- Source
- Google search interest, US web search, monthly, Jan 2004–Oct 2026.
- Setup
- three queries of five keywords each, all anchored on "pop music", so genres in different queries can be compared through the pop ratio.
- Annual figures
- means of the monthly index; 2026 covers January–October only.
We charted US Google search interest for 13 music genres every month since January 2004. Generic genre searches have fallen across the board in the streaming era: "rock music" is down 65% from 2004 and "punk rock" down 79%. Since 2021, though, the story reverses. "Rock music" searches are up 70%, "country music" 35% and "classical music" 44%. "Heavy metal" reached its highest level since 2004 in 2026, up 133% in five years. Hip-hop went the other way, down 25% since 2021 and 77% below its 2012 peak. The fastest riser was K-pop, which went from near zero in 2004 to an all-time high in 2025, the summer of KPop Demon Hunters. It now outsearches "pop music" more than 10 to 1.
Table: US search interest, annual averages (each genre's change)
| Genre | 2004 → 2026 | 2021 → 2026 | Peak year | Ratio to "pop music" 2004 → 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy metal | +18% | +133% | 2026 | 1.3x → 2.4x |
| R&B ("rnb") | +117% | +172% | 2026 | 0.2x → 0.7x |
| K-pop | ~+3,000% | +130% | 2025 | 0.2x → 10.7x |
| EDM | +515% | +70% | 2014 | 0.2x → 2.3x |
| Rock music | −65% | +70% | 2004 | 2.9x → 1.6x |
| Classical music | −62% | +44% | 2004 | 2.2x → 1.4x |
| Country music | −44% | +35% | 2005 | 4.1x → 3.7x |
| Punk rock | −79% | +34% | 2004 | 1.6x → 0.5x |
| Rap music | −80% | +9% | 2004 | 1.6x → 0.5x |
| Reggaeton | −57% | +1% | 2010 | 0.8x → 0.6x |
| Hip hop | −69% | −25% | 2012 | 8.7x → 4.3x |
| Pop music (anchor) | −37% to −39% | +66% to +92% | 2004 | 1.0x |
| Jazz* | −37% | +3% | 2004 | 14.8x → 15.3x |
\* "Jazz" includes searches for the NBA's Utah Jazz.
The rock ratio: In 2004, Americans searched "rock music" 2.9 times as often as "pop music". In 2026 it's 1.6 times, though rock has been gaining ground since its 2021 low.
What it means
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Method
- Source: Google search interest, US web search, monthly, Jan 2004–Oct 2026.
- Setup: three queries of five keywords each, all anchored on "pop music", so genres in different queries can be compared through the pop ratio.
- Annual figures: means of the monthly index; 2026 covers January–October only.
Cite and download
Free to use and cite with a link back to this page.
aisong.lol Research. (2026). Is rock dead? 22 years of genre search interest, charted. aisong.lol. https://aisong.lol/research/is-rock-dead-22-years-of-genre-search-interest-charted
Use this data. Every table in this study as one spreadsheet-ready file.
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