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Here is an extensive list of all the genres and subgenres available to use in-game and in the metadata for your customs, with some explanations to help you pick the most fitting one for your song. Picking a genre affects in-game sorting and animations, while subgenres are only for sorting use outside of the game.

Animations: Rock

Alternative

• Example: The Pixies

College

• Example: R.E.M.

Other

• Example: They Might Be Giants

Animations: Rock

Acoustic

• Example: Elizabeth Cotten

Chicago

• Example: Muddy Waters

Classic

• Example: James Booker

Contemporary

• Example: Janis Joplin

Country

• Example: Mississippi Fred McDowell

Delta

• Example: Robert Johnson

Electric

• Example: Stevie Ray Vaughan

Other

• Example: John Spencer Blues Explosion

Animations: Goth

Pre-modern music, often performed on piano or with an orchestra. Can also be used for stuff like solo piano instrumentals and film scores.

Classical

• Example: Mozart

Animations: Rock

Rock music created between the 50's and early 80's

Classic Rock

• Example: Rolling Stones

Animations: Rock

A modern evolution of Americana folk

Alternative

• Example: Wilco

Bluegrass

• Example: The Dillards

Contemporary

• Example: Dolly Parton

Honky Tonk

• Example: Gary Stewart

Outlaw

• Example: Willie Nelson

Traditional Folk

• Example: Phil Ochs

Other

• Example: The Wallflowers

Animations: Goth

A form of Punk focused more on emotions than rage

Emo

• Example: Sunny Day Real Estate

Animations: Rock

Short for Jazz Fusion; a combination of Jazz with other genres, such as Rock and Funk, often with very complicated instrumentation

Fusion

• Example: Return to Forever

Animations: Goth

Glam

• Example: The Sweet

Goth

• Example: Alice Cooper

Other

• Example: David Bowie

Animations: Metal

A mixture of Alternative Rock, Punk and Metal, originating from Seattle. Often with a dirty or heavy sound and with lyrics about societal issues such as drug addiction

Grunge

• Example: Alice in Chains

Animations: Rock

Alternative

• Example: OutKast

Gangsta

• Example: 50 Cent

Hardcore

• Example: Public Enemy

Hip Hop

• Example: Run DMC

Old Skool

• Example: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Rap

• Example: Kendrick Lamar

Trip Hop

• Example: Gorillaz

Underground

• Example: MF Doom

Other

• Example: Death Grips

Animations: Rock

Indie Rock

• Example: Death Cab For Cutie

Lo-Fi

• Example: Neutral Milk Hotel

Math Rock

• Example: This Town Needs Guns

Noise

• Example: Sonic Youth

Post Rock

• Example: Sigur Rós

Shoegaze

• Example: My Bloody Valentine

Other

• Example: The Shaggs

Animations: Goth

Songs made for worship, mediation or with a spiritual message. While traditionally mostly used to describe Christian music, it can also be used for things such as New Age music.

Inspirational

• Example: Jars of Clay

Animations: Goth

Acid Jazz

• Example: Jamiroquai

Contemporary

• Example: Branford Marsalis Quartet

Experimental

• Example: Anthony Braxton

Ragtime

• Example: Art Tatum

Smooth

• Example: Sade

Other

• Example: Garage A Trois

Animations: Punk

Japanese Rock music, often with a distinct sound that differs it from western Rock

J-Rock

• Example: B's

Animations: Punk

Music with roots in the traditions of Latin America and Spain, such as Salsa, Flamenco, Mambo and Reggaeton

Latin

• Example: Manu Chao

Animations: Metal

Hard Rock taken to the next step of heaviness, brutality and loudness. Began in the 70's and started being considered its own separate entity from normal Rock music by the time the 80's started.

Metal: Even harder Rock than Hard Rock

• Example: Metallica

Alternative: Metal with elements of Alternative Rock, usually in the form of Post-Grunge or Noise Rock

• Example: Alter Bridge

Black: Raw, aggressive and evil Extreme Metal, often with satanic lyrics and lo-fi production

• Example: Darkthrone

Core: A mix of Melodic Death Metal and Post-Hardcore. 90's examples are often even heavier, for example by fusing in elements of Grindcore.

• Example: Killswitch Engage

Death: Extreme Metal with brutal riffs and growled vocals, often with horror movie lyrics

• Example: Cannibal Corpse

Hair: A mix of Heavy Metal and Glam Rock, huge in the 80's

• Example: Quiet Riot

Industrial: A mix of Metal and Industrial, such as tons distortion, marching rhythms, use of samples, etc.

• Example: Ministry

Power: Gloriously cheesy Heavy Metal with bombastic vocals, often uses synths and writes about fantasy books or old history

• Example: Nightwish

Prog: A mix of Metal in various forms with Prog Rock

• Example: Ayeron

Speed: Heavy Metal performed with constant Punk energy or with really fast guitar solos

• Example: Motörhead

Thrash: Mix of Speed Metal and Hardcore Punk

• Example: Slayer

Other

• Example: Fantomas

Animations: Goth

Umbrella term for the Post Punk and Synth music of the late 70's and early 80's

New Wave: A evolution of Punk Rock that added in more experimental pop elements, such as prominent synths and disco beats

• Example: Talking Heads

Dark Wave

• Example: Depeche Mode

Electroclash: A modern form of Synthpop combining the classic New Wave sound with contemporary Electropop

• Example: Ladytron

Synthpop: New Wave-influenced 80's Pop with an emphasis on synths

• Example: Duran Duran

Other

• Example: John Carpenter

Animations: Punk

Songs made to be amusing or funny as its primary goal. This also includes song parodies, memes, funny mashups and such.

