New Wave Music History – New wave music is a broad subgenre of rock ‘n’ roll that combines elements of punk rock, mainstream pop music, art rock, synth pop, funk, and reggae. New wave bands largely emerged during the punk and post-punk eras of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but their influence prevailed throughout many decades of pop rock.
New wave is a genre of music that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It is considered a lighter and more melodic “broadening of punk culture” that usually includes the use of synthesizers.It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. Later, critical consensus favored “new wave” as an umbrella term involving many popular music styles of the era, including power pop, synth-pop, alternative dance, and specific forms of punk rock that were less abrasive. It may also be viewed as a more accessible counterpart of post-punk.