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Breakbeat (breakbeats or breaks), are a collection of sub-genres of electronic music, chiefly exemplified by drum and bass and jungle, usually characterized by a non-straighted 4/4 drum pattern (as opposed to the steady beat of house or trance). These rhythms may be characterised by their use of syncopation and polyrhythms, which are prominent in all music of African origin, including much Afro-American music. Much breakbeat based music proceeds from the sampled drum parts of old funk and jazz records, see break. In recent times, the term breakbeat has become synonymous for many with the genre of breaks music (sometimes known as nu skool breaks), which has become very popular within the global dance music scene, with DJs from a variety of genres, such as house and techno, working breaks tracks into their sets. This may occur because the tempo of breaks tracks (ranging from 115 to 150 beats per minute) means they can be readily mixed with these genres, whereas the comparatively fast speed of jungle and drum and bass (165-180 bpm) may have restricted the utility of these subgenres to DJs playing slower-tempo music. Breakbeat (or funky breakbeat) may also refer to the music of bands such as Breakestra, who play funk and soul music with an emphasis on the elements that would become popular in hip-hop and later breaks-based music.

Drum n Bass
As Jungle's popularity expanded up through the early 90s, what started as one sound in expanded and fractured off into specialized sub-genres, and a new umbrella term was created to encompass Jump-Up, Hard Step, Tech-Step, Hardcore/Happy Hardcore, Ragga, Darkside, Ambient/Intelligent and the other variations on Jungle: the new term was "Drum & Bass." The music it describes is often still called Jungle, though those in the know claim that Jungle is the more classic form, where as the various sounds of Drum & Bass continue changing and expanding right up to today. To add to the confusion, the name Drum & Bass itself has as many forms as the music - it can be and has been written Drum and Bass, Drum 'n' Bass, Drum 'N Bass, and Drum & Bass!

Electro
Electronica is a rather ambiguous term that covers a wide range of electronic or electronic-influenced music. The term has been defined by some to mean modern electronic music that is not necessarily designed for the dance-floor, but rather for home listening. The origins of the term are murky, although it appears to have been coined by British music paper Melody Maker in the mid-1990s, originally to describe the electronic rock band Republica. The term subsequently gained a life of its own, and became popular in the United States as a means of referring to the then-novel mainstream success of post-Rave global electronic dance music. Prior to the adoption of "electronica" as a blanket term for more experimental dance music, terms such as electronic listening music, braindance and intelligent dance music (IDM) were common. In the mid-1990s electronica began to be used by MTV and major record labels to describe mainstream electronic dance music made by such artists as The Chemical Brothers (who had previously been described as big beat) and The Prodigy, although even at this stage it was not a particularly incisive term. It is currently used to describe a wide variety of musical acts and styles, linked by a penchant for overtly electronic production; a range which includes commercial chart acts such as Björk, Goldfrapp and Daniel Bedingfield, glitchy experimental artists such as Autechre and Boards of Canada, to dub-oriented downtempo, downbeat, and trip-hop.

Garage/RnB/Hip Hop/Urban
An offshoot of House that originated in New York upon the closing of Larry Levan's Paradise Garage in 1987 by artists like Junior Vasquez, Tony Humphries, Masters at Work, and Roger Sanchez who perfected laying diva vocals over a rawer faster form of deep house.
Happy Hardcore
Blow your whistles...... Happy hardcore is a form of dance music typified by a very fast BPM (usually around 165-180), female vocals, and saccharine lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of breakbeat hardcore, which tend to be darker. It often has piano samples and spacey effects. This genre of music is closely related to the typically Dutch genre of Gabba. Happy hardcore evolved from rave music around 1991–1993, as the original house music-based rave became faster and began to include breakbeats, evolving into breakbeat hardcore. In the UK, happy hardcore was at its peak between 1994 and 1997. In the more current past Happy Hardcore has made a large re-emergence into the mainstream, more specifically it has received coverage in Mixmag. It has spawned various new record labels in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Japan and continues to grow in popularity.

Hard House/Trance
Hard House is generally a harder and faster version of house music. Heavily influenced by trance and very similar.

House
Defined by four-four beats, rasping hi-hats, artificial hand claps, bass loops and drum rolls, House drew inspiration from jazz, rap, soul, R&B, Synth Pop, and Dub Reggae.
Jazz


Jungle
To understand one of the most innovative forms of dance music, you need to go back to the late 80s/early 1990s rave scene in the UK, when the repetitive banging of acid house and techno gave way to hardcore breakbeat techno. Jungle sped up breakbeats to 200 beats per minute and added ragga vocals from the Caribbean and heavy bassline.
Live Music/Indie/Rock

Old Skool
For electronic music fans, Oldskool (with a 'K', one word) is now a popular term that usually refers to a style of music popular in the early 1990s, which was at the time called breakbeat hardcore or rave. The style fragmented in the mid 1990s but the 'cheezy' Old Skool roots and even direct samples are easily found in many Happy Hardcore genre tracks as well as in other genres that share a common link with breakbeat hardcore.

Popular/Commercial Dance
Dance music is just that and is often associated with more commercial house music.
Tech House .

Trance
Spiritual and overpowering at times, Trance is manifesting itself as the most popular form of dance music, from the underground raves where it was born to giant mega clubs where it is played today. The term "Trance" has evolved into an umbrella term to cover many types of beat-driven electronically generated dance music. The best way to truly understand trance is to dance to it.