Country of origin
Jamaica music genres
Explore music genre guides with documented origins in Jamaica.
5 genre guides
1967Dub
A Jamaican studio art that turned reggae mixes into spacious, bass-first soundscapes, dub grew from B-side versions into a lasting influence on electronic production.
1967Reggae
A Jamaican genre that emerged in the late 1960s, reggae slows the pulse without losing momentum, turning the groove into something spacious, patient, and socially charged. Its early history is tied to the shift from ska and rocksteady, with 'Do the Reggay' and Bob Marley & The Wailers standing as two of the clearest reference points.
1970Roots Reggae
A grounded, spiritually minded reggae style that emerged in Jamaica in the early 1970s and helped define the genre’s most socially conscious side.
1980Reggae Fusion
A crossover label with a real musical center: reggae fusion stretches reggae and dancehall into pop’s larger frame without fully leaving the riddim behind. Its boundaries are loose, but the listening payoff is clear in the way bass, hook, and groove keep negotiating with each other.
Ska Jazz
A brassy, upbeat fusion style that grew from Jamaica’s ska foundation and kept expanding through later revival scenes.