What are the new music trends in 2026?
Discover six must-know music trends for 2026.
Soundtracking is just as important for ads and filmmaking as it is for social media or small-scale, personal projects. Whatever your budget and aspirations, whether you’re a solo creator or part of an in-house team, music makes your content sing.
Discover six music trends for 2026 below.
- PluggnB will take the mainstream by storm
- The music industry will become more eco-conscious
- Technology will make space for organic sounds
- Afrofuturism will pop off
- Rock wasn’t dead — it was sleeping
- The post-genre era is now
1. PluggnB will take the mainstream by storm
It would be strange if a microgenre didn’t ruffle the mainstream’s feathers at one point or another. Just look at how far hyperpop’s grown thanks to Charli XCX, or the impact Stranger Things had on synthwave. The weirder and more specific, the bigger the splash seems to be.
And what’s more specific than pluggnB? Combining plugg — a laid-back, dreamy trap subgenre — with ‘90s R&B, the nanogenre’s been embraced by the likes of Lil Uzi Vert in recent years. Music producers and content creators have shown genuine interest in this niche-of-a-niche style, shining a light on Epidemic Sound tracks like Witchitaw Slim’s Thrilla.
2. The music industry will become more eco-conscious
Climate change and sustainability are now too big, too important to ignore. In 2026, artists and festivals may push for more environmentally friendly touring. Solar-powered stages, carbon-offset shows, biodegradable merch, and more are all on the table.
Massive bands like Coldplay have done this stuff for years. If Chris Martin and co. are putting the work in, it’s only a matter of time before smaller acts catch up. With younger audiences more strongly aligned with environmental ethics, this could become a real differentiator for artists going forward.
3. Technology will make space for organic sounds
AI. Artificial intelligence. What was once reserved for sci-fi movies is now part of everyday life. Paired with after-effects born from the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising popularity of ultra-processed, shiny pop bangers, some audiences crave organic music. Real instruments, stirring storytelling, and a sense of grounded, authentic minimalism represent the other side of the coin.
According to Spotify, emotional and alternative pop really resonated with listeners in 2025. These are softer, more human sounds that ground us. But that doesn’t mean they’re lightweight or less-than — this music’s perfect for everything from behind-the-scenes to get-ready-with-me videos, branded campaigns to nature documentaries.
If you’re looking for best-in-class examples, try Epidemic Sound’s Kylie Dailey and Hennie Hun.
4. Afrofuturism will pop off
As a broad concept, Afrofuturism’s been around for decades. The intersection between Black culture and futuristic vibes has long been home to some of the most innovative, exciting works of modern-day art.
Everything from Octavia Butler to Beyoncé, Black Panther to FKA Twigs falls under the Afrofuturist banner. It’s truly transmedium, and as AI becomes more commonplace, there’s so much material and inspiration to bounce around.
In particular, we’ve seen a bump in Afrofuturist music, blending traditional African instrumentation with slick, electronic-based production. This trend came to a head in mid-2025, when Grammy-winning artist Honey Dijon remixed Umbélé: an Epidemic Sound track by Ebo Krdum and Ooyy.
5: Rock wasn’t dead — it was sleeping
Rock music’s not had serious mainstream currency since the ‘90s nu-metal boom. That particular sub-genre’s bounced back in 2025, bringing everyone’s Adidas tracksuits and red caps back out of the closet. Bands like Deftones, Limp Bizkit, and Korn aren’t just nostalgia acts — they’re bigger than ever, finding a whole new audience on TikTok.
Bold fashion choices and sing-along riffs aside, nu metal’s second wind renewed interest in rock music overall. Pollstar lists rock and metal in the year’s highest-grossing tours worldwide, while Disney’s Alien: Earth landed syncs for Tool, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and more.
Younger audiences find this music refreshing because, like the organic sounds we discussed earlier, it’s real. Want some livewire guitars and rough, rowdy vocals for your content? Try Dissidence’s Fix My Head.
6: The post-genre era is now
Genre is now a line often respected and more often crossed. Collabs, remixes, streaming, AI — it’s all led to a bleeding of borders, a softening of factions. Analog and artificial work in concert, complementing wherever the other lacks.
And it’s exciting. Tracks from the Epidemic Sound catalog, like T-Shirts & Sweats’ Reason, show just how seamless this once-unnatural genre-blurring is. Your playlist, your vlog, your branded assets don’t need to be soundtracked by genre — they can follow the feeling.
Find the perfect soundtrack for every music trend in 2026 and beyond with Epidemic Sound. The catalog’s bursting with more than 50,000 world-class tracks, covering everything from dubstep to J-pop, Bossa Nova to ambient house.
And if you’re a business looking to take your content to the next level? Check out Epidemic Sound’s Business plan, or see if the bespoke Enterprise solution is the right fit.
Unlock a rich catalog of music and sound effects, supercharge your team’s workflow with AI-powered soundtracking tools, and keep your content cleared forever. Plus, you can secure licensing safety for influencers or third parties with whom you collaborate.
Regardless of platform and media switch-ups in the future, your content is safe. What you publish during an active subscription is licensed forever, even if you choose to leave Epidemic Sound.
Everyone from Levi’s to Warner Bros. Discovery, BuzzFeed to the Miami Dolphins, trusts Epidemic Sound to be their soundtracking platform.
Don’t risk your business with a risky license. Enjoy full coverage and soundtrack your brand, your way. Join Epidemic Sound.
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