Musicmap arranges hundreds of popular music genres on a zoomable timeline called the Carta. Connections distinguish parent genres, secondary influences and backlashes, while individual panels add historical context and example tracks.
Finding your bearings
Zoom out for broad genre families, then move down the timeline and zoom in to reveal individual genres. Hovering highlights relationships; selecting a name opens background information and a short set of representative tracks.
How to read the links
Different line styles carry different meanings, including primary lineage, secondary influence and a reaction against an earlier style. The map also groups close sibling genres and shows approximate years of emergence.
Use it as an argument
Genre boundaries and origin dates are disputed, and Musicmap openly treats the project as an incomplete research framework. It is most rewarding when you follow its sources and compare its classification with other histories.
Things to know
- The dense Carta is difficult on small screens.
- Genre boundaries and origin dates involve editorial judgement.
- External example tracks may depend on third-party music services.