Electronic dance music has surpassed alternative rock and indie genres in popularity. The TikTok platform reported this, citing its own statistics.
According to the platform, views of posts using electronic music as their soundtrack, including genres such as techno and house, have grown significantly over the past six months. Indie, alternative rock, rap, and hip-hop used to be the most popular genres on the platform; however, videos with such music now receive fewer views than videos with electronic music, the social network explained.
In 2024, the platform noted that more than 13 billion videos were tagged "electronic dance music" — 45% more than the previous year. TikTok noted that electronic dance music's popularity is growing faster than that of indie music, rap, and hip-hop. It looks like 2025 will surpass previous years.
Service representatives said electronic music is most often used as background music for sports and fitness videos, as well as fashion-themed videos. Electronic genres are also popular choices for travel-themed videos and videos on general topics.
Toyin Mustapha, responsible for TikTok's music catalog in the UK and Ireland, says dance music is becoming increasingly commercially successful on the platform. According to Mustapha, this applies not only to the short video service itself but also to the music market as a whole.
Notably, indie and hip-hop remain the most successful genres on the platform. Last year, for example, news of the imminent Oasis reunion significantly boosted the genres' performance. The hashtag #OasisReunion garnered over 100 million views in the first weeks after news of the Gallagher brothers' reunion broke.
Platform representatives have also noticed a growing interest in music from previous decades. Users are increasingly choosing Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor" (2001) and Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" (1984) as soundtracks for their videos, for example.
Interest in old music extends to lesser-known songs as well. Blood Orange's "Champagne Coast" (2011) was used in 1.1 million posts, and Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love" (1974) was used in 386,000. Pavement's "Harness Your Hopes" was used in 217,000 posts, making it the most-listened-to song in the band's catalog.
TikTok representatives noted that interest in retro music further increases artists' income. As dissatisfaction with streaming music services' rules and revenue distribution grows, the short video service could become an effective way for both established artists and aspiring musicians to monetize their creativity.
