Europop

Europop refers to a style of pop music that developed in Europe throughout the 1970s which emphasized catchy beats, slick songs

Europop refers to a style of pop music that developed in Europe throughout the 1970s which emphasized catchy beats, slick songs and frothy lyrics. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 90s. Some Europop stars came from France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands; a large majority were Swedish in origin. In the 1970s, such groups were primarily popular in continental countries, with the exception of the biggest Europop outfit ever, Swedish 4-piece ABBA, who achieved massive success in the UK, where they scored a phenomenal 19 top 10 singles and 9 chart-topping albums, and in North America and Australia. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Roxette and Ace of Base led Europop in American and British mainstream audiences. By the 1990s, pop groups like the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys were strongly influenced by Europop. One of the main differences between American and European pop is that Europop is generally more dance and trance oriented. In central Europe Eurodisco (80s) and Eurodance (later) are the predominant attempts by young musicians to have a hit record in and beyond the borders of their own country.

The use of the term Europop differs between the United States and the United Kingdom. In the US, British and even Australian acts such as Kylie Minogue can be termed Europop, while in the UK it is used exclusively to refer to acts from Continental Europe. The British acts Girls Aloud and Take That, who both appear in the list below, would never be referred to as "Europop" in their home country. In Continental Europe the term is not used at all, of course.