Why liking multiple music genres isn’t a crime

In the age of the Internet and unlimited access to all things everywhere, it seems fitting that so many people dread the question, “What kind of music do you like?”

One genre isn’t enough to contain the TikTok ear worms, bedroom pop escapism ballads and metal songs shamelessly “Shazamed” in Home Depot. A typical Gen Zer’s “liked songs” Spotify playlist bounces across genres as fast as Katy Perry can sing “you’re hot then you’re cold.”

Genre hopping isn’t so much as looked down as it is frowned upon by people caught up in the current pop culture landscape of the Internet. If you’ve been tied up in any coffee shop small talk in the past three years, you know the dread of hearing someone explain how they like anything, just not country. That explanation tells you almost nothing about what that person does or doesn’t like, and it feels like a dig at the country music acts that aren’t the same truck driving, beer drinking slosh.

Or, you might find yourself on the opposite side of the conversation. Unable to explain the complex nuances of your music taste in a way that’s succinct and polite in coffee shop small talk, you turn to the age old phrase which, might be correct, but tends to yield a sigh and short nod in reply.

But it’s not wrong to like multiple genres, right?

No. And here’s why.

Take, for example, My Chemical Romance, a group with inspiration from all sorts of music genres, most of which clash completely. Looking at frontman Gerard Way’s solo work, there is clear influence of Britpop bands like Pulp in the music video for his song “No Shows.” The “No Shows” music video pulls inspiration from a couple of Pulp’s videos, mainly “Party Hard” and “Common People.” My Chemical Romance’s music videos also reference Britpop. “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” draws a clear parallel to Pulp’s video for their song “Mis-Shapes” in the outsiders vs. popular crowd plot lines.

You can also see the influence of classic punk music on the band, with the band citing and referencing the Misfits in their work. Not to mention the additional punk side projects that MCR guitarist Frank Iero has been involved with over the years.

All this to say, a band with a plethora of influences from across the board is one of the most popular rock bands of this generation. So, liking a variety of different genres can’t be so bad — just look at what they’ve made with all of those different influences.

If that’s not enough to convince you that your dirty secret of enjoying avant-garde jazz and goth music on the same playlist isn’t a sin, then how about Lady Gaga?

Variety claims that on Mayhem, Gaga’s latest album, the influences of each song range from David Bowie to Nine Inch Nails to Daft Punk. Some fans have even speculated that “Abracadabra” samples “Spellbound” by the notorious goth band Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Genres are just labels that we’ve given to things that sound roughly the same-ish. They are not an end-all-be-all for labeling music or classifying taste, and judging someone for listening to multiple genres is hypocritical. Even if you only listen to one or two genres, there’s bound to be at least one song outside of your usual taste that you secretly have stashed away on an unsuspecting playlist or mixtape.