Dozens of major rock acts dabbled in dance during the '80s and '90s, influenced indirectly by the times and the technology or directly by the funk, Philly soul, and disco that had ruled the R&B roost during the '70s. The genesis for dance-rock was the mid-'70s, when the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, and Queen all flirted (at one time or another) with the simpler rhythms and heavy groove of funk and disco. Then, influenced by varied sources (including most of the above), many of the biggest alternative crossover acts of the '80s — Duran Duran, INXS, Pet Shop Boys, ABC, Eurythmics, the B-52's, Depeche Mode, New Order — fused dance and rock in some manner. They may have relied on keyboards and drum machines or used the standard guitar-bass-drums format of most rock bands, but they were performing many songs in a way that was perfectly primed for the dancefloor, with simple, heavily repetitive choruses or hooks, more reliance on the low end than usual (sometimes even leaving the guitars in the background), and a habit for releasing white-label 12" singles with even more danceable remixes on the B-side. The reinvention of U2 on 1991's Achtung Baby was a pivotal moment for dance-rock, happening late in the game but showing that even the biggest young band in the world had an eye on the dancefloor (especially so, considering U2 had spent much of the '80s far away from dance). Dance-rock embraced a large group of artists, everything from the deconstructivist funk of A Certain Ratio and Gang of Four to the heavy pop slant of Robert Palmer or Hall & Oates. It was also very long-lived, gathering additional influences from the electronic dance revolution of the late '80s, and showing up in the work of commercial acts like Garbage, No Doubt, Robbie Williams, and Scissor Sisters.
source:allmusic

