Current Events > why does the idea of a sub-genre of music upset normies so much?

(+) Yeah! (+)

just saying post-rock is enough for a normie to scream "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" or call it pretentious or they come up with a joke to try to be funny. Midwest Emo, folk punk, shadow rap, Synth Pop
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Wtf is shadow rap?

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People are afraid of what they dont know

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because its confusing. genres are meant to be handy shortcuts to let you know what the music is gon sound like. so if it cant do that, it aint doing its job.

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Midwest emo? The fuck

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BottomAssButt posted...

because its confusing. genres are meant to be handy shortcuts to let you know what the music is gon sound like. so if it cant do that, it aint doing its job.

Yeah, too many nerds will nitpick the nuances of sub-genres rather than just discuss the music.

Like you try and talk about your favorite experimental symphonic black metal and some nerd is like, well ackshully, thats considered more avant garde melodic death metal you poser

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BottomAssButt posted...

because its confusing. genres are meant to be handy shortcuts to let you know what the music is gon sound like. so if it cant do that, it aint doing its job.

The point of genres are to describe music, having more specific terms is a good thing.

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Nothing wrong with subgenres, but when you've got one with so many labels that you're effectively describing a single band and maybe a second band you saw in a basement once, then at that point you are just being pretentious.

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Idk. Even though there are a lot of subgenres out there, if i like one, it makes it very easy to keep finding that exact sound without much guesswork.

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BottomAssButt posted...

because its confusing. genres are meant to be handy shortcuts to let you know what the music is gon sound like. so if it cant do that, it aint doing its job.

Metal and rock can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, so it helps to get a little more specific

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Panthera posted...

The point of genres are to describe music, having more specific terms is a good thing.

Sure but there's like 50+ subgenres of metal. Theres a line where it just gets ridiculous.

Meanwhile sub genres can get so specific and obscure that 99% of people have never heard of half of them anyways so describing it by the sub genre is useless.

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BottomAssButt posted...

because its confusing. genres are meant to be handy shortcuts to let you know what the music is gon sound like. so if it cant do that, it aint doing its job.

But the purpose of subgenres is to do exactly that though! Like, Im a big fan of black metal, but I know to avoid stuff considered symphonic black metal because thats not my preferred style and feel that it often misses the essence of what makes other black metal subgenres so appealing to me.

It is natural for things to become more niche the further you dig and the more invested you become in something, and while I do occasionally think subgenres get needlessly convoluted, its the exception to the norm. I think you would be surprised at how useful some of these terms can be for an avid music collector, including all of the terms OP listed (with the possible exception of shadow rap, which I am unfamiliar with)

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CanuckCowboy posted...

Sure but there's like 50+ subgenres of metal. Theres a line where it just gets ridiculous.

Meanwhile sub genres can get so specific and obscure that 99% of people have never heard of half of them anyways so describing it by the sub genre is useless.

The existence of people who aren't interested in something isn't a reason for the people who are to give up on being able to quickly and clearly communicate with each other

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why do i need to care about screamo vs midwest emo though?
why do i need to care about mumble rap vs cloud rap?
does it matter if it's black metal or blackened death metal?

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The Trent posted...

why do i need to care about screamo vs midwest emo though?
why do i need to care about mumble rap vs cloud rap?
does it matter if it's black metal or blackened death metal?

All these things sound very different so if youre looking for one specifically the tags make sense

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When people in real life ask me what kinda music I'm into I usually just say "various sub-genres of punk and metal" because most people have never heard of a lot of the stuff I like.
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Panthera posted...

The existence of people who aren't interested in something isn't a reason for the people who are to give up on being able to quickly and clearly communicate with each other

I didnt say it was. You said the value in it is that it describes the music, but it doesn't really do that when the vast majority of people don't know what it even means.

I fucking love metal and listen to a lot of different kinds... there's still 2 or 3 dozen sub genres that are just words to me.

Also some are so close that even the most diehard people can't agree on which sub genre a band most accurately fits into.

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It can definitely get a little pedantic though, especially when a single subgenre evolves over time such that an early band from that scene sounds nothing like a newer band from that scene. Midwest emo is a great example. Cap'n Jazz and The Promise Ring are considered midwest emo but they don't really sound much like newer bands, like Oso Oso or Marietta.

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Try_Another___ posted...

Cap'n Jazz and The Promise Ring

aw
now i remember being 17 all over again

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Its gotten to a point with you people that each song is its own unique subgenre. Enough is enough.

Like I have no issue with there being a multitude of sub genres but in some circles its definitely just gotten to be pretentious and kinda silly.

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normies by definition are confused and upset by anything but the most mainstream and simple. thats what makes them normies.

sub genres are great

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"But how can there be post-punk if there's still punk?"

Wait until they find out about post-punk revival.

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what does normies even mean in the topic title
people who don't like super compartmentalization and genrelization of music?

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CanuckCowboy posted...

I didnt say it was. You said the value in it is that it describes the music, but it doesn't really do that when the vast majority of people don't know what it even means.

The point is that not everything needs to be catered purely to the majority even when they don't have any interest in the subject. Various super specific sub genres are useful to the people actually into those kinds of music, they don't need to be immediately understandable to every person on the planet. The only way to have genre labels only be used when they are known to everyone is to have them be so vague as to be largely useless.

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The Trent posted...

why do i need to care about screamo vs midwest emo though?
why do i need to care about mumble rap vs cloud rap?
does it matter if it's black metal or blackened death metal?

you dont personally need to care, but that doesnt stop others who find it useful from caring

if people are getting mad at you for mixing them up thats obnoxious, but it doesnt suddenly invalidate the genres usefulness for others


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I feel like people can find usefulness or care about sub genres of music without being pretentious about it.
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i dont get mad at that stuff. they're not meant for me, so no sense in getting all in a huff if i don't recognize a sub genre or find it cumbersome to say

heavy metal is pretty much all i listen to and i very rarely categorize it in a more refined way

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