Adult contemporary music

Adult contemporary (AC) is a category of popular music catered to adult demographics, including record charts and radio formats that are focused on such music.

The exact assemblage of adult contemporary music is influenced primarily by the popular music trends of a given era, and which trends and genres appeal more heavily to youth and young adults. It was originally established as a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock sounds from the 1960s and 1970s, acting as a counterbalance for the hard rock of the era, and later heavy metal and hip-hop: it initially focused on songs with varying degrees of influence from easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet storm, and rock. In the 1990s, adult contemporary began to accommodate a hotter sound more inclusive of contemporary pop, and developed sub-categories devoted towards specific genres.