Country of origin
Malaysia music genres
Explore music genre guides with documented origins in Malaysia.
9 genre guides
1400Dondang Sayang
Melaka's intimate tradition of improvised sung poetry, where singers trade pantun over violin, drums and gong.
1500Joget
A lively Malay dance tradition shaped in Melaka through centuries of local adaptation and Portuguese-Malay cultural exchange.
1500Zapin
A centuries-old Malay performing tradition where gambus melodies, intricate hand-drumming and poetry meet tightly coordinated dance.
1860Ghazal Melayu Johor
Johor's Malay adaptation of ghazal blends poetic vocals with harmonium, tabla, violin, gambus and guitar.
1963Pop Yeh Yeh
The electric-guitar sound of 1960s Malay youth culture, mixing British beat excitement with distinctly local songs and voices.
1970Kadazandusun Popular Music
Sabah's Dusun and Kadazandusun musical identity translated into accessible pop songs without abandoning local language and rhythmic heritage.
1980Rock Kapak
Malaysia's big-riff rock era paired hard-rock guitars and soaring vocals with some of the country's most enduring Malay-language ballads.
1990Malaysian Tamil Pop and Hip-Hop
A multilingual Malaysian Indian scene where Tamil hooks and rap meet hip-hop beats, electronic production and local cultural identity.
Dikir Barat
Kelantan's explosive choral tradition combines improvised verse, massed voices, handclaps and tightly coordinated percussion.