I personally believe there are five (mostly 'cause it's my favorite number and I think I can sum it up nice enough and evenly enough…): Pop, Urban, Indie, Rock, & Electronic. I believe almost any genre can fit into each category, but I might be forgetting some. What do you think…?

EDIT: NEW LIST -
Pop
Rock
Urban
Electronic
Experimental
Classical
World
Folk

Don't forget Classical and Country.

There are many more. Tango, Salsa and Merengue, just to name a few, do not fit in any of those categories

Classical is one I did forget, but I think "Country" kinda falls into the realm of rock. Or, even, indie since it mainly exists in one country. Anywhere else, it's called "folk" or "pop" music. But, seven's a good number too…

Oh, I did forget a category. Hold up…

NEW LIST:
Pop
Rock
Urban
Electronic
Indie
Classical
World

I disagree with indie or alternative as a category. I do use a very similar classification for my music though.

I think: Rock, Electronic, Country/Folk, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Metal, Reggae, Classical, Jazz, Pop, with maybe Avant-guard/Experimental

are the genres I classify music as.

Pop, Classical, Rock, Ska, Jazz, Folk, Country, Hip-Hip, Rhythm & Blues, Electronic, Blues, and Latin, Asian and African (which I could would encompass Worldly). Of course, there are so many variations that music can never be compartmentalized.

Just my take on the matter.

But I'm not talking genres because there are one by themselves. When it comes to categories, it's the style and art form that identifies the most with whatever genre it is. It's higher than genre.

So, when it comes to rock & metal, those fit in the rock category because there really isn't a wholly "rock" genre anymore. In some way, "rock" will have another category or genre tied to it to wholly identify it. As for rap/hip-hop, soul/R&B & Jazz, those all fit in the urban category because their roots are urban. They all originate from one another and can be traced back to African shout calls and songs. I wanna find the right number of categories without it getting TOO complex…

Music what!? "Appreciation"? "History"? "Theory"? I've taken them all. Why am I not entitled to how I see what music is becoming and how it's growth can be traced back to its roots?

Ok, I get what you're saying. I guess your categorization makes sense then to me then. I just thought you meant genres at first. I would ask you though rock music developed from urban music also (R&B), why not include that as urban also?

Still, I don't know about indie as a category, maybe experimental instead as the category? Most indie music to me falls under pop, rock, or electronic. I also think Folk is a valid category too including country, reggae, and folk music.

Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Country, Rock, Soul, Jazz, Electronic...

Makes sense. That's why I was using the term alternative as well, since alternative styles of music are subgenres of already existing genres like alternative rock and alternative pop and alternative electronic, but it would make more sense calling it experimental, I guess, since it's just straying as far from the path of the genre it's labeled. I'll change it now… Thanks…

Indie is not really a genre. It's just an umbrella term for music made by independent artists.

We have indie pop, indie rock, etc. and so these can be categorized under pop, rock, etc.

EIDT: Oh nvm. I get what you mean.

Where's country?

There's probably a hundred genres of music in World sis

Yeah! I don't know, when I think of Indie, I think more of pop/rock/electronic/etc. music that is either marketed toward people who hate the chart friendly form of that music, or a more small scale or niche version of another category like how Grimes does pop music but without the mass appeal.

Whereas I have no idea what I would classify something like Medúlla if not experimental.

Anyway, very interesting discussion topic.