No genre is born alone.

This is a map of how musical genres relate — who descends from whom, who grew up alongside whom, who influenced whom, and which genres are fusions of others. Click any node to see its story, its music, and the sources behind every claim. The web currently traces 23 genres of American music, from West African roots to rock 'n' roll; new branches are added as data, not code.

How to read the web

Solid amber arrows mark direct descent (Chicago blues is a child of Delta blues). Dashed blue lines connect siblings — genres of the same era and communities, like blues, country and gospel, split apart more by record-company marketing than by sound. Dotted teal arrows mark influence without descent, and pink arrows mark fusions. Diamonds are historical events that bent the music's path. Faded lines mean the connection is disputed or legendary — and labeled as such on the node's page.

Prefer a chronological reading? See the timeline, or browse all nodes as text.