Teen Pop is essentially dance-pop, pop, and urban ballads that are marketed to teens. Often, it's performed by teens, as well. Of course, music made for teenagers has been around since the dawn of the modern recording industry, from the bobby-socked girls that swooned for Sinatra to the legions of fans of Fabian or the Bay City Rollers, but teen pop is the teen music made during the late '80s and '90s. It had its first great flourish in the last years of the decade, as Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and New Kids on the Block rode to stardom on their lite, catchy, commercial dance-pop tunes and adult contemporary ballads. NKOTB, in particular, set the template for the genre, as they name-dropped hip urban trends while remaining completely wholesome and cutely commercial. During the first two years of the '90s, teen pop dominated American charts, but once Nirvana crossed over into the mainstream, it was done for. At least, that's how it appeared. In reality, it went underground and across the sea, where Take That ruled the U.K. charts with records that were equal parts NKOTB and George Michael. They had a few peers that remained British sensations, but Take That were the undisputed kings of teen pop. Just as they were on the brink of American success with their 1994 single "Back for Good," they imploded, just as British teens became fascinated with Brit-pop, the U.K. equivalent of the grunge revolution. For a brief time, there was no teen pop on either side of the Atlantic, but that all changed once the Spice Girls released their debut single, "Wannabe" in the summer of 1996. A photogenic, cleverly-marketed five-piece, the Spice Girls were sensations throughout the U.K., and spread like wildfire in the U.S. in 1997. Their success opened the doors for a wave of teen pop that was stronger than that in the late '80s. Hanson was the first out of the gate in 1997 with their spruced-up oldies rock, and then the Backstreet Boys eclipsed all of their peers during 1998 with a string of hit singles. Others followed in their shadow, whether it was the very similar 'N Sync or the Spice Girls-styled All Saints. In 1999, teen pop showed no signs of decline, as it produced a new trend -- the pop Lolita. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera weren't out of their teens, but they strutted like Madonna in her prime and had music that was nearly as suggestive. Both Spears and Aguilera sold millions of records, just like the Backstreets and 'N Sync, proving that it wasn't just teenage girls buying teen pop in the late '90s, arguably the style's golden era.
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Alternative Dance marries the underground sensibility and melodic song structure of alternative and indie rock with the electronic beats, synths and/or samples, and club orientation of post-disco dance music. While many pop-based alternative artists have experimented with dance and/or electronic music over the years, alternative dance goes a step beyond flirtation, drawing on club culture for inspiration and making it an indispensable part of the overall sound. Although alternative dance music doesn't seem out of place at a dance club, it also works just as effectively outside of that environment, because of its pop accessibility and willingness to incorporate other styles of music. Those qualities put a more human face on alternative dance, as opposed to the more mechanized feel of much standard club/dance music; as a result, the performers are much more closely identified with their music, which often possesses a signature style, texture, or fusion of specific musical elements. Many alternative dance artists are British, owing to the greater prominence of the U.K.'s club and rave scenes in underground musical culture — their creative fertility helped stimulate more musical experimentation. New Order was the first alternative dance group, pioneering the style with their 1982-83 recordings, which fused icy, gloomy post-punk with Kraftwerk-style synth-pop. In addition to alternative rock, alternative dance was most heavily influenced by synth-pop, acid house, and trip-hop; each of those movements helped spawn a corresponding cachet of alternative dance artists, and had a major impact on Britain's late-'80s Madchester scene, as well as the pop crossover success of several indie-oriented trip-hop artists during the '90s.
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Often growing in tandem with contemporary styles like electro and house, Freestyle emerged in the twin Latin capitals of New York City and Miami during the early '80s. Freestyle classics like "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, "Let the Music Play" by Shannon, and "Party Your Body" by Stevie B relied on angular, synthesized beats similar to electro and early house, but also emphasized the romantic themes of classic R&B and disco. The fusion of mechanical and sensual proved ready for crossover during the period, and both Shannon and Lisa Lisa hit the Top 40 during 1984-85. Freestyle also dovetailed nicely with the rise of dance pop during the mid-'80s — Madonna's early producer and remixer, John Benitez (aka Jellybean), was also active in the freestyle community. By the end of the decade, a number of artists — Exposé, Brenda K. Starr, Trinere, the Cover Girls, India, and Stevie B — followed them into the pop or R&B charts. Even after popular success waned in the late '80s, though, freestyle moved to the underground as a vital stream of modern dance music alongside house, techno, and bass music. Similar to mainstream house, freestyle artists are usually (though by no means exclusively) either female vocalists or male producers. Newer figures like Lil Suzy, George Lamond, Angelique, Johnny O, and others became big stars in the freestyle community.
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Named for what is arguably the birthplace of house music — the Paradise Garage in New York — Garage is the dance style closest in spirit and execution to the original disco music of the '70s. Favoring synthesizer runs and gospel vocals similar to house music but with even more polished and shimmering production values than house, garage has more of a soulful, organic feel. Though the style's led by producer/DJs (Todd Terry, Tony Humphries, Kerri Chandler) and production teams (Masters at Work, Blaze), vocalists who bring the soulful anthems to life (Ultra Naté, Dajae, Jocelyn Brown, and Loleatta Holloway, among many others) are much more important than in other forms of dance music.

During the early '80s, garage was originally centered in the New York metro area, mostly in Manhattan, but strong enough across state lines to later be dubbed the Jersey Sound as well. At that time, the early history of garage is practically synonomous with that of house music. It was only when Chicago house became popular around the world that New York's discofied garage emerged as a separate entity from house music in general. (Consequently, the sound that many Brits pointed to as an influence was Midwestern in origin.)

