10 of the Cringiest Music Genres

February 13, 2024

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We all have songs that we can never get tired of listening to. After all, you can’t go wrong with classic rock, R&B, and pop. However, some music genres might instantly have you changing the song or cringing in protest. Here are the 10 music genres deemed downright terrible by music lovers of an online forum.

1. Emo

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Unsurprisingly, listeners are sick and tired of emo music. Who would have thought that loud, uptempo music accompanied by whiny, nasally vocals would be so unpleasant? Bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance used to dominate the airwaves, but millions of fans have since moved on.

2. TikTok Music

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While most music tailor-made for TikTok is technically sound and undeniably catchy, most music lovers admit they are predisposed to hating it. The reason is simple: in their minds, music made specifically for TikTok is inauthentic and shouldn’t be in the same conversation as “real” music made by dedicated musicians and artists.

3. Christmas Music

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When I worked retail in high school, I dreaded working during the holiday season because the songs playing in our store went from enjoyable to unbearably annoying after just a few days. “I will leave a store if ‘A Wonderful Christmas Time’ by Paul McCartney comes on,” confesses one shopper. “It’s as if a Black Friday parking lot fistfight had a soundtrack.”

4. Modern Country

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According to countless people, there isn’t a current music genre more sterile and formulaic than modern country music. Seemingly every song revolves around failed relationships, beer, and trucks! I don’t blame anyone for hating modern country music; it’s not innovative in 2023.

5. Reggaeton

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Although modern reggae music has millions of fans, even the most ardent listeners confess it’s a genre that doesn’t have the same staying power as other music styles. “It’s not just the fact that it’s a repetitive genre with lame lyrics, but if you’re Latino like me, you hear it everywhere,” confesses one man. “I hear it at parties, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and even on the bus. Thank goodness I have my headphones.”

6. Christian Rock

Listeners are quick to point out that their hatred of Christian rock music isn’t a condemnation of the religion in general; it’s just that it’s so cringe-inducing! When most of your genre’s lyrics consist of varying differentiations of “God is good” and “We have a love for Jesus,” not even skilled instrumentation and the catchiest beats can make up for the uninspired subject matter.

7. Auto-Tuned Rap

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Many music fans aren’t impressed by the computer-generated and pitch-correct vocal stylings of auto-tuned rap music. Some listeners even think the genre’s subject matter is childish. “The majority of rap music today is heavy into auto-tune and talking about how much more money they have than others,” explains one woman. “I swear they rap about what ten-year-olds think is cool. Rappers today have the egos of children.”

8. Rap-Country

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About twenty years ago, hip-hop artist Nelly decided to do the impossible: Combine rap and country music. While the genre was a breath of fresh air to music fans in the late ’90s and early 2000s, rap-country hasn’t fundamentally changed since. As a result, the genre is considered by many to be out of date and highly annoying!

9. Radio Rock

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Radio can ruin your favorite song by playing it over and over. Radio rock is a specific genre that gets listeners hooked and quickly addicted to specific songs. “Even a good song can be a hammer to your sanity when it’s overplayed on the radio,” laments one man. “To make matters worse, most radio songs are constructed to be hits by appealing to the lowest common denominator.”

10. Heavy Metal

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While many fans appreciate blisteringly-fast guitar playing, driving basslines, and crashing symbols, the addition of screaming vocals crosses the line for millions. Heavy metal is tailor-made for a specific subset of people, and the vast majority of music lovers stay away from this headache-inducing genre.

Source: Reddit