Top 10 Mexican Music Genres

Norteño music originated along the US-Mexico border in the late 1800s, heavily influenced by German and Czech polka rhythms brought by immigrant settlers in northeastern Mexico. The genre is built around the bajo sexto guitar and the accordion, often telling stories of border life, romance, and the hardships of migration. Legendary acts like Los Tigres del Norte have elevated norteño to a cultural phenomenon, selling over 35 million records worldwide.

Mariachi is Mexico's most internationally recognized musical tradition, inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011. A traditional mariachi ensemble includes violins, trumpets, a guitarron (bass guitar), vihuela, and guitar, performing at celebrations, serenades, and patriotic events. The annual International Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara draws over 700 ensembles and tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.

Corridos Tumbados (also called Trap Corridos) emerged in Sonora and Sinaloa around 2018, fusing traditional corrido storytelling with hip-hop trap beats, 808 basslines, and AutoTune vocals. Artists like Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, and Junior H brought the genre to mainstream prominence, with Peso Pluma's "Bzrp Music Session" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023. By 2024, the genre was among the fastest-growing in global streaming with a predominantly Gen Z fanbase.

Son Jarocho is an Afro-Mexican folk genre from the Veracruz coast, blending Spanish, indigenous, and African musical traditions into a vibrant, percussive style. Its most famous song, "La Bamba," was popularized globally by Ritchie Valens in 1958 and later by Los Lobos in 1987. The fandango tradition — a community gathering where Son Jarocho is played and danced through the night — is experiencing a revival among young Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

Cumbia arrived in Mexico from Colombia in the 1940s and was rapidly transformed into a distinctly Mexican style with accordion, electric guitar, and a slower, more syncopated rhythm than its Colombian ancestor. Mexican cumbia became the soundtrack of working-class urban neighborhoods and rural fiestas, with groups like Los Bukis and Grupo Limite reaching millions of fans across Latin America. In the 2020s, artists like Grupo Frontera modernized cumbia mexicana, bringing it back to the top of streaming charts.

Ranchera is one of Mexico's oldest and most emotionally resonant genres, rooted in 19th-century rural life and centered on themes of love, heartbreak, patriotism, and the land. The genre is closely associated with mariachi and was the vehicle through which iconic singers like Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Vicente Fernandez became national legends. Vicente Fernandez, who passed in 2021, sold over 50 million records throughout his career and remains Mexico's most celebrated ranchera singer.

Mexican Latin Pop encompasses a wide range of polished, radio-friendly pop music produced by Mexican artists, from the romantic ballads of Luis Miguel to the electro-pop of Belinda and the global crossover acts of the 2010s and 2020s. Mexico City serves as the Latin music industry's second-largest hub after Miami, with major labels, recording studios, and talent agencies concentrated in the capital. Artists like Kenia OS and Danna Paola have expanded the genre's reach into Gen Z audiences through TikTok and social media.

Tropical music in Mexico encompasses salsa, mambo, and danzón — all of which found enthusiastic Mexican audiences in the mid-20th century and were transformed by local musicians into distinctly Mexican styles. Veracruz and Mexico City became the epicenters of danzón culture, and the mambo craze led by Perez Prado (a Cuban who based himself in Mexico) put Mexican studios at the center of Latin music in the 1950s. Today, tropical music remains a staple of quinceañeras, weddings, and summer festivals across Mexico.

Mexican hip-hop emerged in border cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez in the late 1980s, as youth absorbed influences from US West Coast rap while rapping in Spanish about local realities. By the 2010s, artists like C-Kan, Gera MX, and Santa Fe Klan had built massive independent fan bases, with Santa Fe Klan amassing over 15 million Spotify monthly listeners by 2024. The genre often blends rap with regional Mexican elements, creating a hybrid sound sometimes called "corridos urbanos."

Norteño music originated along the US-Mexico border in the late 1800s, heavily influenced by German and Czech polka rhythms brought by immigrant settlers in northeastern Mexico. The genre is built around the bajo sexto guitar and the accordion, often telling stories of border life, romance, and the hardships of migration. Legendary acts like Los Tigres del Norte have elevated norteño to a cultural phenomenon, selling over 35 million records worldwide.

Mariachi is Mexico's most internationally recognized musical tradition, inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011. A traditional mariachi ensemble includes violins, trumpets, a guitarron (bass guitar), vihuela, and guitar, performing at celebrations, serenades, and patriotic events. The annual International Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara draws over 700 ensembles and tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.

Corridos Tumbados (also called Trap Corridos) emerged in Sonora and Sinaloa around 2018, fusing traditional corrido storytelling with hip-hop trap beats, 808 basslines, and AutoTune vocals. Artists like Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, and Junior H brought the genre to mainstream prominence, with Peso Pluma's "Bzrp Music Session" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023. By 2024, the genre was among the fastest-growing in global streaming with a predominantly Gen Z fanbase.

Son Jarocho is an Afro-Mexican folk genre from the Veracruz coast, blending Spanish, indigenous, and African musical traditions into a vibrant, percussive style. Its most famous song, "La Bamba," was popularized globally by Ritchie Valens in 1958 and later by Los Lobos in 1987. The fandango tradition — a community gathering where Son Jarocho is played and danced through the night — is experiencing a revival among young Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

Cumbia arrived in Mexico from Colombia in the 1940s and was rapidly transformed into a distinctly Mexican style with accordion, electric guitar, and a slower, more syncopated rhythm than its Colombian ancestor. Mexican cumbia became the soundtrack of working-class urban neighborhoods and rural fiestas, with groups like Los Bukis and Grupo Limite reaching millions of fans across Latin America. In the 2020s, artists like Grupo Frontera modernized cumbia mexicana, bringing it back to the top of streaming charts.

Ranchera is one of Mexico's oldest and most emotionally resonant genres, rooted in 19th-century rural life and centered on themes of love, heartbreak, patriotism, and the land. The genre is closely associated with mariachi and was the vehicle through which iconic singers like Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Vicente Fernandez became national legends. Vicente Fernandez, who passed in 2021, sold over 50 million records throughout his career and remains Mexico's most celebrated ranchera singer.

Mexican Latin Pop encompasses a wide range of polished, radio-friendly pop music produced by Mexican artists, from the romantic ballads of Luis Miguel to the electro-pop of Belinda and the global crossover acts of the 2010s and 2020s. Mexico City serves as the Latin music industry's second-largest hub after Miami, with major labels, recording studios, and talent agencies concentrated in the capital. Artists like Kenia OS and Danna Paola have expanded the genre's reach into Gen Z audiences through TikTok and social media.

Tropical music in Mexico encompasses salsa, mambo, and danzón — all of which found enthusiastic Mexican audiences in the mid-20th century and were transformed by local musicians into distinctly Mexican styles. Veracruz and Mexico City became the epicenters of danzón culture, and the mambo craze led by Perez Prado (a Cuban who based himself in Mexico) put Mexican studios at the center of Latin music in the 1950s. Today, tropical music remains a staple of quinceañeras, weddings, and summer festivals across Mexico.

Mexican hip-hop emerged in border cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez in the late 1980s, as youth absorbed influences from US West Coast rap while rapping in Spanish about local realities. By the 2010s, artists like C-Kan, Gera MX, and Santa Fe Klan had built massive independent fan bases, with Santa Fe Klan amassing over 15 million Spotify monthly listeners by 2024. The genre often blends rap with regional Mexican elements, creating a hybrid sound sometimes called "corridos urbanos."