By no means forgotten, though, New York gained ascendance by the turn of the decade, with British producer Joey Negro showing garage influences through his Republic label. Spurred on by admiration from the U.K., a flock of fresh New York labels opened up during the late '80s and early '90s — Strictly Rhythm, King Street, Nervous, Perfect Pair, Freeze, Streetside. London's influential Ministry of Sound even tapped Tony Humphries for an exclusive deal to DJ for its club and produce for its accompanying label. By 1996, a British variant of garage had emerged, dubbed speed garage (and later 2-step) for its aggressive synthesis of drum'n'bass and ragga with the original garage sound.
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Rave is more of an event than a genre of music. Raves were underground parties where acid house and hardcore records were played and large quantities of drugs -- particularly ecstasy -- were consumed. Most of the music played at raves had a psychedelic quality, even before drugs became a major element of the scene. DJs played at the raves, mixing stacks of house and techno singles; the DJs, not the recording artists themselves, became the most recognizable names in the scene. Raves were primarily an English phenomenon during the late '80s and early '90s. They were conducted in large venues, particularly abandoned warehouses and open fields. Eventually, the British government became concerned that raves were a dangerous, antisocial phenomenon that had to be shut down, but the parties never disappeared, especially since word of the events were usually passed through word of mouth and handmade fliers. In the States, raves began to make some inroads in the early '90s, but they never gained a large audience, even by underground standards. Throughout the '90s, bands that were directly influenced by rave culture -- particularly "baggy" bands like the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and Charlatans; Britpop acts like Pulp and Oasis; and techno artists like the Prodigy -- made their way into the mainstream, and the culture continued to capture the attention of British youth into the late '90s.
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Club/Dance music comes in many different forms, from disco to hip-hop. Though there have been various dance crazes throughout the history of popular music, club/dance music became its own genre in the mid-'70s, as soul mutated into disco and whole clubs were devoted to dancing. In the late '70s, dance clubs played disco, but by the end of the decade, disco was mutating into a number of different genres. All of the genres were collected under the catch-all term "dance," though there were distinct differences between dance-pop, hip-hop, house, and techno, among other subgenres. What tied them all together was their emphasis on rhythm — in each dance subgenre, the beat remains all-important
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Euro-Dance refers to a specific style of club/dance music produced on the European continent during the '80s and '90s. Euro-Dance is generally informed by disco, hi-NRG, and house music, and performed entirely in the recording studio on synthesizers and drum machines; the producers are much more responsible for the finished product than the singers. Like its close relative Euro-Pop, it's usually simple, lightweight, and catchy, with fluffy, repetitive lyrics that don't require much translation among listeners who speak different languages. The main difference between Euro-Dance and Euro-Pop is the exclusive and pronounced dance-club orientation of the former; while Euro-Pop is frequently informed by dance music, it doesn't have to be, and when it is, it doesn't always fit into dance-club playlists. Most Euro-Dance artists concentrate on crafting hit singles, with album releases almost an afterthought
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The music played by a generation raised on jazz as well as funk and hip-hop, Acid Jazz used elements of all three. Its existence as a percussion-heavy, primarily live music placed it closer to jazz and Afro-Cuban than any other dance style, but its insistence on keeping the groove allied it with funk, hip-hop, and dance music. The term itself first appeared in 1988 as both a record label and the title of a compilation series that reissued jazz-funk music from the '70s — often called "rare groove" during a major mid-'80s resurgence. A variety of acid jazz artists emerged during the late '80s and early '90s, including either primarily live bands such as Stereo MC's, James Taylor Quartet, the Brand New Heavies, Groove Collective, Galliano, and Jamiroquai or studio projects like Palm Skin Productions, Mondo Grosso, Outside, and United Future Organization

Hi-NRG is a fast variation of disco that evolved in the '80s. Driven by a fast drum machine and synthesizers, Hi-NRG was essentially a dance-oriented music with only slight hints of pop. There would be a few hooks — generally sung by disembodied vocalists wailing in the background — but the emphasis of the music, like most dance music, was in the beat. Hi-NRG was a predecessor to techno and house, which drew from its beats in decidedly different ways. House had a funkier, soulful rhythm, while techno expanded with the mechanical beats of Hi-NRG.

