Six Most Cringe-Inducing Genres

Just let it die.

Genres can be handy organizational tools. Without them, we would have to resort to long-winded explanations of every artists or unwarranted comparisons to similar acts. But as genres become more specific, they often become more ridiculous. Here are the six most cringe-inducing genres. Feel free to let us know which ones rub you wrong in our comments below.

6. Ska-Core

As far as I can tell (meaning I did not look this up on Wikipedia), the phrase ska-core was definitively coined by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones on its Ska-core, The Devil, and More EP. If Bosstones popularized the term, the group certainly was not the first or last to fit the description. Bad Brains blended elements of ska and hardcore many years prior, and current ska bands from Streetlight Manifesto to Goldfinger dilly dally in the circle pit. But ska-core seemingly died around the time of third-wave ska's late nineties peak, when most bands who could have identified with the genre went for the further reaching ska-punk.

5. New Rave

New rave is to NME as Valentine's Day is to Hallmark. It has its legitimacy - new wave groups, generally from the UK who draw inspiration from house music - but it is mostly a branding and marketing tool. The term was seemingly invented to describe The Klaxons and was later applied to New Young Pony Club and Late Of The Pier. Naturally, every one of these bands despises the phrase new rave. It's a sure sign that a genre sucks when it includes only a handful of artists and the mere mention of the genre makes each band cringe.

4. Folktronica

To understand folktronica, reread the new rave paragraph above and make the following substitutions: swap out "new rave" with "folktronica," "NME" with "Pitchfork," "new wave groups" with "electronic artists," "house" with "folk," and "The Klaxons, New Young Pony Club, and Late Of The Pier" with "Four Tet, Caribou, and Tunng."