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new wave
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music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s through the 1980s
New wave is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s and remained popular through the 1980s, blending pop sensibilities with experimental sounds and attitudes. It matters because it represented a major cultural shift in popular music, introducing new approaches to songwriting, production, and image that influenced countless artists and genres that followed.
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- 1976-00-00
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- New wave music
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New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles that emerged in the United States and United Kingdom in the mid- to late 1970s. The term was initially synonymous with punk rock, but soon branched off into its own distinct style: a lighter and more melodic "broadening of punk culture", in contrast to the more atmospheric sounds of post-punk. Over time, new wave became a catch-all for several musical styles that emerged after the initial popularity of punk rock, such as synth-pop, power pop, and two-tone ska.
New wave commercially peaked from the late 1970s to mid-1980s with an abundance of one-hit wonders. In 1981, the MTV channel was launched, which heavily promoted and popularized new wave acts in the United States. Regional new wave scenes developed across Europe, particularly the Netherlands' ultra, Germany's Neue Deutsche Welle, Spain's La Movida Madrileña, France, Poland and Belgium's coldwave, as well as the Yugoslav new wave. Additionally, the movement inspired subgenres such as minimal wave and darkwave.