In recent years, especially during the post-COVID era, there has been a lot of buzz around the closure of long-standing clubs, with some wondering if club culture is dying.
Simultaneously, electronic dance music, or EDM, rooted in early clubbing, has evolved, becoming the focal point of a large range of events from traditional nightclubs to underground raves and massive music festivals.
While nightclub culture varies greatly based on location, Gen Zers are reportedly feeling nostalgic for an era of clubbing that seems to have come to an end. Some have attributed the so-called death of clubbing to Americans’ changing drinking habits, the sheer cost of a night out, and maybe an increase in loneliness, among other things.
There is also the theory that club culture isn’t dying, but evolving, with a wide variety of nightlife options available that cater to numerous communities and interests.
People enter the DreamVille camping site, at the Tomorrowland electronic music festival on July 17, 2025, in Boom.
As nightclub culture shifts and evolves, the contrasting but parallel world of music festivals has evolved as well, growing into massive, immersive and culturally significant productions with a diverse range of music.
While pop, hip-hop, country and other genres remain popular, EDM has reached new heights over the last couple of years, with the 2025 International Music Summit Business Report detailing a rise in the industry’s global dominance, particularly among festivals.
The report, which is described as the “definitive annual snapshot of the electronic music industry,” found that it grew 6% year-over-year in 2024, reaching a global valuation of $12.9 billion. The report said TikTok videos tagged with #ElectronicMusic garnered over 13 billion views globally, a 45% increase from the year before.
EDM has its place in modern clubbing culture as well, with both festivals and clubs continuing to dominate revenues, amassing nearly half of the industry total in 2023, said EDM.com, which attributed the upsurge to the genre’s “universal appeal, technological integration and unparalleled ability to captivate audiences.”
EDM artists now make up 18% of lineups across the top 100 festivals around the globe, the report found, marking an upward trajectory with a two-point increase since 2023 and a five-point jump since 2021.
Overall, the report said, nearly 10% of the top 100 festivals are now exclusively dedicated to electronic music.
“Global music industry revenue grew again in 2024, though at a slower rate than in 2023 due to maturing streaming revenues and the post-COVID live resurgence lessening,” said Mark Mulligan, MIDiA Research’s managing director. “Electronic music, however, continued to increase its share of both revenues and culture … electronic music finds itself at the start of a brave new era of culture and resonance.”
Here is a brief look into the broad world of EDM, from subgenres to subcultures, mainstream music festivals and the genre’s disco roots.
What is EDM? Breaking down some of the most popular subgenres
EDM, or electronic dance music, represents a broad range of percussive electronic music created primarily for nightclubs, raves and festivals. According to EDM Revival, the music is characterized by “repetitive beats, synthesized sounds, and a structure designed to keep people moving on the dancefloor.”
“The use of digital synthesizers, drum machines and effects allows for virtually limitless creative possibilities, making EDM a genre defined by its innovation,” said EDM Revival.
While EDM is a commonly used term among mainstream media, it is really an umbrella word for a diverse range of subgenres that have been developed over several decades, evolving from underground music scenes to modern raves, clubs and some of the world’s biggest festivals.
Although there is a multitude of subgenres to dissect, here are some of the most popular, according to EDM Revival:
House: One of the original and most popular EDM subgenres, often found in clubs and festivals around the world. Subgenres like deep house, progressive house and tech house add to house music’s diversity.
Techno: Focused on repetitive rhythms, minimal melodies and futuristic sounds. EDM Revival said techno emerged from Detroit in the 1980s and remains a favorite in the underground club scene, also having many variations.
Trance: Known for hypnotic melodies and emotional buildups, often featuring “soaring synths and euphoric breakdowns that can take listeners on a journey.”
Dubstep: A bass-heavy genre known for wobbling bass lines and sharp drops that make it a favorite at festivals.
Drum and bass: Characterized by a fast tempo and breakbeat patterns. It brings a high-energy experience to the dance floor with subgenres like liquid drum and bass and neurofunk characterizing its versatility.
Future bass: A melodic, uplifting subgenre that became popular in the mid-2010s. It blends elements of trap, house and dubstep with bright, euphoric sounds.
For a further breakdown and a look at some of the most popular artists among each subgenre, check out pop culture publication Complex’s guide to EDM genres.
EDM has roots in disco
The earliest roots of EDM trace back to disco in the 1970s, which, according to a report by The Los Angeles Film School, “aimed to move crowds of people on the dance floor, using drum machines and electronic instruments to create synthesized rhythms.”
Songs like Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and George McCrae’s “Rock Your Baby” incorporated elements of disco and synthpop, paving the way for synthpop to stand as its own dance music subgenre in the 1980s, alongside house music and electro music.
The ’90s brought the first sounds of EDM that current fans would recognize, including techno, house, hardstyle, dub, trance, and drum and bass. Though EDM was still breaking into the mainstream at the time, the Los Angeles Film School said, the inclusion of these new subgenres helped to “propel it into popularity,” especially in Europe.
EDM really took off in the United States in the early 2000s with artists like Tiësto, Daft Punk, David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Skrillex making names for themselves within the mainstream music industry.
The modern EDM scene, from clubbing to raves and festivals
Today, EDM remains an integral part of the clubbing scene, with popular DJs like James Hype, John Summit and Steve Aoki packing clubs around the world. However, looking at the modern EDM scene requires a dive into raves and festivals.
“The world of electronic music is filled with high-energy gatherings, from intimate raves to large-scale music festivals,” says Tale of Rave, a site dedicated to EDM culture. “While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they represent distinctly different experiences in terms of size, atmosphere, production and culture.”
One of the most obvious differences, Tale of Rave says, is the scale of the event. Raves are typically smaller, underground events that take place in “unconventional or hidden” locations such as abandoned buildings, basements or forests. They are often minimalistic, relying on simple lighting, smoke machines and lasers.
Festivals are large-scale productions that take place over several days at well-established venues, bringing in thousands of people. Festival sets often include elaborate production with massive LED screens, pyrotechnics, laser shows and fireworks.
Raves and festivals also differ in the types of music. As Tale of Rave puts it, “If you’re into raw, underground beats, raves are for you. If you want variety, big names and chart-topping hits, festivals are the better choice.”
Overall, raves are built around an underground, community-driven culture, Tale of Rave says. Many attendees are regulars in the community who follow specific genres or DJ collectives.
Festivals are much more mainstream, with a diverse crowd from hardcore EDM fans to influencers, casual music fans and more. The events are about more than just music, focusing also on entertainment and high production value.
Tomorrowland in Belgium has become one of the best-known EDM festivals in the world, bringing in more than 400,000 people in 2025.
In the United States, popular festivals include Ultra Music Festival in Miami and Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.
Tickets for Ultra Miami 2026, which is scheduled for March 27, 28 and 29, will start at $349.95 for three-day general admission. The lineup has yet to be announced, but the 2025 festival featured major headliners including Subtronics, Zedd and Martin Garrix.
HiJinx and Breakaway Music Festival in Philadelphia are a couple of popular EDM festival options a bit closer to home, with starting ticket prices ranging from $160 to $219.50.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What is EDM? Learn about its subgenres and massive music festivals
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