EDM
3 synonyms for EDM, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A broad category of music made with synthesisers, drum machines and computers, built around a strong repeating beat and intended mainly for clubs, festivals and dancing.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use EDM
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
EDM festival
EDM producer
EDM track
mainstream EDM
Everyday in music writing and conversation; the machining sense is confined to engineering contexts.
Etymology
An initialism: in the music sense, of electronic dance music; in the engineering sense, of electrical discharge machining.
Full origin of EDM →Frequently asked questions
What does EDM stand for?
In its everyday sense it stands for electronic dance music, an umbrella term covering house, techno, trance, dubstep, drum and bass and many related styles. In engineering it stands for electrical discharge machining, an entirely unrelated metalworking process.
Is EDM a genre or a category?
It is best understood as an umbrella category rather than a single genre. House, techno and trance each have their own conventions, and many producers describe themselves by their specific style rather than as EDM artists.
Is EDM written in capitals?
Yes, it is normally written in capitals as EDM, with no full stops. Lower-case edm appears in casual writing but is not standard.
