk attitude, retro swagger.

Garage Country Rockabilly Country Rockabilly Punk Country Retro Country Rock Honky-Tonk Rockabilly Bakersfield Rockabilly Surf Country Greaser Country Western Punk Hillbilly Boogie Cowpunk Psychobilly Gothabilly

Red Dirt / Texas / Heartland Country

Texas/Oklahoma country, regional grit, live-band feel, road songs, red-dirt realism, independent country culture.

Red Dirt Country Texas Country Oklahoma Country Heartland Country College-Town Country Bar-Band Country Roadhouse Country Regional Country Rock Texas Singer-Songwriter Texas Honky-Tonk Texas Outlaw Red Dirt Americana Lubbock Sound

Contemporary Mainstream Country

Current radio/streaming country: polished drums, big hooks, pop structure, arena production, modern lifestyle lyrics.

Snap Track Country Contemporary Country Modern Country Radio Country Stadium Country Arena Country Bro-Country Boyfriend Country Tailgate Country Small-Town Anthem Country Modern Nashville Country Streaming Country Country Pop Country Rock Pop Country Trap-Lite

Country Rap / Electronic / Fusion Country

Country blended with hip-hop, trap, EDM, electronic production, beat-driven pop. **Bridges to the Hip-Hop / Rap taxonomy.**

Country Rap Country Trap Country Hip-Hop Bro-Country Rap Southern Rap Country Country EDM Dance Country Electronic Country Country Pop-EDM Trap Country Country Club Country Reggaeton Country R&B Country Funk Hick-Hop

Country Blues / Country Soul

Bluesy, soulful, gospel-adjacent, R&B-flavored, swampy country.

Country Blues Blues Country Southern Soul Country Country Soul Swamp Country R&B Country Black Country Revival Delta Country Muscle Shoals Country Country Funk Gospel Soul Country Soul Americana Country Jazz Swamp Rock

Country Gospel / Sacred Country

Faith-centered country, church harmony, sacred lyrics, gospel arrangements, spiritual storytelling.

Country Gospel Southern Gospel Country Sacred Country Christian Country Worship Country Hymn Country Church Harmony Country Testimony Country Inspirational Country Family Gospel Country Bluegrass Gospel Western Gospel Gospel Americana Gospel Soul Country

Gothic / Dark / Southern Gothic Country

Murder ballads, ghost stories, haunted Americana, minor-key banjos, doom-country, dark rural storytelling.

Gothic Country Southern Gothic Country Dark Country Horror Country Dark Folk Country Gothic Americana Doom Country Death Country Graveyard Country Noir Country Occult Country Western Noir Murder Ballad Appalachian Gothic

Trucking / Road / Highway Country

Truck-driving songs, road life, highway loneliness, diesel rhythms, working-class motion.

Truck-Driving Country Highway Country Road Country Diesel Country Truck Stop Country Long-Haul Country CB Radio Country Roadhouse Country Bakersfield Trucking Honky-Tonk Road Song Outlaw Highway Song Country Road Anthem Trucker Ballad

Beach / Gulf / Tropical Country

Relaxed coastal country: boats, islands, Gulf Coast, beach bars, tropical rhythms, escapist country-pop.

Gulf and Western Beach Country Coastal Country Tropical Country Island Country Boat Country Caribbean Country Summer Country Country Reggae Laid-Back Country Pop Gulf Coast Americana Yacht Country Parrothead Country Country Calypso

International / Regional Country

Country scenes and fusions beyond the standard Nashville/Texas/Appalachian frame.

Canadian Country Australian Country Country and Irish Tejano Country New Mexico Country Regional Mexican Country Country Latin Cajun Country Zydeco Country Canadian Fiddle Country Celtic Country Country Reggaeton Cape Breton Country Nordic Country / Nordicana Bush Ballad Sertanejo

Era / Scene Labels

Era/scene tags — attach to a song's main sound-home.

Early Commercial Country Singing Cowboy Era Honky-Tonk Era Nashville Sound Era Bakersfield Era Outlaw Era Urban Cowboy Era 90s Country Era Country Pop Crossover Era Bro-Country Era Americana Revival Era Streaming Country Era Red Dirt Scene Texas Country Scene Bluegrass Revival Scene Alt-Country / No Depression Scene Old-Time Era Neotraditional Era