Also known as urban contemporary, Urban was the term given to the R&B/soul music of the 1980s and '90s. Like quiet storm and Philly soul, both strong influences, urban was very smooth and polished, but while its romantic ballads fit well into quiet storm radio formats, urban also had room for uptempo, funky dance tracks, which usually boasted the same high-tech, radio-ready production and controlled yet soulful vocals. That's why, in spite of its name, urban didn't usually have the earthy grit associated with the term "soul music," preferring to tone down the raw emotion in favor of a slick refinement. Up until the late '80s, most urban music was highly pop-oriented, often in melody but nearly always in terms of production. A number of artists — like Janet Jackson, Billy Ocean, and Whitney Houston — crossed over from the R&B charts to the pop charts, although there were others like Freddie Jackson, Luther Vandross, Stephanie Mills, and Levert whose R&B popularity never translated quite the same way. The urban landscape began to shift with the advent of hip-hop; producer and Guy member Teddy Riley crafted a fusion of the two, inserted occasional rap breaks, and dubbed it new jack swing. New jack made a superstar of Bobby Brown and proved greatly beneficial to his ex-New Edition mates as well. In addition to Riley, songwriting/production duos whose work straddled pop and R&B — like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson), Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy (En Vogue), and Antonio "L.A." Reid & Babyface — dominated urban music at the turn of the decade, with Babyface going on to a hugely successful singing career in his own right. Urban and hip-hop continued to cross-pollinate during the early '90s, eventually resulting in a new hybrid tagged "hip-hop soul." Hip-hop soul was rooted in new jack swing, but the beats were funkier, more elastic and unpredictable; while hip-hop soul was still slickly produced, it had a grittier, more soulful feel than new jack. There was still a side of urban that retained roots in quiet storm and adult contemporary, though, and regardless of which side of the spectrum they fell on, the songs were increasingly becoming showpieces for elaborate vocal technique. Partly owing to the steep decline of mainstream pop/rock in the wake of alternative, urban more or less dominated the pop singles charts for the latter half of the '90s, with major acts including Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, R. Kelly, Boyz II Men, SWV, Blackstreet, Jodeci, Monica, and Brandy, among others.

Disco marked the dawn of the modern era of dance-based popular music. Growing out of the increasingly groove-oriented sound of early '70s and funk, disco emphasized the beat above anything else, even the singer and the song. Disco was named after discotheques, clubs that played nothing but music for dancing. Most of the discotheques were gay clubs in New York, and the DJs in these clubs specifically picked soul and funk records that had a strong, heavy groove. After being played in the disco, the records began receiving radio play and respectable sales. Soon, record companies and producers were cutting records created specifically for discos. Naturally, these records also had strong pop hooks, so they could have crossover success. Disco albums frequently didn't have many tracks — they had a handful of long songs that kept the beat going. Similarly, the singles were issued on 12-inch records, which allowed for extended remixes. DJs could mix these tracks together, matching the beats on each song since they were marked with how fast they were in terms of beats per minute. In no time, the insistent, pounding disco beat dominated the pop chart, and everyone cut a disco record, from rockers like the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart to pop acts like the Bee Gees and new wave artists like Blondie. There were disco artists that became stars — Donna Summer, Chic, the Village People, and KC & the Sunshine Band were brand names — but the music was primarily a producer's medium, since they created the tracks and wrote the songs. Disco lost momentum as the '70s became the '80s, but it didn't die — it mutated into a variety of different dance-based genres, ranging from dance-pop and hip-hop to house and techno

House music grew out of the post-disco dance club culture of the early '80s. After disco became popular, certain urban DJs — particularly those in gay communities — altered the music to make it less pop-oriented. The beat became more mechanical and the bass grooves became deeper, while elements of electronic synth pop, Latin soul, dub reggae, rap, and jazz were grafted over the music's insistent, unvarying four-four beat. Frequently, the music was purely instrumental and when there were vocalists, they were faceless female divas that often sang wordless melodies. By the late '80s, house had broken out of underground clubs in cities like Chicago, New York, and London, and had begun making inroads on the pop charts, particularly in England and Europe but later in America under the guise of artists like C+C Music Factory and Madonna. At the same time, house was breaking into the pop charts; it fragmented into a number of subgenres, including hip-house, ambient house, and most significantly, acid house (a subgenre of house with the instantly recognizable squelch of Roland's TB-303 bass-line generator). During the '90s, house ceased to be cutting-edge music, yet it remained popular in clubs throughout Europe and America. At the end of the decade, a new wave of progressive house artists including Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, and House of 909 brought the music back to critical quarters with praised full-length works.

Dance-Pop was an outgrowth of disco. Over a pounding, dance-club beat, there are simple, catchy melodies — dance-pop has more fully-formed songs than pure dance music. Dance-pop is primarily a producer's medium. The producer writes the songs and constructs the tracks, picking an appropriate vocalist to sing the song. These dance divas become stars, but frequently the artistic vision is the producer's. Naturally, there are some major exceptions — Madonna and Janet Jackson have had control over the sound and direction of their records — but dance-pop is music that is about image, not substance