Popular music of the United States in the 1980s saw heavy metal, country music, Top 40 hits, hip hop, MTV, CMJ, and new wave as mainstream. Punk rock and hardcore punk was popular on CMJ. With the demise of punk rock, a new generation of punk-influenced genres arose, including Gothic rock, post-punk, alternative rock, emo and thrash metal. Hip hop underwent its first diversification, with Miami bass, Chicago hip house, Washington, D.C. go-go, Detroit ghettotech, Los Angeles G-funk and the "golden age of old school hip hop" in New York City. House music developed in Chicago, techno music developed in Detroit which also saw the flowering of the Detroit Sound in gospel. This helped inspire the greatest crossover success of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM), as well as the Miami Sound of Cuban pop.

Pop

The 1980s saw the reinvention of Michael Jackson and the emergence and superstardom of Prince, Madonna and Whitney Houston. Their videos became a permanent fixture on MTV. In 1983 Michael Jackson became the first African American artist to be placed in heavy rotation on MTV, with his videos for Billie Jean, and Beat It. Donna Summer also had the first two videos She Works Hard for the Money and Unconditional Love, by an African American female artist in 1983. Michael Jackson's Thriller album from 1982 is considered to be the best-selling album of all time; it set a record and sold 20 million copies during the decade. His other album of the decade, 1987's Bad, sold 6 million, and became the first album to have 5 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Jackson scored 9 #1 singles and 16 top 10 singles on the Billboard charts. Madonna scored 7 #1 singles, and 16 top 5 singles, and 17 top 10 singles. Whitney Houston is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, from "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985 to "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain spent six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200.

By 1980, the disco production of the 1970s, largely dependent on orchestras, is replaced by a lighter synthpop production. In the second half of the 1980s teen pop has its first wave. Bands and artists include New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, New Edition, Stacey Q, The Bangles, Madonna and others.

Prominent American urban pop acts of the 1980s include Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Donna Summer and Diana Ross.

Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Hall and Oates, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp, Bon Jovi, Prince, Kool & the Gang, the Pointer Sisters and Kenny Rogers were among the most successful artists on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. Prince was the top charting artist with 378 weeks on the pop charts, and Billy Joel was the top selling, he sold over 35 million albums.

Many British pop bands dominated the American charts in the early 1980s. Their popularity was helped by exposure on MTV, these bands included the Human League, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Wham!, also George Michael as a solo artist, Fine Young Cannibals, Rick Astley and Terence Trent D'Arby.

Canadian artist such as Bryan Adams, Anne Murray, Loverboy and Glass Tiger found chart success during the decade.

Smooth Jazz gained popularity during the decade with successful acts such as Sade, Kenny G.

Rock

Hard rock and heavy / glam metal Beginning in 1983 and peaking in success in 1986–1989, the decade saw the resurgence of hard rock music and the emergence of its glam metal subgenre. Bands such as Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, Europe, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and Cinderella were among the most popular acts of the decade. The 1980s saw the emergence of wildly popular hard rock band Guns N' Roses and the successful comebacks of Aerosmith and Alice Cooper in the late 1980s. The success of hard rock act Van Halen spanned throughout the entire decade, first with singer David Lee Roth and later with Sammy Hagar. Queen, which had expanded its music to experimental and crossover genres in the early 1980s, returned to guitar-driven hard rock with The Miracle in 1989. Additionally, a few women managed to achieve stardom in the 1980s' hard rock scene: Pat Benatar and Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, who had been around since the 1970s, is a prime example of female success in hard rock, and so are both ex-Runaways Joan Jett and Lita Ford.

The Arena rock trend of the 1970s continued in the 1980s with bands like Styx, Toto, Rush, Journey, Boston, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Van Halen, and Aerosmith which were popular into the early 1980s, with glam metal taking their place later.

Traditionally associated (and often confused) with Hard rock, heavy metal was also extremely popular throughout the decade, with Ozzy Osbourne achieving success during his solo career; bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Dio were also widely popular North American acts. Speed metal pioneer Motörhead maintained its popularity through the releases of several albums. Underground scenes produced an array of more extreme, aggressive Metal subgenres: thrash metal broke into the mainstream with bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth, while other styles like death metal and black metal remaining subcultural phenomena.

The decade also saw the emergence of a string of guitar virtuosi, influenced by guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen; Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen achieved international recognition for their skills. While considerably less numerous, bass guitar virtuosi also gained momentum in the 1980s : Billy Sheehan (of David Lee Roth and Mr. Big fame), Cliff Burton (of Metallica) and alternative/funk metal bassist Les Claypool (of Primus fame) became famous during that period.