Novelty

• Example: Weird Al

Animations: Metal

A type of Groove Metal with elements of Funk and Hip-Hop, often downtuned and riff focused.

Nu-Metal

• Example: KoRn

Animations: Rock

Popular music of the kind usually played on top 20 radio stations and the like. This genre is not available in Magma despite being programmed into the game, so you need to edit the DTA in your CON file to say “pop” in lower case to make it work.

Pop

• Example: Madonna

Animations: Goth

Music where the instrumentation is primarily created via computers and synths.

Ambient

• Example: M83

Breakbeat

• Example: The Prodigy

Chiptune: Music that is primarily made with videogame sound chips, or emulations of them

• Example: Anamanaguchi

Dance

• Example: Galantis

Downtempo

• Example: Röyksopp

Dub

• Example: Spacemonkeyz

Drum And Bass

• Example: Pendulum

Electronica

• Example: The Presets

Garage

• Example: Disclosure

Hardcore Dance

• Example: Justice

House

• Example: Avicii

Industrial

• Example: Aesthetic Perfection

Techno

• Example: The Chemical Brothers

Trance

• Example: Tiesto

Other: Odd unclasifiable music that is primarly created via electronics

• Example: Yello

Animations: Rock

Rock music with Pop production and radio appeal, often being softer in sound and using more traditional pop music hooks in choruses.

Contemporary

• Example: The Fray

Pop: Pop music performed by a “Rock band”

• Example: Maroon 5

Soft Rock: Rock music that is soft enough for your parents to enjoy it

• Example: Phil Collins

Teen: Pop Rock performed by/aimed at tweens and teenagers, sometimes associated with TV shows from Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, etc.

• Example: Miley Cyrus

Other:

• Example: Jimmy Ray

Animations: Rock

Complex Rock music that often uses odd time signatures, sprawling movements, elements of Jazz and Classical, and lyrics ranging from fantasy to philosophy.

Prog Rock

• Example: Yes

Animations: Punk

Raw and aggressive Rock that doesn't conform to your rules, man!

Alternative: Punk with elements of Alternative Rock

• Example: Against Me!

Classic: Early Punk music, usually from the 70's

• Example: Sex Pistols

Dance Punk

• Example: Bloc Party

Garage: Raw Garage Rock-influenced Punk, often very straight forward

• Example: Ramones

Hardcore: A harder form of Punk, often with fast drumming, vocals that borders on screaming and heavier riffs

• Example: Dead Kennedys

Pop: Punk Rock instrumentation with Pop sensibilities, such as catchy choruses and a more polished sound than what is normal in Punk

• Example: Blink 182

Other

• Example: Patti Smith

Animations: Rock

An umbrella label for traditionally black popular music from the 60's and out.

Disco: A form of dance music huge in the 70's, combining Funk instrumentation with steady beats, smooth Soul-like string arrangements and various experimentation with synths and vocoders.

• Example: Donna Summer

Funk: A form of Rock N' Roll with a bigger emphasis on bass grooves, rhythmic clean electric guitars and prominent complex drum beats.

• Example: James Brown

Motown: Artists associated with the Motown label, such as many prominent black Pop and Soul artists throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's.

• Example: Marvin Gaye

Rhythm and Blues: Originally used to describe black Rock musicians in the 50's, today we use the term to refer to R&B singers; predominantly black artists combining elements of Pop, Soul, Rock, Blues and Jazz in various ways.

• Example: Alica Keys

Soul: A mix of Gospel with Jazz or Rock, often with a big focus on soulful vocal performances and beautiful instrumentation.

• Example: Otis Redding

Other: Other music associated with any of these subgenres that doesn't quite fit into a neat little box.

• Example: Funkadelic

Animations: Rock

Reggae

• Example: Bob Marley

Ska

• Example: Reel Big Fish

Other

• Example: Sean Paul

Animations: Rock

Arena

• Example: Van Halen

Blues

• Example: The Black Keys

Folk Rock

• Example: Crosby, Stills, & Nash

Garage

• Example: The White Stripes

Hard Rock

• Example: Wolfmother

Psychedelic

• Example: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Rock

• Example: AC/DC

Rockabilly

• Example: Stray Cats

Rock and Roll

• Example: Bruce Springsteen

Surf

• Example: The Surfrajettes

Other

• Example: U2

Animations: Rock

Rock music with roots in the southern states of the US, often sung with a twang and with some Country elements

Southern Rock

• Example: The Allman Brothers Band

Animations: Rock

This genre should have been called Folk, but Harmonix messed it up and we can't change it lol

World

• Example: Telek

Animations: Rock

A capella: Songs that are primarily performed by several vocalists without a backing band, often using voices to emulate instrumentation

• Example: Pentatonix

Acoustic: Music performed with acoustic instruments that doesn't neatly fit under any other genres

• Example: Brushy One String

Contemporary Folk: Modern folk songs, often performed with acoustic guitars or other stringed instruments that are easy to carry around

• Example: Woody Guthrie

Experimental: Songs that defy genre, or even the concept of music itself

• Example: Yoko Ono

Oldies: Popular music that predates Rock and Pop music as we know it today

• Example: The Ink Spots

Other: Music that is beyond uncategorizable

• Example: Invertebrata