Both hard rock and heavy metal were extremely popular live genres and bands toured extensively around the globe.

Alternative rock

Alternative rock and punk groups from the 1970s like Ramones and Talking Heads, as well as solo performers like Patti Smith and Tom Waits, grew their audiences significantly the early years of the 1980s. By 1984, a majority of groups signed to independent record labels were mining from a variety of rock and particularly 1960s rock influences. This represented a sharp break from the futuristic, hyper rational post-punk years.Reynolds, p. 392-93.

Throughout the 1980s, alternative rock was mainly an underground phenomena. While on occasion a song would become a commercial hit or albums would receive critical praise in mainstream publications like Rolling Stone, alternative rock in the 1980s was primarily relegated to independent record labels, fanzines, and college radio stations. Alternative bands built underground followings by touring constantly and regularly releasing low-budget albums. In the case of the United States, new bands would form in the wake of previous bands, which created an extensive underground circuit in America, filled with different scenes in various parts of the country.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "[ American Alternative Rock/Post-Punk]". Allmusic. Retrieved May 20, 2006. Although American alternative artists of the 1980s never generated spectacular album sales, they exerted a considerable influence on later alternative musicians and laid the groundwork for their success.Azerrad (2001), p. 3-5.

Early American alternative bands such as R.E.M., The Feelies, and Violent Femmes combined punk influences with folk music and mainstream music influences. R.E.M. was the most immediately successful; its debut album, Murmur (1983), entered the Top 40 and spawned a number of jangle pop followers.

American indie record labels SST Records, Twin/Tone Records, Touch and Go Records, and Dischord Records presided over the shift from the hardcore punk that then dominated the American underground scene to the more diverse styles of alternative rock that were emerging. Minnesota bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements were indicative of this shift. Both started out as punk rock bands, but soon diversified their sounds and became more melodic.

By the late 1980s, the American alternative scene was dominated by styles ranging from quirky alternative pop (They Might Be Giants and Camper Van Beethoven), to noise rock (Sonic Youth, Big Black) to industrial rock (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails). These sounds were in turn followed by the advent of Boston's the Pixies and Los Angeles' Jane's Addiction.

The top mainstream American Alternative Rock bands of 1980s included Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, R.E.M., The Pixies, and Sonic Youth which were popular long before the Grunge movement of the early 1990s. Many alternative groups whose success peaked in the following decade started their careers in the 1980s, including The Flaming Lips, Nirvana, and Yo La Tengo.

Folk rock, roots rock

Rock singers and songwriters appeared including Heartland rockers such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, and folk rockers such as Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Stevie Nicks and Warren Zevon. Roots rocker John Fogerty had hit "Old Man Down the Road" in 1985. Punk rock artists such as Patti Smith and Paul Westerberg(The Replacements) were popular as singers and songwriters.

In the late 1980s, new history of female U.S. folk artists was beginning with Suzanne Vega whose first album sold unexpectedly well. And Tracy Chapman, Nanci Griffith, k.d. lang and Tori Amos followed Suzanne Vega.

Other trends Various older rock bands made a comeback, including The Beach Boys with "Kokomo", The Kinks with Come Dancing and "Do It Again", the Steve Miller Band with "Abracadabra", and Steely Dan with "Hey Nineteen". Bruce Springsteen released his blockbuster album Born In The U.S.A., while Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood sparked a revival of blues. However, Led Zeppelin disbanded after John Bonham's 1980 death. Linda Ronstadt who had been a huge contributor to the country rock & pop rock movement of the 70s, did 3 albums of American Standards, coaxing the great orchestrator Nelson Riddle out of retirement, to collaborate with.

Hardcore punk flourished throughout the early to mid-1980s, with bands leading the genre such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Suicidal Tendencies, amongst others.

Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B originated in the 1980s, when musicians started adding disco-like beats, high-tech production, and elements of hip hop, soul and funk to rhythm and blues, making it more danceable and modern. The top mainstream R&B artists of 1980s included Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, Jermaine Jackson, The Whispers, The S.O.S. Band, Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang, Yarbrough and Peoples, Smokey Robinson, Rick James, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dazz Band, Evelyn King, Marvin Gaye, Mtume, DeBarge, Midnight Star, Karyn White and Freddie Jackson.

In the mid-1980s, many of the recordings by artists Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, Sade, Anita Baker, Teddy Pendergrass, Peabo Bryson and others became known as quiet storm. The term had originated with Smokey Robinson's 1975 album A Quiet Storm. Quiet storm has been described as "R&B's answer to soft rock and adult contemporary—while it was primarily intended for black audiences, quiet storm had the same understated dynamics, relaxed tempos and rhythms, and romantic sentiment."